# essentry vs QR Code Guru

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: essentry at none against QR Code Guru's 7. essentry also leads on ads (none vs shown). QR Code Guru's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. QR Code Guru sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. essentry asks for nothing beyond the download.

essentry ships an update every 2 months, QR Code Guru every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | essentry | QR Code Guru |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.5 (292 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-code-guru-barcode-scanner/id1403846323/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **292** |
| Positive reviews | — | 73.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 18 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Essentry GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1570105753) | [Tam Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/898637894) |

## What reviewers say

### essentry

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essentry/id1293249195)

**In-app purchases:** none


### QR Code Guru

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-code-guru-barcode-scanner/id1403846323)

Quickly scan and decode various QR codes and barcodes, including contact info, URLs, and more. Generate your own codes and save your scan history. Open web links directly within the app for convenience.

**Highlights:** Fast QR code and barcode scanning, Generate custom QR codes and barcodes, Decode various data types, Scan from photos, Open web links directly, Unlimited scan history storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| QR Code Scanner Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| QR Code Reader Weekly Premium | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| QR Code Scanner Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| QR Code Reader Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads QRCode & Barcode | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime QRCode Barcode Scan | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Scanner | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Works perfectly
- ✨ Great for accessing info
- 🌟 Best QR/barcode reader
- 👍 Supports scan and generator

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Ads are intrusive
- 👎 Repetitive ads
- 👎 Lack of information
- 👎 Doesn't show prices/names
- 👎 App is useless (Russian review)

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Ads/space visible briefly after payment
- 🐛 Ads are 30 seconds long

**Requested features**

- Bulk code scanning and saving
- Add all features (Russian request)
- Show prices and product names
- Provide more information/guidance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is essentry free?

essentry is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is QR Code Guru free?

QR Code Guru is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do essentry or QR Code Guru have ads?

QR Code Guru shows ads; essentry does not.

### Which is updated more often, essentry or QR Code Guru?

essentry ships an update every 2 months, and QR Code Guru every 3 weeks. Most recently, essentry was updated on November 3, 2026 and QR Code Guru on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*