Scrannr
Buyer's guide · UK 2026

The best food scanner apps in the UK (2026)

Barcode scanner apps promise to tell you what's really in your food, but many are built for US shelves and fall flat in a British supermarket. We compared the main options on what matters for UK shoppers: data source, UK coverage, scoring, price and privacy.

By the Scrannr team Last updated 20 July 2026 13 apps compared

Full disclosure: we make Scrannr, so it leads this guide and we argue its case. Every fact about a competitor is sourced and accurate. Where a rival does something better, we say so.

What a food scanner app actually does

You point your phone at a product's barcode, and the app looks it up in a database to show what's inside: the ingredients, the nutrition, often a health score, and sometimes allergen or additive warnings. It turns the small print on the back of a packet into something you can read in seconds, so you can compare two products on the shelf without decoding either label.

An app is only as good as its database and its scoring method, and both vary a lot. Some run on an open, community-built database; some on a proprietary one; some are built for US shelves and miss many UK products.

Focused on one job? We've got dedicated guides to using Scrannr as a UK food health scanner and as a processed food scanner.

UK coverage

Does it actually recognise UK products, including supermarket own-brands? Many US apps don't.

Data source

Where the facts come from: an open database, a proprietary one, or crowdsourced entries.

Scoring

Whether it turns a label into a score, how it does it, and how transparent that method is.

Price

Free, freemium, or subscription, and whether the barcode scanner itself is paywalled.

Privacy

Whether it needs an account, tracks you across apps, or keeps your data on your device.

An honesty note. No scanner app replaces professional advice. Health scores help you compare products at a glance. They are not a medical verdict, and allergen data can be incomplete, so read the label if you have an allergy.

At a glance

All 13 apps, side by side.

Scrannr's ours, so it's first and flagged. After that, we've ordered by how usable each app is in the UK. Scroll the table sideways on mobile.

How the main UK-available and US food scanner apps compare (July 2026). Prices are indicative and change often.
App Works in the UK? Platforms Price Data source What it scores / flags
Scrannr That's us Yes · UK-made iOS, Android Free (5 full scans/mo), then Premium £2.99/mo or £14.99/yr Open Food Facts 0–100 health score, strong additive flags, allergens & nutrition, plus free search & dietary profiles
FoodSwitch Yes iOS, Android Free Own database (The George Institute) Health Star Rating + UK traffic-lights; healthier swaps
NHS Food Scanner Yes iOS, Android Free Brandbank + FoodSwitch data "Good Choice" badge + traffic-lights (sugar/salt/fat); swaps
Nutracheck Yes iOS, Android, Web Freemium (~£29.99/yr) Own UK database (500k+ items) Calories & macros + traffic-lights; food diary
Open Food Facts Yes iOS, Android, Web Free (non-profit) Own open, crowdsourced database (4M+) Nutri-Score, NOVA, Green-Score, additives, allergens
Yuka Yes iOS, Android Free core; Premium from £10/yr (search is paid) Own database (ex-Open Food Facts) + brands 0–100 score (60/30/10) + additive risk; also cosmetics
EWG's Healthy Living Partly iOS, Android, Web Free; Premium $19.99 (US) EWG databases + LabelINSIGHT (US) 1–10 safety score; food, cosmetics & cleaning
Fooducate Partly iOS, Android, Web Freemium (US pricing) Own database (US) A–D letter grade + additive flags + tracking
MyFitnessPal Partly iOS, Android, Web Freemium; scanner needs Premium Own crowdsourced DB (20M+) + Nutritionix Calories & macros only; no health score
Trash Panda Partly iOS, Android Freemium (5 scans/mo free) Own in-house database (US) Ingredient/additive flags + linked studies; no single score
Bobby Approved US-only iOS, Android Free Own curated database (US) Binary "approved / not approved" on ingredients
Fig US-only iOS, Android Freemium (US pricing) Own curated database (US) Diet & allergy match (works for you / not); no health score
Olive US-only iOS, Android Subscription (US pricing) Own community + lab database (US) 0–100 "holistic" score; also cosmetics & water
Our pick

Start with Scrannr.

We built it for this job: checking UK food fast, without giving up your data.

Scrannr Made in the UK · that's our app
That's us

Scan any barcode for a clear 0–100 health score built from nutrition and ingredients, a strong additives database that flags what's worth a second look in plain English, and allergen data on every scan. Product search and dietary profiles are free (Yuka charges for search), you can browse supermarkets to compare products, and your scan history stays on your device, with no account.

