Beat the Microbead vs Pinacle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Beat the Microbead
Quickly check cosmetics and personal care products for plastic ingredients by scanning their ingredient lists. Receive a traffic light rating and discover certified microplastic-free brands to make informed, eco-friendly choices.
- Scan product ingredients for microplastics
- Text recognition technology
- Traffic light rating system (Red, Orange, Green)
- Discover certified microplastic-free brands
- Contribute to a database against microplastics
- Barcode scanning
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Beat the Microbead app is the fastest way to learn if your cosmetics and personal care products contain plastic ingredients. This app uses state-of-the-art text recognition technology. Just scan the ingredients of your products and check them for microplastics. Not only that, but you can also get to know microplastic-free brands certified by us. How does it work? It’s straightforward: you can scan products with four easy steps: - Find the ingredients list on your product. - Position the full list within your camera frame. - Make sure the ingredients are clear to read. - Take a picture to scan! A traffic light rating system - RED: Products that contain microplastics. - ORANGE: Products that contain what we call “sceptical” microplastics. With this, we mean synthetic polymers for which there is not enough information available. - GREEN: Products that do not contain microplastics. Help us enrich our database! Every time you add a product to our database, you help us build a case against microplastics. With every product information, we can create evidence and convince authorities about the extensive use of plastic ingredients. A bit of extra effort on your side makes you a part of the fight against microplastics in cosmetics and care products. So, go ahead, scan the barcode of your product and help us get some more information! By adding the products to our database, you can also discover our certified microplastic-free brands. These brands have their entire range of products free of all known microplastic ingredients. Why is it important? Plastic in cosmetics is a global problem! Microplastics are hardly visible ingredients that pollute our planet & may pose health risks. These microplastics, hardly visible to the naked eye, flow straight from the bathroom drain into the sewer system. Microplastics are not biodegradable, and once they enter the (marine) environment, they are almost impossible to remove. Sea animals absorb or eat microplastics; these particles are passed along the marine food chain. Since humans are ultimately at the top of this food chain, it is likely that we also ingest microplastics. Using body washes or cosmetics that contain microplastics can put the ocean, ourselves, and our children at risk! With this app, you can get aware of this issue and make environmentally friendly choices. Who is behind this app? The collaborators behind this app include the following partners: Plastic Soup Foundation: NGO based in Amsterdam, initiators of the worldwide campaign “Beat the Microbead”. Their mission: No plastic in our water or our bodies! PINCH: a renowned mobile development agency from Amsterdam that is proud of their work for the Plastic Soup Foundation.
Pinacle
Read full descriptionHide full description
PINACLE is a digital solution that optimizes food donations by considering, assigning and effectively matching them with recipient dietary requirements through an advanced personalized approach towards more healthy diets. It provides personalised nutrition plans by using AI and decentralized identities to ensure privacy, efficiency, and trust.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Pinacle at none against Beat the Microbead's shown. Pinacle also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Beat the Microbead's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Beat the Microbead ships an update every 3 months, Pinacle every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Beat the Microbead | Pinacle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (25 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 32.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 240 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Plastic Soup Foundation | Konnecta Systems |
In-app purchases
Beat the Microbead
No in-app purchases
Pinacle
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Beat the Microbead free?
Is Pinacle free?
Do Beat the Microbead or Pinacle have ads?
Which is updated more often, Beat the Microbead or Pinacle?
Other comparisons















