Open Additives vs Ingredients Explanined
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Open Additives
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Find out whatβs behind the e-numbers in your food. This intuitive app provides detailed information on food additives, helping you make informed choices about what you eat. Besides that, you can use your camera to scan any ingredient list or a barcode, and the app will automatically extract the e-numbers to give you insights on the e-numbers you are about to ingest!
Ingredients Explanined
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Ingredients Explained helps you understand what food ingredients actually are β clearly, neutrally, and without fear-based claims. Food labels are full of names and E-numbers that can be confusing. This app breaks them down into simple explanations so you can learn what ingredients do, why they are used, and how they are regulated in different parts of the world. What you can do: β’ Browse ingredients by clear categories β’ Learn what an ingredient is and why itβs used β’ See regulatory status across regions (EU, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia) β’ Save favorites for quick access β’ Create personal collections β’ Share ingredients with others Ingredients Explained is designed for learning and understanding β not scanning products or judging foods. If you want instant product scanning and ingredient list analysis, you can also explore ScanSafe food & ingredients on the App Store. Clear information. No hype. Just ingredients explained.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Open Additives at none against Ingredients Explanined's shown. Open Additives also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Open Additives ships an update every 2 weeks, Ingredients Explanined monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Open Additives | Ingredients Explanined |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks β better | Monthly |
| Ads | No β better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 β better | 17.6 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 118 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pierre Bresson | Christopher Thaulow-Landmark |
In-app purchases
Open Additives
No in-app purchases
Ingredients Explanined
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Open Additives free?
Is Ingredients Explanined free?
Do Open Additives or Ingredients Explanined have ads?
Which is updated more often, Open Additives or Ingredients Explanined?
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