Handheld LED vs Barcodes by Sam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Handheld LED
Read full descriptionHide full description
Type a message and turn your phone into a scrolling LED sign. Cheer at a concert, meet someone at arrivals, or show a birthday greeting. Pause the text whenever you need a still sign. START WITH A TEMPLATE Choose a look for concerts, airport pickups, birthdays or romantic messages. Change the words, then adjust the colors and effects to suit the moment. ADD YOUR PHOTO OR LOGO Arrange photos, logos, emoji and decorative text on your sign. Move, resize and rotate each element to make the design your own. SCROLL OR SHOW STILL TEXT Adjust text size, color, bold styling and scrolling speed. Pause to fit the full message on screen, ideal for a name sign or a quick visual message. MAKE YOUR MESSAGE STAND OUT Try neon, cyberpunk and LED-dot text effects, rainbow gradients and animated backgrounds. SAVE IT FOR NEXT TIME Save a design as a template and reuse it later. Text history helps you bring back messages without typing them again. FREE TO START Basic text entry, scrolling, speed, size, color, bold styling and paused display are free. Some templates, text effects, rainbow gradients, animated backgrounds and sticker designs require Pro. See the app for available plans and details. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Barcodes by Sam
Read full descriptionHide full description
Barcodes is the simplest way to save the codes you use every day and pull them up in an instant. Scan a loyalty card, gym pass, library card, or membership badge with your camera—or type the value in by hand—and Barcodes keeps it safe. When you need it, tap to display the barcode full-screen at full brightness so any scanner can read it cleanly. FEATURES • Scan barcodes with your camera using fast, on-device recognition • Add codes manually for anything you can't scan • Full-screen display with an automatic brightness boost for reliable scanning • Edit titles and values anytime • Clean, simple, and quick to use PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything is stored locally on your iPhone. Barcodes has no account, no sign-in, no ads, and no tracking. Your data never leaves your device. Lighten your wallet—save your barcodes and leave the cards at home.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Barcodes by Sam at none against Handheld LED's 4. Handheld LED's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Handheld LED sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Barcodes by Sam asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Handheld LED | Barcodes by Sam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | zhe min | SAMUEL SUNXI LIJIN |
In-app purchases
Handheld LED
- Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$0.997 Days
- Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$6.991 Year
- Lifetime Unlock for All Features$9.99
Barcodes by Sam
No in-app purchases






