Comparison

QR & Barcode Reader Pro vs AirType

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

Head to head
About

QR & Barcode Reader Pro

Features
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Latest update: This update improves stability and performance and fixes minor bugs, so the app runs smoother and more reliably. QR & Barcode Reader is a fast, clean scanner for every QR code and barcode you run into โ€” product labels, Wi-Fi cards, boarding passes, business cards, payment codes, and more. Point your camera, get an instant result, and move on. No sign-up, no clutter, and scanning itself is always free. SCAN ANYTHING, INSTANTLY Open the app and scan โ€” QR codes, EAN/UPC product barcodes, Code 128, Code 39, PDF417, Aztec, and more. Recognition is near-instant, works in low light with the built-in torch, and supports pinch-to-zoom for small or distant codes. Already have the code in a photo or screenshot instead of in front of you? Import it from your library and we'll read it directly. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO OPEN Every scanned link is checked before you tap into it. We unmask shortened and redirected URLs so you can see the real destination, and flag suspicious or dangerous links before they cause a problem. This safety check runs for every user, every time โ€” it's not a Pro perk we hold back. A GENERATOR THAT DOES MORE THAN SQUARES Create your own QR codes for URLs, plain text, Wi-Fi logins, contact cards, emails, SMS, phone numbers, calendar events, and location pins. Preview your code live as you type, then save it to Photos or share it directly โ€” all free, no watermark. YOUR HISTORY, ORGANIZED Every scan and generated code is saved automatically so you can find it again later. Search across your history, mark favorites, add personal notes, and export everything as CSV or JSON whenever you want your data out. Smart folders group your scans by type automatically, so product codes, links, and contact cards sort themselves without any setup. BUILT FOR HEAVY USE TOO Scanning inventory, event tickets, or a stack of packages? Switch into batch mode to capture multiple codes in one continuous session without stopping to confirm each one, and export the whole batch when you're done. GO PRO FOR MORE CONTROL QR & Barcode Reader is completely free to use for everyday scanning, and always ad-free โ€” for everyone, not just subscribers. Upgrading to Pro adds: โ€ข Unlimited history โ€” the free plan keeps your most recent 100 scans (favorites are never removed); Pro removes the limit entirely โ€ข Batch scanning mode for high-volume sessions โ€ข Custom QR code styling โ€” foreground and background colors, module and corner shapes, ready-made color templates, and an optional center logo โ€ข Custom folders you name and organize yourself, on top of the automatic smart folders โ€ข SVG and vector export for print-quality, scalable QR codes โ€ข Biometric Vault โ€” lock the app with Face ID and hide sensitive scan previews in your history โ€ข App accent color personalization Pro is available as a weekly, monthly, or annual subscription, and we also run a referral program โ€” invite friends and earn free Pro time without paying anything. PRIVACY, HANDLED PROPERLY Your scan history stays on your device. We don't sell your data, and the link-safety checks exist to protect you, not to track you. Camera, photo library, and Face ID access are only ever requested for the feature you're actively using, and you can review exactly what's granted from Settings at any time. WHY PEOPLE KEEP THIS APP No forced ads interrupting a quick scan. No paywall blocking the core feature. No confusing menus. Just point, scan, and get on with your day โ€” with real safety checks running quietly in the background, and a proper generator and history system whenever you need more than a one-off scan. Download QR & Barcode Reader and turn your camera into a reliable, no-nonsense code reader โ€” free to start, with Pro there if you want more.

About

AirType

Features
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Hold your iPhone like a mouse and turn it. The pointer on your Mac goes where you aim, because the phone is the body of the mouse. AirType is one app in two halves, and both of them are on this listing. The iPhone half sends. The Mac half receives. You download this once and you get both, and neither half does anything on its own. WHAT YOU DO WITH IT Swipe to move the pointer. Tap to click. Two fingers to scroll, and it keeps rolling after you lift, with the same momentum a Mac trackpad has. Pinch to zoom. Tap the keyboard button and type with your own keyboard, emoji and all. There is a modifier row for command, control, option and shift, and a top row for volume, brightness and playback. MOUSE MODE Tap the mouse key and the phone becomes the mouse. Aim it at your Mac and the pointer follows your wrist, the way it follows a mouse across a desk. One finger scrolls. Tap to click, and tap the top right corner to right-click. A two finger double tap opens Mission Control. Mouse mode uses the phone's motion sensors, and the motion data stays on the phone. Tap the key again and it is a trackpad. TRACKPAD GESTURES The gestures your Mac's own trackpad knows. Three fingers up opens Mission Control, three fingers down shows the windows of the app in front, and three fingers sideways switches Spaces. Four fingers pinched opens Launchpad, which macOS 26 calls Apps, and four fingers spread shows the desktop. Two fingers in from the right edge opens Notification Center. A two finger double tap zooms in on what you tapped. ABOUT THE PERMISSIONS THIS APP ASKS FOR Three, and each one is asked for at the moment you first use the feature that needs it. Local Network. This is how a keystroke gets from your hand to your Mac. iOS shows a dialog the first time AirType looks for your Mac on your network. AirType looks for one service, its own, and it connects to nothing else it finds. Microphone. Only for hold to talk. It opens while your finger is down on the dictation button and closes the moment you lift it. Speech Recognition. This is what turns what you said into the text that gets typed. It runs on this phone. There is no account, no analytics, no advertising and no third party SDK. THE MAC HALF COMES WITH IT The half that runs on your Mac installs from this same App Store page, at no extra cost. It lives in the menu bar and takes about a minute to set up. There is nothing else to buy and nothing else to go find. TRY IT WITH NO MAC AT ALL Tap "See how it works on this phone alone" on the first screen. A cursor appears, and turning the phone moves it. The trackpad, the gestures and the keyboard all respond, and a line under the status bar reads back the exact message each one produced. It runs entirely on this phone and opens no connection at all. SIX DIGITS, ONCE Your Mac shows six digits. Type them once. From then on the pair finds itself: open the app and it is already connected. WHAT IT COSTS Everything is open for the first seven days. After that, one payment of $24.99 unlocks mouse mode, the trackpad gestures, pinch to zoom, the keyboard, the modifier row, hold to talk dictation and landscape mode, and it is the only payment there is. Moving the pointer with a finger, clicking and scrolling are free, today and always, during the trial and after it ends. So the phone works as a trackpad for free, and the payment buys the mouse, the gestures and the keyboard. IT WORKS AWAY FROM WI-FI Sharing a network is faster, and AirType connects straight from this phone to your Mac when there is none to share. NOTHING LEAVES THE TWO DEVICES There is no server in the middle. This phone opens an encrypted link straight to your Mac and sends to nothing else it can see. A pairing code is spent the moment it is used, so a device that was never paired has no way in. Requires macOS 13 or later on the Mac.

Screenshots

QR & Barcode Reader Pro4 screens
AirType4 screens

Verdict

The call

QR & Barcode Reader Pro and AirType are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. QR & Barcode Reader Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and AirType sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
QR & Barcode Reader Pro versus AirType: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQR & Barcode Reader ProAirType
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size23 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYasir Gasim Hamid Hassanvincent varie

In-app purchases

2 purchases

QR & Barcode Reader Pro

Subscriptions2
  • QR & Barcode Reader Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • QR & Barcode Reader Pro Annual$9.991 Year
1 purchases

AirType

One-time1
  • AirType Full Unlock$24.99

Questions

Is QR & Barcode Reader Pro free?
QR & Barcode Reader Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AirType free?
AirType is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do QR & Barcode Reader Pro or AirType have ads?
Neither QR & Barcode Reader Pro nor AirType shows ads.

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