Comparison

Open Additives vs Ingredients Explanined

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

Head to head
About

Open Additives

Features
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Find out what’s 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!

About

Ingredients Explanined

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Ingredients Explained helps you understand what food ingredients actually are – 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 it’s 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 – 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

Open Additives4 screens
Ingredients Explanined4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
Open Additives versus Ingredients Explanined: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpen AdditivesIngredients Explanined
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks β€” betterMonthly
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 β€” better17.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size118 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPierre BressonChristopher Thaulow-Landmark

In-app purchases

None

Open Additives

No in-app purchases

None

Ingredients Explanined

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Open Additives free?
Open Additives is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ingredients Explanined free?
Ingredients Explanined is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Open Additives or Ingredients Explanined have ads?
Ingredients Explanined shows ads; Open Additives does not.
Which is updated more often, Open Additives or Ingredients Explanined?
Open Additives ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ingredients Explanined monthly. Most recently, Open Additives was updated on October 27, 2026 and Ingredients Explanined on October 25, 2026.

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