Comparison

dtect vs ScanGredients

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

Head to head
About

dtect

Scan ingredient lists on food labels to identify allergens. It highlights potential risks with color-coded alerts and provides detailed matching information. Supports multiple languages and custom allergen settings.

Highlights
  • Reads printed ingredient lists
  • Color-coded allergen alerts (red/amber)
  • Customizable allergen lists
  • Supports multiple languages
  • Offline label scanning
  • Allergy card for restaurants
  • Nutrition table analysis
Read full description

dtect reads the printed ingredient list and marks your allergens: red (Alert) when they are in the list, amber (Caution) when the label only says "may contain". Under each flag you see the words it matched, so you can check it in a second. dtect understands "gluten-free", "no milk" and look-alikes such as cocoa butter or buckwheat, and does not flag them. It reads the label itself, so there is no barcode and no product database to go out of date. That also works for imports, own brands and shop photos. Text recognition can misread words, and recipes change. dtect helps you read a label. It does not decide whether a product is safe, so always check the packaging. - 14 EU allergens built in, each of which you can switch off - Your own allergens, set to Alert or Caution - Allergy card in English or German to show in a restaurant, shareable as an image - Take a photo, or import a saved photo or a screenshot from an online shop and crop it - Torch and tap to focus for small print - An amber result when the photo shows no ingredient list - Allergens recognised on labels in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish - Gluten, lactose and fructose check - Nutrition table per 100 g, 100 ml or serving, with your thresholds and colour bands - Country of origin - History of your last 100 scans - Report a wrong result from the result screen - App in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish dtect is free and needs no account. It collects no analytics and never uploads your photos or scans; everything is processed on your iPhone. It asks for the camera, and for access to Photos only if you save your allergy card image. Requires iOS 16 or later on iPhone.

About

ScanGredients

Instantly identify food additives, allergens, and hidden chemicals by scanning labels. Get clear, plain-language explanations for ingredients to make informed purchasing decisions. Take control of your diet with this AI-powered food scanner.

Highlights
  • AI-powered label scanning
  • Additive and chemical identification
  • Allergen flagging
  • Plain-language explanations
  • Privacy-focused design
  • No barcode required
Features
Read full description

What's really in it? Point your camera at an ingredient list and ScanGredients tells you. Made for the grocery aisle: for careful label readers and anyone shopping for someone else. HOW IT WORKS • Snap the ingredient list. If it wraps around the box, add more photos, up to six. • Check the text we read and fix anything that looks off. Nothing is used up until you tap Check ingredients. • Get the result in seconds: allergen words first, a simple 1 to 5 score, how processed it is, and every ingredient explained. ALLERGEN WORDS, HIGHLIGHTED • Choose the allergens you watch for: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, gluten, soy, sesame, fish, shellfish and more. • ScanGredients highlights those words when they appear in the label text it reads, and keeps "may contain" statements separate. • Allergen word highlights are free and work on your phone as soon as the label is read. • It only reads the text you photograph or type and can miss things, so it never replaces reading the package. EVERY INGREDIENT, EXPLAINED • Plain-language notes on additives, sweeteners, oils and emulsifiers. • A processing level from whole food to ultra-processed, based on the NOVA classification. • Good stuff and watch-outs at a glance, with links to look things up. KEEP IT ALL • My Scans saves every label you check. • Search thousands of ingredients in the Ingredients library. SCANGREDIENTS PLUS Your first full check is free. Plus unlocks unlimited checks and the full ingredient library, billed monthly or yearly, and new subscribers start with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. PLEASE NOTE ScanGredients uses AI to read labels and can make mistakes. It gives general food information, not medical or allergy advice, and it does not tell you whether a food is safe for you. Always read the package, and ask your doctor about allergies. No account needed. Terms of Use: https://www.noworrieslifestyle.com/eula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.noworrieslifestyle.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

dtect4 screens
ScanGredients4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ScanGredients at 100% against dtect's 0%. ScanGredients also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). dtect's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. ScanGredients sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. dtect asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

dtect ships an update monthly, ScanGredients every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
dtect versus ScanGredients: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdtectScanGredients
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.3 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—13 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilip GurrNo Worries! Lifestyle, LLC

Customer experience

dtect

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

ScanGredients

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

dtect

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ScanGredients

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly!7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly!7 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is dtect free?
dtect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScanGredients free?
ScanGredients is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do dtect or ScanGredients have ads?
Neither dtect nor ScanGredients shows ads.
Which is updated more often, dtect or ScanGredients?
dtect ships an update monthly, and ScanGredients every 6 days. Most recently, dtect was updated on November 3, 2026 and ScanGredients on November 4, 2026.

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