Comparison

Menu Buddy vs Menu Scanner

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

Head to head
About

Menu Buddy

Features
Read full description

Chat with Your Menu – Know What You Eat. Take the stress out of dining out! Scan any restaurant menu and let our AI instantly analyze it based on your specific dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific lifestyle like vegan or gluten-free, Menu Buddy helps you find safe and delicious options. Perfect for anyone with dietary needs or health goals. Make dining out simple, informed, and safe. Key Features: • Instant Menu Scanning: Snap a photo of any physical menu and let AI analyze the dishes instantly. • Custom Dietary Profiles: Set your specific allergies (nuts, dairy, shellfish, etc.) and diets (vegan, keto, gluten-free). • AI Menu Chat: Talk directly with your menu! Ask questions about specific ingredients, potential allergens, and get tailored recommendations. • Allergy Alerts: Get clear warnings about dishes that contain your allergens so you can order with confidence. Download Menu Buddy today and experience stress-free, safe dining at any restaurant! https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Menu Scanner

Features
Read full description

PREMIUM — PURCHASE REQUIRED: All features described below are part of Pro and require a purchase: a weekly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. MenuScan helps you make sense of a printed restaurant menu before you order. Photograph a menu or choose an image from your library, review the dishes found, and compare AI-estimated nutrition in one calm dining ledger. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Scan a printed menu: On-device text recognition extracts visible menu text, then our analysis service returns a structured dish list. • Compare estimates: Review estimated calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat side by side. • Keep a dining ledger: Save favourites and revisit scan history on this device. • Plan ahead: Add saved dishes to a meal plan and review nutrition trends over time. • Set preferences: Record dietary preferences to make review easier. MenuScan never certifies that a dish is safe or allergen-free. • Export selected information when you need a portable record. IMPORTANT LIMITATIONS Restaurant recipes, ingredients, cross-contact and portion sizes vary. Every nutrition, ingredient, dietary and allergen result in MenuScan is an AI estimate, not a laboratory measurement or medical recommendation. Always confirm ingredients and allergy safety directly with the restaurant. Do not use MenuScan for diagnosis or emergency decisions. PRIVACY A menu image is uploaded securely only after you select it for analysis. Scan history, favourites, meal plans and profile preferences are stored on this device. Anonymous product interaction, performance and crash diagnostics help us improve reliability. MenuScan does not use data for cross-app tracking. PREMIUM (PURCHASE REQUIRED) Optional MenuScan Pro purchases unlock unlimited scans and advanced planning, history, insights and export features. Available products and prices are shown by the App Store before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled in App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://leanstudio.asia/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://leanstudio.asia/privacy-policy Support: support@leanstudio.asia

Screenshots

Menu Buddy4 screens
Menu Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Menu Buddy at 3 against Menu Scanner's 1. Menu Buddy also leads on iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

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

Both are free to download. Menu Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Menu Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Menu Buddy ships an update every 6 months, Menu Scanner every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Menu Buddy versus Menu Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMenu BuddyMenu Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJERZY FRYMARKLEAN ASIA CO., LTD

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Menu Buddy

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
3 purchases

Menu Scanner

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Weekly Plan$9.997 Days
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$89.99

Questions

Is Menu Buddy free?
Menu Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Menu Scanner free?
Menu Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Menu Buddy or Menu Scanner have ads?
Neither Menu Buddy nor Menu Scanner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Menu Buddy or Menu Scanner?
Menu Buddy ships an update every 6 months, and Menu Scanner every 3 months. Most recently, Menu Buddy was updated on October 25, 2026 and Menu Scanner on October 12, 2026.

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