Comparison

BinScan vs Backbar

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

Head to head
About

BinScan

Streamline your bar or restaurant's beverage inventory with this app. It significantly reduces counting time and eliminates errors compared to manual methods. Features include camera or Bluetooth scanner support, detailed area management, and manual item addition.

Highlights
  • Scan barcodes with device camera
  • Pair with Bluetooth scanner
  • Manage counts by area
  • Add items manually
  • Quick-Add for multi-case items
  • Partials view for partial counts
Features
Read full description

The BinScan mobile app from BinWise is the fastest and most accurate way to take beverage inventory for your restaurant or bar. BinScan reduces the time it takes to complete inventory by 85% while completely eliminating counting errors, when compared to the traditional process of taking inventory manually. You can use the BinScan mobile app for free and pair it with a Bluetooth enabled handheld barcode scanner to complete inventory even faster. Some of the many features you’ll enjoy: Use your device’s camera to scan barcodes without the need for a separate scanner Pair your device with a Bluetooth scanner for even faster inventory Scan barcoded items or scan-sheets and complete inventory faster and more accurately Use the “Quick-Add” feature for items in multi-case quantities Use the “Partials” view to easily count partial inventory items Manage separate counts for each storage and service area for more granular reporting Manually add items without a barcode to your count About Binwise BinWise is an all-in-one beverage inventory management platform and a full cloud-based solution for your restaurant and bar. Whether you have a sophisticated wine program, or a curated selection of cocktails, BinWise is fully customizable to fit the needs of your business. With BinWise’s robust beverage inventory management features, you can say goodbye to manual data entry and make paperwork a thing of the past. Save up to 85% of your time doing inventory and eliminate errors. The BinWise Pro Platform features: Purchasing – Order products directly from vendor sales reps, manage purchase orders, invoices, and credits in one place Inventory – Complete your inventory in a fraction of the time with our unique inventory management solution Sales – Integrates with over 50 point of sales systems to gather daily sales and automatically deplete inventory Wine & Beverage Lists – Use live sales data to generate real-time lists of wine, beer and cocktails in print, web or iPad format Reporting – Track variance, price changes, profitability and sales insights

About

Backbar

This application streamlines bar and restaurant management by simplifying inventory counting, vendor purchasing, and menu costing. It helps reduce costs and improve efficiency for beverage programs. Features include real-time syncing across devices, barcode scanning, and integration with over 1,300 beverage suppliers.

Highlights
  • Real-time inventory syncing
  • Barcode scanning for products
  • Streamlined vendor purchasing
  • Menu costing and pricing optimization
  • Digital invoice management
  • Staff education on beverages
Features
Read full description

Backbar helps restaurants and bars increase profitability, decrease COGS, and run a more efficient beverage program. Backbar, the only free bar inventory app, saves hours on counting inventory and simplifies bar management. Backbar not only solves inventory management, but also streamlines vendor purchasing and tracking, menu costing, and financial tracking. Here are some of the many features of Backbar: - Quickly count inventory across many locations, devices and users, syncing in real-time - Count inventory in multiple locations and on multiple devices simultaneously - Scan barcodes to instantly find and count products - Streamline purchasing by sending orders to all your distributors with a single tap - Track past orders and invoices for all your distributors - Connect to your point-of-sale (POS) system for real-time inventory depletions - Save digital invoices easily by taking a photo - Connect to over 1,300 beverage suppliers for automated product updates and cost changes - Educate staff with tasting notes and drink information - Cost out cocktail recipes and optimize menu pricing - Quickly add a new item from our global database of over 300,000 wines, beers, spirits and other beverages Download the app today and make beverage management easier with Backbar

Screenshots

BinScan4 screens
Backbar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: BinScan at none against Backbar's shown. BinScan also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Backbar's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 33%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

BinScan holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 33 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of BinScan's written reviews are positive against 60% of Backbar's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BinScan ships an update fortnightly, Backbar every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and July 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BinScan versus Backbar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBinScanBackbar
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (13 ratings) — better3.6 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1333 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB32 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperBinWise, Inc.Backbar

Customer experience

BinScan

All ratings13 ratings
Positive69.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Backbar

All ratings33 ratings
Positive60.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative35.0%

In-app purchases

None

BinScan

No in-app purchases

None

Backbar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BinScan free?
BinScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backbar free?
Backbar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BinScan or Backbar?
BinScan is rated higher. BinScan averages 3.8 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Backbar averages 3.6 from 33 ratings.
Do BinScan or Backbar have ads?
Backbar shows ads; BinScan does not.
Which is updated more often, BinScan or Backbar?
BinScan ships an update fortnightly, and Backbar every 3 weeks. Most recently, BinScan was updated on June 1, 2026 and Backbar on July 26, 2026.

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