Comparison

GiftKey vs BEEP Scanner

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

Head to head
About

GiftKey

Features
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GiftKey turns your camera into a keyboard. Tap into any text field, switch to the GiftKey keyboard, and tap Scan. GiftKey opens to the camera, you scan the barcode, and the code is typed straight into the field you came from. It works in every app β€” your point of sale, Notes, Safari, spreadsheets, ticketing systems, inventory tools, anything with a text field. Built for retail staff who scan gift cards, vouchers and product codes into a POS all day and are tired of reading digits off a card and typing them by hand. HOW IT WORKS Tap Scan, scan the barcode, then tap the back arrow at the top left of the screen. The code is typed into the field you were in. Two taps. iOS does not allow any keyboard to use the camera directly β€” that is an Apple restriction, not a GiftKey limitation. Every camera-based scanner keyboard works this way. FREE, PROPERLY FREE No subscription. No in-app purchases. No scan limits. No ads. No account. No trial. NOTHING IS COLLECTED GiftKey contains no networking code at all. Not disabled β€” absent. Barcodes are decoded on your device by Apple's own frameworks and typed into your field. Nothing is stored, nothing is uploaded, and GiftKey never reads what is already in the field. THE GIFT CARD GUARD Turn on the built-in "Gift card (8-20 digits)" filter and GiftKey will refuse to type anything that is not 8 to 20 digits. Scan a product barcode by mistake and nothing happens β€” instead of putting the wrong number in a gift card field. EVERY COMMON BARCODE Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14, Interleaved 2 of 5, Codabar, QR, Data Matrix, PDF417 and Aztec. Turn off the ones you never use to make scanning faster and misreads less likely. SHAPE THE OUTPUT β€’ Add a prefix or suffix β€’ Strip EAN/UPC check digits β€’ Convert between UPC-A and EAN-13 β€’ Find and replace with a regular expression β€’ Press Return or Tab automatically after each code β€’ Custom validation patterns of your own BATCH MODE Scan a whole stack in one go. Separate codes with Return, Tab or a comma and fill a spreadsheet column in a single trip. ABOUT FULL ACCESS GiftKey needs it to read your settings and to open its own app to scan. That is the whole reason. There is no networking code in GiftKey β€” nothing can leave your device even in principle. The FAQ inside the app explains this in plain language.

About

BEEP Scanner

Features
Read full description

Beep turns your iPhone camera into a barcode and QR scanner that types straight into your computer. Point your iPhone at a barcode or QR code, and the result lands directly in whatever app has focus on your computer β€” a spreadsheet cell, a text field, anything. No cable, no fragile Google Sheets integration, no clunky setup. HOW IT WORKS Beep pairs with the free Beep Receiver app on your computer over WiFi. Once paired, it reconnects automatically every time you open the app β€” no need to pair again. FEATURES - Recognises every standard barcode and QR symbology: QR, EAN-8/13, UPC-E, Code 39/93/128, PDF417, Aztec, ITF, Data Matrix - Types each scan straight into the focused field on your computer, the same way a USB barcode scanner would - Choose Newline mode (one scan per line, with Return pressed after each) or CSV mode (comma-separated), set from the menu bar - Live tracking bracket follows the code in frame, with a beep and haptic tap to confirm each capture - Recent scan history on screen, swipe to clear Beep Receiver (the companion app for your computer) is a free download from lowvoltage.nz/beep.

Screenshots

GiftKey4 screens
BEEP Scanner3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
GiftKey versus BEEP Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGiftKeyBEEP Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size1 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatthew GrovesLow Voltage Ltd

In-app purchases

None

GiftKey

No in-app purchases

None

BEEP Scanner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GiftKey free?
GiftKey is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BEEP Scanner free?
BEEP Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do GiftKey or BEEP Scanner have ads?
Neither GiftKey nor BEEP Scanner shows ads.

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