Why UK shoppers pick Scrannr

  • Made in the UK, for UK shopping
  • Strong additives database, plain-English flags
  • Allergens surfaced on every scan
  • Free product search & dietary profiles
  • Browse supermarkets to compare products
  • 0–100 score from nutrition + ingredients
  • Your data stays on your device
  • No account needed to start

Free to use Five full analyses a month. Nutrition & allergens always free. Premium £2.99/mo or £14.99/yr · 3-day free trial · unlimited analyses.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Also works well in the UK

Yuka
Yes
iOS · AndroidFree + Premium £10/yrFood + cosmetics

The best-known scanner. Rates food and cosmetics 0–100 (60% nutrition, 30% additives, 10% organic). Its free core is genuinely useful, but search is locked behind Premium and its scoring draws real criticism.

Strengths

  • Large, verified database
  • Clear additive risk flags
  • Also scores cosmetics

Watch-outs

  • UK own-label coverage patchy
  • Search is Premium-only
  • Nutri-Score marks down whole foods (cheese, nuts)
  • Needs an account
Open Food Facts
Yes
iOS · Android · WebFreeNon-profit

A non-profit, open-source "Wikipedia of food" with 4M+ products (it's the database Scrannr builds on). Shows Nutri-Score, NOVA and Green-Score rather than one number.

Strengths

  • Free, no ads, anonymous
  • Transparent open data
  • ~190k UK products

Watch-outs

  • Community-built, so coverage varies
  • No personal coaching or diary
  • EU frameworks, not UK traffic-lights
FoodSwitchThe George Institute
Yes
iOS · AndroidFreeUK-tailored

UK-tailored: built with Action on Salt & Action on Sugar (QMUL). Shows the Health Star Rating and UK traffic-lights and suggests lower-salt/sugar/fat swaps. That's about all it does.

Strengths

  • Free, no ads
  • UK traffic-light labels
  • Good for cutting salt/sugar/fat

Watch-outs

  • Nutrition + swaps only
  • Weak on additives / E-numbers
  • Allergens: gluten only
NHS Food ScannerNHS / Better Health
Yes
iOS · AndroidFreeNo account

The free UK-government app. Scan for a "Good Choice" badge and traffic-lights for sugar, salt and fat, with healthier swaps. Handy, but deliberately basic.

Strengths

  • Free, no ads, no account
  • UK-built
  • Family / child focus

Watch-outs

  • A swap advisor, not a full breakdown
  • No additive analysis
  • No health score or diary
NutracheckNutraTech Ltd (UK)
Yes
iOS · Android · WebFreemium ~£29.99/yrUK database

A UK-built calorie counter and food diary with a 500,000+ item database covering UK own-brands and high-street chains. It's a tracker, not a health-score scanner.

Strengths

  • UK-focused database
  • Strong own-brand coverage
  • Scanner + web app

Watch-outs

  • Diary is subscription-based after a trial
  • No health score or additive flags
  • Account required

Usable in the UK, with caveats

MyFitnessPal
Partly
iOS · Android · WebScanner needs PremiumGlobal

A popular calorie/macro tracker, but weak as a scanner. The barcode scanner has been paywalled since October 2022, and it gives no health score, additive flags or allergen warnings.

Strengths

  • Enormous food database
  • Good for calorie / macro goals

Watch-outs

  • Scanner paywalled since Oct 2022
  • Many duplicate or inaccurate entries
  • US-centric; shares data with ad partners
EWG's Healthy LivingEnvironmental Working Group
Partly
iOS · Android · WebFree + Premium ($19.99)US database

A US non-profit's 1–10 safety score across food, cosmetics and cleaning. The concept is sound, but it runs on a US label database, so many UK products simply won't scan.

Strengths

  • Credible research base
  • Covers cosmetics & cleaners

Watch-outs

  • US database, so many UK items won't scan
  • Hazard approach called alarmist by critics
  • Tracks users across apps
FooducateMaple Media / Skybound
Partly
iOS · Android · WebFreemium (Pro)US database

An education-first A–D grade that explains its reasoning. But it's US-built and US-calibrated, so it's a poor fit for a UK aisle, and the free tier is ad-supported.

Strengths

  • Clear A–D grades with reasons
  • Flags added sugar, sweeteners, HFCS

Watch-outs

  • US database, few UK barcodes hit
  • Ad-supported, tracks across apps
  • Best features paywalled
Trash PandaSlytrunk
Partly
iOS · Android5 scans/mo freeUS database

Ingredient-first, with each flag linked to a study. Its database and additive names are US-only, though, and the free tier gives just five scans a month.

