Comparison

Barcodes Matter vs Clean Links

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

Head to head
About

Barcodes Matter

Organize and manage all your smart home device barcodes, including Matter and HomeKit. Scan, add, categorize, and search devices effortlessly. Syncs across devices and supports printing QR codes for easy setup.

Highlights
  • Scan barcodes and QR codes
  • Add devices via image, scan, or NFC
  • Categorize devices by type and location
  • Search and filter devices instantly
  • Recognize Matter barcodes for onboarding
  • Sync across devices with iCloud
  • Print QR codes via AirPrint
Features
Read full description

Barcodes Matter is an app for storing your smart home device pairing barcodes, because we think barcodes matter! Effortlessly organise, scan, and manage all your Matter and HomeKit smart home device barcodes in one beautifully simple app. Includes a watch companion app to assist with scanning barcodes that cannot be paired from within the main app, display the barcode on your watch, then scan with the phone. Barcodes Matter makes it easy to: * Scan barcodes and QR codes quickly using your device’s camera * Add Devices by an image, manual code or by scanning an NFC Device * Categorise devices by type, location, and more * Search and filter through your devices instantly * Recognise Matter barcodes and help start device onboarding * Sync across all your devices securely with iCloud * Print QR codes directly from the app using AirPrint * Edit device details anytime to keep your inventory up to date Whether you’re setting up a smart home, keeping track of gadgets, or managing a large inventory — Barcodes Matter gives you the power to stay organized and connected. Features: * Tint-able Interface Colour * Multi-Home support if you manage devices across multi location like Home / Work / Cabin / Holiday Home etc * Lightning-fast scanning with VisionKit * Manual Device Add for devices without a barcode * Full iCloud sync with automatic updates * Clean, simple interface designed for iPhone and iPad * Powerful search and type filtering * Print or Save device QR Codes * Print ALL Device QR codes 16 per page with names and manual paring codes, ready for labelling or pairing * Export ALL Device QR codes 16 per page to a PDF * Native support for Matter and HomeKit devices * Privacy-first: your data stays with you If you have any problems, please contact us via one of the in app options, you can be assure of a timely and personal response.

About

Clean Links

This utility app removes tracking parameters from URLs, reveals the true destination of QR codes before opening, and allows you to send cleaned links between your devices. It prioritizes user privacy with no accounts, subscriptions, or ads.

Highlights
  • Strips tracking parameters from URLs
  • Reveals QR code destinations before opening
  • Sends cleaned links between Apple devices
  • Unshortens shortened URLs
  • Generates QR codes
  • Safari extension for one-tap cleaning
  • Shortcuts and widget integration
Features
Read full description

That link a friend just sent you probably has a dozen tracking parameters glued to the end of it. Clean Links strips them off. It also opens up QR codes so you can read where they actually go before you commit to tapping. The app does a handful of things, and does them without an account, a subscription, or an ad: QR reader that shows you the destination URL first. Quishing scams work because nobody can read a QR code with their eyes, so you scan and hope. This one puts the real address on screen and waits. Link cleaner. Paste anything, get back the same link minus the utm tags, click IDs, and referral junk. Works on links from hundreds of shopping sites, social networks and search engines. Send to Device. Push a cleaned link from your iPhone into your Mac's browser, or over to another iPhone or iPad. If the device is asleep or offline the link waits for it. Unshorten. Feed it a bit.ly or t.co address and it follows the chain to whatever sits at the end. Useful when a shortened link turns up from someone you don't know, which is how most phishing starts. Tracker blocker covering 71+ services, running as a parameter remover across everything you paste. QR generator for making your own codes out of links you trust. Safari extension that cleans every link on a page in one tap. Shortcuts, a Control Center widget, and a share sheet action, if you want the whole thing automated. Nothing leaves your device. There's no analytics SDK in here, no crash reporter phoning home, no account to create. Privacy isn't a feature we bolted on; there was never any data to collect. ■ Send Links Between Your Devices Share a cleaned link from any iPhone, iPad or Mac and it opens where you send it: in your Mac's browser, or from a notification on iPhone and iPad. Links queue up if the device is offline. You can run Shortcuts on your other devices this way too. You'll need Clean Links on each device, iCloud turned on, and the same Apple account. ■ Coming from Hyperduck? Clean Links does the same handoff, adds tracker stripping on the way out, handles more than one Mac, and costs nothing. ■ Link Sharing FAQ ‣ Why not AirDrop? AirDrop needs both devices awake and nearby. This doesn't, and it drops the link straight into a background tab. ‣ Why not iCloud Tabs? Because iCloud Tabs only works in Safari, and the tabs are easy to lose. These open in whatever browser you actually use. ‣ Why not Reading List? Reading List is where links go to be forgotten. Yours open immediately. ‣ Why not Handoff? Handoff wants the devices in the same room. Clean Links supports Handoff anyway, for when they are. ‣ More than one device? Send to several at once. Any iPhone, iPad or Mac signed into the same Apple account with the app installed can receive. ‣ Want to leave a device out? Turn off receiving in that device's settings. ■ Spotted a tracker we don't catch yet? There's a link in Settings to tell us. We'll add them.

Screenshots

Barcodes Matter4 screens
Clean Links4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Clean Links at Free against Barcodes Matter's $1.99. Clean Links also leads on ratings volume (85 vs 7). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Clean Links is free to download; Barcodes Matter costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Barcodes Matter against 4.9 for Clean Links. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clean Links has 85 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Barcodes Matter's written reviews are positive against 93% of Clean Links's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Barcodes Matter ships an update monthly, Clean Links every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Barcodes Matter versus Clean Links: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarcodes MatterClean Links
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (7 ratings)4.9 (85 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews92.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings785 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB90 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperKevin MarshallNumen Technologies Limited

Customer experience

Barcodes Matter

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Clean Links

All ratings85 ratings
Positive98.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive92.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative2.5%

In-app purchases

None

Barcodes Matter

No in-app purchases

None

Clean Links

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Barcodes Matter free?
Barcodes Matter costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Clean Links free?
Clean Links is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Barcodes Matter or Clean Links?
Clean Links is rated higher. Barcodes Matter averages 4.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Clean Links averages 4.9 from 85 ratings.
Do Barcodes Matter or Clean Links have ads?
Neither Barcodes Matter nor Clean Links shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Barcodes Matter or Clean Links?
Barcodes Matter ships an update monthly, and Clean Links every 2 weeks. Most recently, Barcodes Matter was updated on October 30, 2026 and Clean Links on October 30, 2026.

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