Bar vs SkyBlueScan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bar
Scan barcodes and QR codes to save, email, copy, or search for information online. Export scanned data and photos to your PC for use in other applications. Ideal for small businesses, libraries, or home organization.
- Scan barcodes and QR codes
- Save scanned codes for later
- Email scanned codes
- Copy/paste codes into other apps
- Search scanned codes on the web
- Export data and photos via iTunes file sharing
- Integrate with web apps via URL scheme
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-------------- What this app will do for me ? -------------- It will scan barcodes (read "other info" for list of formats supported) and send scanned codes by email, or save them for later use, or paste/copy codes into other apps, or search on the web. It will not check for prices. Also, with iTunes file sharing, you can export the list of scanned codes (and photo taken) to your PC (for use in Excel etc.) Great for small stores, library, and also at home ! ------------ Awards ------------ - over 4.000.000 download - TOP APP in his category in the italian store (may 2011) - TOP 25 APP in his category in many national stores - Suggested by iTunes -------------- How does this app works ? -------------- To start the scan, tap on the "START SCAN FROM" buttons (or shake te device), and the camera will start, ready to scan a code. Now make the camera look at a barcode. Please make sure your camera is correctly aligned with the barcode to scan (vertical or horizontal, not oblique). Please make sure that the code is well lighted and on focus (move the device to get well the code). When the barcode is detected, it will be surrounded by a green square and it will be decoded and written in the "SCANNED CODES" list. If you have problems to get the code scanned, when the camera is on, tap the info button to get help on how get a successful scan. With your codes scanned, you can save them for later use, or mail them, of search for them on the web, or paste into other apps (last scanned code is copied into the pasteboard), or copy them (and photo taken) to your PC for use in your apps with iTunes file sharing. Tap on "ACTIONS WITH SCANNED BARCODES" to select what you want to do with the scanned codes. You can also save the photos taken in your Camera Roll. ONLY FOR USERS THAT DID DISABLE THE ADS TAPPING ON "REMOVE ADS" BUTTON: Now you can use this app to scan barcodes with your web apps. If you have a web app that you need to input barcodes, you can start the app, scan barcode, and return barcode content, with just one http url ! Just use an url like this: bar-code://scan?callback=[callback url] (where "callback" is the url return url to your web app) Barcode content will be added at the end: ?barcode=[barcode content][&other parameters] So, for example, using this url: bar-code://scan?callback=http://www.mysite.com the callback url after barcode scan will be http://www.mysite.com?barcode=1234567890 if you need extra parameters, just add them to the callback url bar-code://scan?callback=http://www.mysite.com&user=roberto then the callback url after barcode scan will be http://www.mysite.com?barcode=1234567890&user=roberto You can test the app is working with this url: http://www.pw2.it/iapps/test-bar-code.php THIS WILL WORK ONLY FROM THE DEVICE WEB BROWSER ! -------------- Other info -------------- Supports EAN-8, UPC-E, ISBN-10, UPC-A, EAN-13, ISBN-13, Interleaved 2 of 5, Code 39, QR Code, Code 128, Code 93, Farmacode, GS1 DataBar, GS1 DataBar Expanded, GS1 2-digit add-on, GS1 5-digit add-on, EAN/UPC composite formats, Codabar and DataBar. SCAN WORKS ONLY IF YOU HAVE A CAMERA Suggested devices: iPhone 3GS or greater (NO 3G OR OLD IPOD OR IPAD OR iPAD2, so please note that not all codes will be decoded easily on those devices). To dismiss the keyboard, tap anywhere on the background May contain ads. -------------- Please remember to check our new barcode scanner app with lot of new options and link to Mac PC ! https://itunes.apple.com/app/barcode-professional/id1075096265?mt=8 You can easily create QR-Codes with our new app "QR-Code creator" https://itunes.apple.com/app/qr-code-creator/id1197340445?l=it&ls=1&mt=8 --------------
SkyBlueScan
Effortlessly scan various QR and barcode types, including product information and Google Authenticator codes. Access detailed data cards and a comprehensive scan history. A PRO subscription offers unlimited scans, enhanced product details, and an ad-free experience.
- Scan 15+ code types (QR, Barcode, Datamatrix, etc.)
- View product and food details
- Detailed QR code data cards
- Scan history log
- Google Authenticator support
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The best app to scan QR Code and Barcode! More than 15 types supported : QR Code, Barcode, Datamatrix, Code128, Code39, EAN-8, EAN-13, Google Auth With powerful features : - Products & food detailed informations - QR Code detailed data cards - Scan history SUBSCRIPTIONS - You can subscribe for PRO account with unlimited scans, products infos and no ads - Subscription options are: 1-month, 1-year - Subscription automatically renews for the same price and duration period as the original "one month", "one quarter", "one year" package unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Links to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy can be found below https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bQlNjyAe4YBNE4gZpvWi4rnB7qyC-ESXtDQA01olNNA/edit?usp=sharing
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bar at 64% against SkyBlueScan's 25%. Bar also leads on ads (none vs shown). SkyBlueScan's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.4). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Bar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SkyBlueScan sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bar ships an update every 2 months, SkyBlueScan every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bar | SkyBlueScan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.6 (4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.0% of reviews — better | 24.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Roberto Sonzogni | Circo, Inc. |
Customer experience
Bar
SkyBlueScan
User reviews
Bar
From App Store reviewsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast scanning
- 👍 Simple and effective
- 📤 Ability to email scanned barcodes
- 🔍 Reads various barcode types
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy after updates
- 🚫 Doesn't work on some devices
- 💤 Slow or inaccurate scanning
- 📢 Intrusive ads
SkyBlueScan
From 4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Excellent app
- ⭐ Best one yet
- ⭐ Good
Room to improve
- 🚫 Automatically subscribes you
- 🚫 Difficult to unsubscribe
- 🚫 Overpriced
- 🚫 Useless app
- 🚫 Scam
Bugs and requests
Bar
Reported bugs
3 issues- Scan history list disappearing
- Crashing when switching camera modes
- Inability to scan certain barcode types
Requested features
3 requests- Direct link to open scanned URLs
- Option to save scanned barcodes in folders
- Ability to export data to spreadsheets
SkyBlueScan
Reported bugs
2 issues- App doesn't work properly
- Charges even after deleting the app
Requested features
1 request- Add simple unsubscribe solution
In-app purchases
Bar
- Remove ads and enable web app mode$0.99
SkyBlueScan
- Weekly Subscription (Discount)3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Weekly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$12.997 Days
- Yearly Premium Subscription3 Days trial$49.991 Year









