Comparison

Allergen Hound vs Step Friend

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

Head to head
About

Allergen Hound

Scan ingredient labels with your camera to identify harmful ingredients based on your custom allergen list. Get instant alerts for food, cosmetics, and more, ensuring peace of mind for those with dietary needs or sensitivities.

Highlights
  • Scan ingredient labels with camera
  • Detects custom allergens and keywords
  • Works on food, cosmetics, and more
  • Instant smart alerts for detected allergens
  • Free daily scans and scan rewards
  • Dark mode and accessibility options
Features
Read full description

Whether you're managing food allergies, skin sensitivities, or other personal dietary needs, Allergen Hound is here to help. As manufacturers constantly change ingredients and packaging facilities, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of what's in the products you purchase. Simply snap a picture of an ingredient label and let Allergen Hound do the rest. The app scans the label and highlights ingredients from your personalized allergen list—helping you quickly determine if a product is safe for you, so you never miss an important detail again. **Key Features:** • Allergen Detection Engine – Automatically scans ingredient labels and alerts you if any of your allergens are found. • Camera & OCR Scan – Take a photo of hard-to-read product labels and get a clean, readable output. • Works With All Product Types – Food, cosmetics, skin care, pet food, cleaning supplies—if it has a label, you can scan it. • Custom Allergen List – Add any allergen or keyword you want the app to look for. • Smart Alerts – Get notified when allergens are found and take immediate action. • Dark Mode & Accessibility Options – Customize the app to fit your visual preferences. • Scan Rewards – Get rewarded just for using the app and sharing with friends. • Free 30-Day Trial – Unlock the full experience, risk-free. • Free Daily Scans – Every non-subscriber gets free daily scans to try the app. Free scans are always used before purchased or rewarded scans, helping your scan balance last longer. **Who It's For:** • Parents of children with food allergies. • Individuals with dietary restrictions. • People with skin sensitivities or fragrance allergies. • Shoppers who want fast, on-the-spot label analysis. • Anyone who wants peace of mind when shopping.

About

Step Friend

Read full description

Step Friend turns your everyday steps into a game. Adopt your axolotl from the lake of Xochimilco. Every step you take in the real world feeds your axolotl, earns you coins and pushes your streak forward. Walk enough days in a row and your axolotl levels up — unlocking new outfits, accessories and mini-pet companions. FEATURES • Friends & challenges — add friends, take on step challenges and climb group leaderboards. • Step tracking — connects to Apple Health, or uses your phone's built-in pedometer. Your choice. • Workouts — import runs, walks, cycling, strength sessions and more. • Axolotl care — keep its happiness up, dress it and decorate its lake. • Streaks & levels — daily goals reward you with coins and unlocks. • Shop — earn outfits and accessories through play. • PRO courses (subscription) — nutrition, training and habit lessons made for everyday exercisers. • Coaching (optional) — request a quote for real 1:1 human coaching. PRIVACY FIRST • No ads. No tracking. No third-party analytics SDKs. • Health data stays on your device unless you create an account and choose to sync. • Play 100% offline as a guest if you prefer. STEP FRIEND PRO A monthly or yearly subscription that unlocks the full outfit catalog, PRO courses, full stats and no limit workout imports. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://stepfriend.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://stepfriend.app/terms Support: support@stepfriend.app

Screenshots

Allergen Hound4 screens
Step Friend4 screens

Verdict

The call

Allergen Hound and Step Friend are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

Both are free to download. Allergen Hound sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Step Friend sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Allergen Hound ships an update fortnightly, Step Friend every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Allergen Hound versus Step Friend: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAllergen HoundStep Friend
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB52 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThree Columns LLCALEJANDRO SANCHEZ SAUCEDO

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Allergen Hound

Subscriptions4
  • Unlimited Scans (1 Month)1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Package (1 Month)$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited Scans (1 Year)1 Month trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Access (1 Year)$99.991 Year
One-time4
  • 10 Scans (1 Time)$1.99
  • 25 Scans (1 Time)$2.99
  • 50 Scans (1 Time)$2.99
Show 1 more
  • 100 Scans (1 Time)$3.99
2 purchases

Step Friend

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Allergen Hound free?
Allergen Hound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Step Friend free?
Step Friend is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Allergen Hound or Step Friend have ads?
Neither Allergen Hound nor Step Friend shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Allergen Hound or Step Friend?
Allergen Hound ships an update fortnightly, and Step Friend every 3 weeks. Most recently, Allergen Hound was updated on October 30, 2026 and Step Friend on October 31, 2026.

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