Source: https://verify-veg.com/blog/best-food-scanner-apps/
Language: en

# Best Food Scanner Apps in 2026 Compared: Yuka, Fig, Bobby Approved and More

"Food scanner" describes at least four tools: one scores how healthy a product is, one flags additives, one filters by allergy, one answers whether a product fits your diet. The ten apps below are sorted by the job they do.

> **Key Takeaways**
> - The category splits into four jobs: nutrition scoring, additive flags, allergy and diet checks, and open product data.
> - Price models differ: Bobby Approved lists no in-app purchases, CodeCheck gives 5 free scans a week, and Olive needs a subscription after a trial.
> - No scanner handles unlabelled food, restaurant dishes or deli counters well, and Yuka states it ignores "may contain" lines.
> - None of them certifies a product.

**TL;DR: the best food scanner app matches the question you ask most often.** A barcode scanner for food does one of four jobs: nutrition scoring, additive flagging, allergy filtering or diet compliance.

## How we compared

This food scanner app review was built from each app's own published store listing, pricing page and help documentation, reviewed on 2026-09-24. No app was tested hands-on, so nothing here claims first-hand experience. Where a listing is silent, this post says "not stated" rather than guessing: the company did not publish it, which is not the same as missing. Prices change, so check the listing before subscribing. The vegan-first scanners in this category are compared in [Yuka alternatives for other diets](/blog/yuka-alternatives/).

## What each app is actually for

### 1. Yuka

Nutrition scoring with an additive flag. A barcode scan produces a score from nutritional quality, additives and organic status, with healthier alternatives offered. Free, with Premium for diet alerts, search and offline mode. Limit: a health opinion, not a diet answer ([Yuka listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yuka-food-cosmetic-scanner/id1092799236), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 2. Fig

Diet and allergy filtering. A barcode scan checks the ingredients against your profile, with more than 2,800 dietary options and a profile per person. Free, with Fig+ for restaurants, extra profiles and unlimited scans. Limit: it works from database entries, not a photographed label ([Fig listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fig-food-scanner-recipes/id1564434726), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 3. Bobby Approved

One ingredient blacklist applied to everything. A barcode scan says whether a product is Bobby Approved, highlighting flagged ingredients in red and explaining each one; more than 100 ingredients are flagged. Free, with no in-app purchases listed. Limit: it is built for US grocery products ([Bobby Approved listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bobby-approved-food-scanner/id1571725006), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 4. Olive

Additive, seed oil and cosmetic scanning. Scan food or personal care barcodes for additives, seed oils, gluten, allergens and fragrance, then see cleaner alternatives; the listing also claims lab-tested data. Free trial, then a subscription. Limit: the wider features sit behind Olive Premium ([Olive listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/olive-food-cosmetic-scanner/id6739765789); [oliveapp.com](https://www.oliveapp.com/), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 5. CodeCheck

Ingredient assessment with alternatives. Scan food or cosmetics to see what each ingredient means, whether a product is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or lactose-free, and if palm oil is present. Free for 5 scans a week; CodeCheck Plus lifts the limit. Limit: it is built around the German and Swiss market ([CodeCheck listing](https://apps.apple.com/ch/app/codecheck-product-scanner/id359351047?l=en-GB), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 6. Open Food Facts

Free, open product data. A non-profit volunteer database with 4,768,947 products and no ads; a scan shows nutrition, Nutri-Score, the NOVA group, Eco-Score and allergen alerts. Limit: it is a data layer, and its listing warns that detection "may not be 100% accurate" ([Open Food Facts](https://world.openfoodfacts.org/); [App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/open-food-facts-product-scan/id588797948), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 7. Eatibo

Calorie and nutrition context from a photo. Its listing says the AI reads labels, menus and dishes, estimates calories, breaks down macros, flags allergens and offers halal, vegetarian and gluten-free modes. It works offline. Free, then a premium subscription. Limit: photo estimates, not a product database ([Eatibo listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eatibo-ai-food-scan-record/id6753906159), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 8. TagHalal