Strengths

  • Links flags to real studies
  • No oversimplified single score

Watch-outs

  • US database & US additive names (Red 40)
  • Only 5 free scans a month
  • No offline mode

US-only (not really usable in the UK yet)

Bobby ApprovedFlavCity / Bobby Parrish
US-only
iOS · AndroidFreeUS + Canada

A binary "approved / not approved" verdict from a US influencer. The iOS app isn't even on the UK App Store, and much of what it flags is already restricted here.

Strengths

  • Free
  • Fast yes/no answers

Watch-outs

  • Not on the UK App Store (US + Canada)
  • Made by an influencer, not a dietitian
  • Dietitians criticise it as fearmongering
FigFood is Good, Inc.
US-only
iOS · AndroidFreemiumUS-only

A genuinely good dietary-match tool for allergies and diets (Low FODMAP, gluten-free). The catch for us: it's US-only, so UK shoppers just get a waitlist.

Strengths

  • Superb for diets / allergies
  • Dietitian-curated

Watch-outs

  • US-only (not on UK stores)
  • No general health score
  • Only 5 free scans a month
OliveGiga Studios
US-only
iOS · AndroidSubscriptionUS + Canada

A "holistic" 0–100 score built around seed oils and "toxins". It's US + Canada only, sits behind a hard, card-required paywall, and leans on contested framing.

Strengths

  • Broad multi-category scanning
  • Recall alerts

Watch-outs

  • US + Canada only
  • Almost everything behind a paywall
  • Contested "toxin" framing; heavy tracking
The short answer

Which should you choose?

For UK food shopping we'd start with Scrannr. If you have a specific job in mind, here's the best pick for each.

Our pick for UK shoppers
Scrannr

UK-made and free to start, with a strong additives database, allergens on every scan, free search & dietary profiles, and your data kept on your device.

Additives & cosmetics
Yuka

Also scores cosmetics and has a big global database. Watch for UK own-label gaps and paid search.

Open, ad-free data
Open Food Facts

The transparent non-profit database. It's the open data Scrannr builds on.

UK healthier swaps
FoodSwitch

UK traffic-lights and lower-salt/sugar/fat swaps, from a credible non-profit.

A quick free check
NHS Food Scanner

Free, UK-government "Good Choice" badges and swaps. Basic but trustworthy.

UK calorie tracking
Nutracheck

A UK-built diary with strong own-brand coverage, if counting calories is the goal.

FAQ

Food scanner apps, answered.

Which food scanner apps actually work in the UK?
Scrannr is made in the UK and built for British shopping. Yuka, Open Food Facts, FoodSwitch, the NHS Food Scanner and Nutracheck also work well here. Several popular US apps, including Bobby Approved, Fig and Olive, aren't on the UK App Store or rely on US-only databases, so many British products won't scan.
Are food scanner apps accurate, and can I trust the scores?
They're a useful way to compare products at a glance, not a medical verdict. Different apps use different methods (Nutri-Score, letter grades, ingredient flags), so the same product can score differently between apps. Treat the result as guidance and read the label, especially for allergens.
Which food scanner app is the most private?
Scrannr keeps your scan history on your device and needs no account. Open Food Facts is also strong (anonymous scanning, open data). Several other apps collect personal data and track you across other apps and websites for advertising.
Are any of these food scanner apps free?
Yes. Scrannr is free to use, with five full analyses a month plus free nutrition, allergens, product search and dietary profiles. Premium (£2.99/month or £14.99/year, 3-day trial) unlocks unlimited analyses. Open Food Facts, the NHS Food Scanner and FoodSwitch are free too. Some apps put the scanner or extra scans behind a subscription: MyFitnessPal's scanner has been Premium-only since October 2022, and Fig and Trash Panda limit free users to five scans a month.
Which app is best for allergies?
In the UK, Scrannr surfaces allergen data on every scan. Fig is the most detailed for allergen and diet matching but it is US-only. Allergen data can be incomplete whichever app you use, so always check the product label if you have an allergy.
Is Scrannr better than Yuka?
For UK shoppers, yes. Scrannr is made in the UK, gives free product search and dietary profiles (Yuka charges for search), flags additives in plain English, surfaces allergens on every scan, and keeps your data on your device with no account. Yuka's edge is that it also scans cosmetics and has a larger global database. See our full Scrannr vs Yuka comparison.

Try Scrannr free.

UK-made, free to start, no account needed. Scan your first product in seconds.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play