Comparison

vatfree.com vs Capture for IC2

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

vatfree.com

This app helps international travelers claim Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds on their purchases within the European Union. It simplifies the process, aims to secure the highest possible refund, and ensures you receive money you're entitled to.

Highlights
  • Claim VAT refunds on EU shopping
  • Maximize refund amount
  • Simplified refund process
  • Online shopping VAT refund
  • Tax-free shopping guide
Features
Read full description

Thanks to a special EU-regulation, international travelers can claim the Value Added Tax paid over goods they have bought in the EU. We will help you get a VAT refund on your shopping in the European Union, even if you shop online. We make it easy, we ensure you get the highest refund possible and are here to help you claim what’s yours. We think it’s a shame that millions of euro are left unclaimed each year. Money which could be reinvested in yourself, in others or in the world. Why Vatfree.com? The Highest Refund Keep your receipts and save up to 25% on your shopping made in the EU. Rates differ per country. Refund of VAT is only possible when shopping at partner- and participating shops as EU regulation does not legally obligate shops to participate. Find a full list of participating stores in our taxfree shopping guide or in the vatfree.com mobile app. The Most Transparent We offer an inclusive service, every merchant or shop is welcome to join. Offering our tax-free shopping service next to other refund partners will give you more choice as we are the fastest growing mobile option with the highest refund guaranteed to the most diverse traveler groups. The most common feedback we get from travelers is that they feel uncomfortable being subjected to high fees for claiming back Value Added Tax they are entitled to. Especially after having to go through so much effort to arrange the refund. We get that. The regulation states that when exporting goods to a non-EU country, you do not have to pay VAT. For travelers to claim back the initial paid VAT, they have to stand in line at Customs, before flying back home, to get proof of the export. Quite stressful, time-consuming and sometimes leads to missing out if queues are long and you have to catch a plane. Once the stamp is collected, the only way to claim back VAT is to contact the shop. If the shop is unwilling to cooperate, charges high fees (with or without a tax-free partner) or just takes a long time to process it all, disappointing to say at least. Traditional tax-free companies charge fees varying from 35% to 60% of the VAT amount and are only an option if shops are affiliated. We decided to use modern technology to create an open platform for all shops to easily join, without necessary contracts, and to minimize costs so that we can continue to offer the highest possible refund. Our service fee starts at €2,50 per receipt with a maximum of €80. With this, we help travelers ánd stores as we believe a happy customer is a customer for life. Our mission is to help travelers easily shop tax-free at stores and brands that love them back. The Best in Mobile With airports requesting travelers to show up at least three hours before their flight, and safety procedures taking up a lot of time, most travelers have little time left to arrange to get a Customs validation stamp on their receipts. Standing in line at Customs may take up to half an hour or more. Being required to then stand in line at a desk for a cash refund, can increase the time of this entire process to an hour or more. Time is sparse so we built the first-ever tax-free shopping app in 2016, so travelers can finalize refund claims once they find a spare moment, on the plane home or in the comfort of their own house. The Most Diverse We are the first and only tax-free shopping service founded by travelers, specifically for travelers, with the main focus on travelers’ needs. Our service, therefore, ranges from helping a range of travelers from tourists, cruise passengers, military staff, expats and international students. We also are able to help travelers get back VAT over shopping made online, offline, cross-border, over purchases charged with low as well as high VAT rates at shops that are either listed in our shopping guide as well as not listed and new to us.

About

Capture for IC2

This app streamlines the Tax Free Shopping process for merchants by capturing traveler details for instant form autofill. It aims to make the entire experience seamless for both parties involved.

Highlights
  • Captures traveler details
  • Instant Tax Free Form autofill
  • Seamless Tax Free Shopping process
  • Merchant support tool
Features
Read full description

Global Blue has developed an exciting app to support its merchants. The app captures traveller details for instant autofill of Tax Free Forms, making the Tax Free Shopping process seamless for both traveller and merchant. Contact Global Blue for information about the app. Find Global Blue in your country here: http://www.globalblue.com/business

Screenshots

vatfree.com4 screens
Capture for IC24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Capture for IC2 at free against vatfree.com's free with in-app purchases. Capture for IC2 also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). vatfree.com's advantage is ratings volume (887 vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Capture for IC2 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: vatfree.com has 887 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vatfree.com ships an update every 2 months, Capture for IC2 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
vatfree.com versus Capture for IC2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametervatfree.comCapture for IC2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (887 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings887 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB108 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperVATfree NL B.V.Global Blue Marketing Services Ltd

Customer experience

vatfree.com

All ratings887 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral6.1%
Negative51.0%

Capture for IC2

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

vatfree.com

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when trying to upload photos
  • Receipts get rejected for minor issues
  • Unable to complete the refund process

Requested features

4 requests
  • Debit/credit card refund option
  • Improved app stability and performance
  • Faster processing and payout times
  • More transparent fee structure

Capture for IC2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

vatfree.com

No in-app purchases

None

Capture for IC2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is vatfree.com free?
vatfree.com is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Capture for IC2 free?
Capture for IC2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, vatfree.com or Capture for IC2?
Capture for IC2 is rated higher. vatfree.com averages 4.7 out of 5 from 887 ratings, while Capture for IC2 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do vatfree.com or Capture for IC2 have ads?
Neither vatfree.com nor Capture for IC2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, vatfree.com or Capture for IC2?
vatfree.com ships an update every 2 months, and Capture for IC2 every 3 months. Most recently, vatfree.com was updated on September 16, 2026 and Capture for IC2 on August 29, 2026.

Other comparisons