Comparison

Buycott vs PalmOil Scan

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

Head to head
About

Buycott

Empower your purchasing decisions by scanning product barcodes to reveal their history and align with your values. Join campaigns to support causes you care about and discover alternative products that better match your preferences. Share your decisions to create impact and engage your community.

Highlights
  • Scan product barcodes for history
  • Join campaigns for causes
  • Discover alternative products
  • Broadcast purchase decisions
  • Improve leaderboard position
  • Create custom campaigns
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Vote with your wallet using Buycott. As seen on CNN, NBC, FOX, ABC, and more! ● HOW IT WORKS ● * Join campaigns to support causes you care about. * Scan product barcodes to learn a product's history. * Make a purchase decision on the product and communicate your decision to the company. ● FEATURES ● + Support causes by joining campaigns created by some of the world's best non-profit organizations. + Come across a product that doesn't match your values? No worries! Check out the suggested alternatives to find a product that's a better match. + Broadcast your purchase decision to create impact and get your friends and followers involved. + Improve your position on the leaderboard by taking action with Buycott. + Create your own campaign from buycott.com

About

PalmOil Scan

Empower your shopping decisions by identifying products from companies committed to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Scan barcodes or search by product to understand brand commitments and contribute to conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • Barcode scanner for product identification
  • Search by product keyword
  • Check company commitment to sustainable palm oil
  • Learn about palm oil and conservation
  • Contact companies about sourcing practices
Features
Read full description

Now shop with the confidence that you are helping save tropical species and their homes from deforestation. Use PalmOil Scan, produced in collaboration with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and led by top conservation-minded zoos around the world, to check if the product you are about to purchase is from a company committed to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Our database contains products from 1000’s of brands and 100's of consumer product manufacturers to reveal how committed they are to certified sustainable palm oil. Sustainable Shopping Choices Matter. - Learn about palm oil and why boycotting is not the answer - Use our barcode scanner or search by product keyword to shop sustainably - Play a role in contacting companies to ensure they are sourcing certified sustainable palm oil - Learn how you can help protect wildlife and wild places App and barcode scanner are currently supported in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Check back later to see which regions we expand to next!

Screenshots

Buycott4 screens
PalmOil Scan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PalmOil Scan at Free against Buycott's $1.99. Buycott's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 25). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

PalmOil Scan is free to download; Buycott costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PalmOil Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buycott has 2.4K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Buycott's written reviews are positive against 53% of PalmOil Scan's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buycott ships an update every 2 months, PalmOil Scan every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Buycott versus PalmOil Scan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuycottPalmOil Scan
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (2.4K ratings)4.7 (25 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.2% of reviews — better53.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2.4K — better25
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB74 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBuycott Inc.cheyenne mountain zoo

Customer experience

Buycott

All ratings2,406 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews735 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative20.7%

PalmOil Scan

All ratings25 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive53.2%
Neutral10.6%
Negative36.2%

User reviews

Buycott

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Useful app for making informed purchases
  • 👍 Convenient way to avoid unethical companies
  • 🚀 Helps change shopping habits for the better
  • 👍 Provides transparency on company ownership

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes frequently
  • 🐛 Barcode scanner often doesn't work
  • 🐛 Inaccurate or outdated product information
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data sharing

PalmOil Scan

From 25 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for sustainable shopping
  • 👍 Easy to use and user-friendly
  • 👍 Informative resource for palm oil
  • 👍 Helps identify sustainable products
  • 👍 Supports environmental causes

Room to improve

  • 👎 Inaccurate ratings/labels
  • 👎 Relies heavily on RSPO, which is criticized
  • 👎 Incomplete product database
  • 👎 Outdated UI/design
  • 👎 Limited functionality

Bugs and requests

Buycott

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and account creation issues
  • Inability to remove or edit campaigns
  • Slow performance and lagging
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually add or update product information
  • Option to filter by location or country
  • Improved search and browsing functionality
  • More comprehensive database of products and companies

PalmOil Scan

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Contact company button doesn't work for non-Apple Mail users
  • Back button does not return to search list
  • App is not recognizing products
  • Error 'Not Found' page upon opening
  • Locked into donate website with no way out
Show 6 more
  • App not recognizing Doritos as having palm oil
  • App stating Oreos have no palm oil
  • App not recognizing anything on phone (UK)
  • Some products rated 'Excellent' should be labeled poorly
  • App not working in the UK
  • App shows 'Not Found' error

Requested features

15 requests
  • Improve functionality to contact companies
  • Add mechanism for contacting companies other than Apple Mail
  • Allow users to call out companies and share information
  • Incorporate other certifications (Fair Trade, Palm Done Right)
  • Consider POIG membership in ratings
Show 10 more
  • Add a barcode scanner
  • Include unrated brands for engagement
  • Provide 'where to buy' information
  • Make it a truly global platform
  • Improve UI/redesign
  • Expand product database
  • Add a dark mode option
  • Improve back button functionality
  • Add more Australian products
  • Consider a scanner for easier use

In-app purchases

None

Buycott

No in-app purchases

None

PalmOil Scan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Buycott free?
Buycott costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PalmOil Scan free?
PalmOil Scan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Buycott or PalmOil Scan?
PalmOil Scan is rated higher. Buycott averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while PalmOil Scan averages 4.7 from 25 ratings.
Do Buycott or PalmOil Scan have ads?
Neither Buycott nor PalmOil Scan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buycott or PalmOil Scan?
Buycott ships an update every 2 months, and PalmOil Scan every 11 months. Most recently, Buycott was updated on November 10, 2026 and PalmOil Scan on November 1, 2026.

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