# QR vs CodeNow

The clearest difference is ads: CodeNow at none against QR's shown. QR's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 3). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. QR sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days and CodeNow sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for QR against 4.7 for CodeNow. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: QR has 1.1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

QR ships an update fortnightly, CodeNow every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | QR | CodeNow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-code-and-barcode-scanner-qrgo/id1644873937/reviews) | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codenow-qr-and-barcode-scanner/id6621245752/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 118 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stepa Mobile FZE LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1644873939) | [Magenta Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1613710846) |

## What reviewers say

### QR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qr-code-and-barcode-scanner-qrgo/id1644873937)

Easily scan and generate various QR and barcode types. Access detailed product and QR code information, maintain a scan history, and create codes for social media. Offers batch scanning and CSV export capabilities.

**Highlights:** Scan 15+ QR & barcode types, Detailed product/food info, QR code data cards, Scan history, Create QR codes, Batch scan, CSV export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Code Reader Plus | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Code Reader Plus | $19.99 | per month |
| Code Reader Plus | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Efficient and pleasant experience
- 🚀 Convenient and cool to use
- 💡 Excellent and very helpful framework

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Misleading free trial, need tutorial
- 🔋 Completely useless

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Need tutorial
- Please cancel this purchase


### CodeNow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/codenow-qr-and-barcode-scanner/id6621245752)

Instantly scan QR codes and barcodes to access product details, compare prices, and check nutrition facts. Create and customize your own QR codes for various purposes, with options to personalize their appearance.

**Highlights:** Fast QR & barcode scanning, Product details & price comparison, Nutrition & ingredient analysis, Custom QR code generation, QR code personalization, Scan from media library

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 Days Trial | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| 7 Days Trial | $12.99 | per 7 days |
| 7 Days Trial | $14.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| 1 Year | $39.99 | per year |
| 1 Year | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is QR free?

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

### Is CodeNow free?

CodeNow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, QR or CodeNow?

CodeNow is rated higher. QR averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while CodeNow averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do QR or CodeNow have ads?

QR shows ads; CodeNow does not.

### Which is updated more often, QR or CodeNow?

QR ships an update fortnightly, and CodeNow every 10 days. Most recently, QR was updated on October 25, 2026 and CodeNow on October 24, 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.*