A halal verdict, additive by additive. Scan a barcode or ingredient list for a Halal, Haram or Mushbooh verdict, with 500+ additives and E-numbers and rulings adjustable by school of thought. Its listing claims 1.5 million products. Free with in-app purchases. Limit: halal only ([TagHalal listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/taghalal-halal-food-scanner/id1626990007), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 9. KosherScan

A kosher answer from a person. Scan a barcode, see products your community has already answered, and ask your rabbi about the rest with photos and product details. Free with in-app purchases. Limit: coverage depends on answered products, not an automatic ingredient audit ([KosherScan listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kosherscan-app/id1549559357), retrieved 2026-09-24).

### 10. Verify Veg

A diet verdict from a barcode or a label photo. Check a product against vegan, vegetarian, Jain, kosher, halal/no pork, no beef or custom forbidden ingredients, and read labels with no usable barcode from a photo. Free with in-app purchases, iPhone. Limit: the free AI label read is capped at 10 scans a month ([Verify Veg listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verifyveg-vegan-scanner/id6758276834), retrieved 2026-09-24).

## The ten apps at a glance

| App | Primary job | What it scans | Price model | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuka | Nutrition score + additives | Barcode | Free; Premium | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Fig | Allergy + diet filter | Barcode | Free; Fig+ subscription | iPhone |
| Bobby Approved | Ingredient blacklist | Barcode | Free | iPhone |
| Olive | Additives and cosmetics | Barcode | Free trial, then paid (price not stated) | iPhone, Android |
| CodeCheck | Ingredient assessment | Barcode | Free (5/week); Plus | iPhone, Android |
| Open Food Facts | Open product data | Barcode | Free, non-profit | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Eatibo | Calories and nutrition | Label or dish photo | Free; premium | iPhone, iPad, Watch |
| TagHalal | Halal, Haram or Mushbooh | Barcode + label | Free; in-app purchases | iPhone |
| KosherScan | Kosher answers | Barcode, rabbi lookup | Free; in-app purchases | iPhone, iPad |
| Verify Veg | Diet compliance | Barcode + label photo | Free; in-app purchases | iPhone |

## What no scanner does well

Every app here shares the same blind spots, and knowing them saves wasted trust.

- **Unlabelled food.** Loose produce, bakery bread and butcher counters often have no barcode or ingredient list to read.
- **Restaurant dishes.** The recipe is not published, so ask the restaurant; our [halal travel food guide](/blog/halal-travel-food-guide/) covers how.
- **Deli and by-weight items.** Yuka says products sold by weight have a bar code that is not unique and cannot be rated, along with alcohol, supplements and products with no nutrition data ([Yuka help centre](https://help.yuka.io/l/en/article/erodqtx4nx-unrated-food-products), retrieved 2026-09-24).
- **Traces.** Yuka states it does not count "may contain traces" lines, and Open Food Facts warns detection may not be accurate. [Milk traces on a vegan label](/blog/may-contain-milk-vegan/) show what scanners miss.
- **Missing products.** A product absent from the database returns nothing, which is why [scanning before you buy](/blog/scan-before-you-buy/) still means reading the pack.

## The bottom line

Pick by job, not brand. For a health opinion, Yuka or Eatibo. For additive flags, Bobby Approved, Olive or CodeCheck. For allergies and diets, Fig, TagHalal, KosherScan or Verify Veg. For raw data, Open Food Facts. If your diet is the deciding factor rather than the product, start from [the vegan-first scanners](/blog/best-vegan-scanner-apps/) instead. Scan while you are still in the shop, and keep a second app for products the first cannot find. When the label is in a language you do not read, see [scanning without a connection](/blog/offline-food-scanning-travel/) and our [country food guides](/food/).

> **Check before you eat.** The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verifyveg-vegan-scanner/id6758276834) - Android is coming soon.

*Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.*

*Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.*