Food Scanner vs. Foodscanner |
 Written by Allison Wahl |
  (7 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)  Loading ... |
With so many foods and options out there, it’s important to be able to know what exactly you’re putting into your body, and also to be able to locate this information in a quick and easy manner. When I heard about apps that let you scan bar codes (and/or enter other relevant information) in order to determine nutrition information, this sounded like the ultimate answer. However, when I conducted a search for such food scanning apps, I found two that go by the same name (with the exception of a space), but have drastically different functions. Here’s a breakdown of Food Scanner versus Foodscanner, so you can choose the scanner that best suits you:
Food Scanner: Good Food or Bad Food? ($0.99): The first result for food scanner apps, Food Scanner gives you the low-down on more than 300,000 supermarket items as well as dishes from over 300 restaurants. You have the option to scan a barcode, manually enter the barcode, or conduct searches by dish, brand, or restaurant, but no matter how you find the food item, you will be shown a colorful diagram that conveys an easy-to-read overview of what’s good and bad about it. With the press of a button, you can see a full nutrition label, and you can also opt to compare it with other foods. Furthermore, you can always access a food search history, and if you’re stuck, confused, or need a little guidance, you can always use the app to pose questions to professional consultants who will respond to all your health and nutrition concerns. The current version of Food Scanner has received an average of 3 out of 5 stars (average of 4 stars for all versions), with users saying that searching for foods within a certain brand can be time consuming, the necessity of internet connection can sometimes make the app hard to access, and it can be a little slow at times, but it does have an enormous database and is a huge help when deciding what to eat.
Foodscanner – Calorie, Diet, and Weight Loss ($4.99): I’m not sure if the price listed is correct or not, as the app description currently says “ON SALE!”, but this is the app you want if you’re not only curious about nutrition facts, but are also trying to track what you eat. You can scan UPC codes or manually enter them to access nutrition facts and tally your total calorie consumption. The app boasts access to over 200,00 foods, as well as the ability to create new foods, attach photos, and enter UPC codes for future access, and the option to store favorite foods for easy tracking. What gives this app its edge is the option to sync with your DailyBurn account in order to access nutrition history and advanced macronutrient breakdowns, as well as set calorie goals and chart your trajectory to health. Users have given the current version and all versions an average rating of 3.5 stars out of 5, and say that if you want more detailed nutrition information beyond fat, carbs, protein, and calories, you do have to pay the monthly fee for a DailyBurn account, and that some foods automatically duplicate, potentially skewing your calorie intake to reflect an amount more than is actually consumed. However, Foodscanner users also say that the app has a majority of the foods that they need to access or want to know more about, that adding foods to the database is really simple when they aren’t already there, and that the app really does enable people to not only facilitate their diets, but track food and calorie intake for a healthier lifestyle.
