# Ingredient Scanner vs H2O Buddy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: H2O Buddy at none against Ingredient Scanner's 4. Ingredient Scanner's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (17 vs 26.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ingredient Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. H2O Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ingredient Scanner ships an update every 2 months, H2O Buddy every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ingredient Scanner | H2O Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ingredient-scannerryla/id6749587214/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **39** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 40 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17** | 26.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Anmol Rattan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1561754762) | [Jan-Albert Droppers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1785965549) |

## What reviewers say

### Ingredient Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ingredient-scannerryla/id6749587214)

Decode ingredient labels instantly with this food scanner. Identify allergens, additives, and dietary compliance for various diets like Keto and Vegan. It also helps find recipes based on scanned ingredients.

**Highlights:** Allergy and food scanning, Diet and macro tracking, Additive detection, Pantry and recipe finder, Halal and Kosher validation, OCR ingredient reading

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Scan Weekly | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Scans | $44.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Lifetime Scans | $69.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Unlimited Scans | $99.99 | one-time |


### H2O Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/h2o-buddy/id6754520693)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ingredient Scanner free?

Ingredient Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is H2O Buddy free?

H2O Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Ingredient Scanner or H2O Buddy have ads?

Neither Ingredient Scanner nor H2O Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ingredient Scanner or H2O Buddy?

Ingredient Scanner ships an update every 2 months, and H2O Buddy every 5 months. Most recently, Ingredient Scanner was updated on November 5, 2026 and H2O Buddy on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*