Microsoft Authenticator vs The Card Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Microsoft Authenticator
Securely sign into online accounts with multi-factor authentication, passwordless login, or password autofill. Manage multiple accounts, including non-Microsoft services, and access Microsoft products and services seamlessly.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Passwordless sign-in
- Password autofill
- Support for non-Microsoft accounts
- Account management for work/school
- Cert-based authentication
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Use Microsoft Authenticator for easy, secure sign-ins for all your online accounts using multi-factor authentication, passwordless, or password autofill. You also have additional account management options for your Microsoft personal, work or school accounts. Getting started with multi-factor authentication Multi factor authentication (MFA)provides a second layer of security. When enabled, during login after entering your password, you’ll be asked for an additional way to prove it’s really you. Either approve the notification sent to the Microsoft Authenticator, or enter the one-time password (OTP) generated by the app. The OTP codes have a 30 second timer counting down. This timer is so you never have to use the same time-based one-time password (TOTP) twice and you don’t have to remember the number. The OTP doesn’t require you to be connected to a network, and it won’t drain your battery. You can add multiple accounts to your app, including non-Microsoft accounts like Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn, GitHub, and more. Getting started with passwordless Use your phone, not your password, to log into your Microsoft account. Just enter your username, then approve the notification sent to your phone. Your fingerprint, face ID, or PIN will provide a second layer of security in this two-step verification process. After you’ve signed in with two factor authentication (2FA), you’ll have access to all your Microsoft products and services, such as Outlook, OneDrive, Office, and more. Microsoft personal, work or school accounts Sometimes your work or school might ask you to install the Microsoft Authenticator when accessing certain organization resources. You will need to register your device to your organization through the app and add your work or school account. Microsoft Authenticator supports cert-based authentication by issuing a certificate on your device. This will let your organization know that the sign-in request is coming from a trusted device and help you seamlessly and securely access additional Microsoft apps and services without needing to log into each. Microsoft Authenticator may request the following optional permissions, which require your consent. You can continue to use Microsoft Authenticator without granting these permissions. However, some features may be limited or unavailable. For more information, please see below: - Face ID: To enable app lock and help protect your accounts - Camera: To scan QR codes when adding accounts to Microsoft Authenticator.
The Card Scanner
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The Card Scanner helps you turn paper business cards into saved contacts and a simple local follow-up list. Point your camera at a card, review the detected details, and save the person to iPhone Contacts. The app also keeps a local mini CRM so scanned cards, notes, status, tags, and follow-up dates stay easy to find. Features: - Scan business cards with your iPhone camera - Review and edit detected names, companies, titles, phone numbers, emails, websites, and addresses - Save contacts to the iPhone Contacts app - Store the cropped card image with each local CRM record - Search, group, and update your scanned contacts - Add notes, status, tags, and follow-up dates - Customize a simple follow-up message template Privacy: The Card Scanner is built to be local-first. OCR runs on device, and your scanned contacts and card images stay on your iPhone. The app does not require an account, does not use analytics, does not track you, and does not upload your business cards to a server.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Microsoft Authenticator at #14 against The Card Scanner's unranked. Microsoft Authenticator also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Microsoft Authenticator | The Card Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (703K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 11.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 703K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #14 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 226 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Microsoft Corporation | JOSEPH KANE MAZA |
Bugs and requests
Microsoft Authenticator
Reported bugs
3 issues- Authenticator app getting locked and requiring Touch ID
- Notification failures and authentication issues
- Accounts not syncing properly between devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add search and sorting for accounts
- Improve Apple Watch integration
- Provide better backup and restore options
- Streamline login process
The Card Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Microsoft Authenticator
No in-app purchases
The Card Scanner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Microsoft Authenticator free?
Is The Card Scanner free?
Do Microsoft Authenticator or The Card Scanner have ads?
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