Who each one is for
QR Code Reader (the name carries a trailing dot on the App Store) is a scanner with a large following: 669,688 ratings at 4.7 stars, updated 20 August 2026. It reads more than 15 formats, shows product and food information for barcodes, keeps history in folders, scans in batches and exports to CSV. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs, and needs iOS 16.4.
It is in this comparison because people searching for a QR app find it first. It is not a generator. If you want to make codes, the comparison is short; if you want to scan them, App Lock’s app does more than QR Studio’s built-in scanner.
Where QR Studio is better
- It creates codes. QR Code Reader’s description does not mention generating anything. QR Studio creates URL, Wi-Fi, vCard, text, email, SMS, geo and other types.
- Design. Shapes, logos, colours and an AI partner with scannability checks.
- Export. SVG and print-ready PDF.
- Dynamic codes and analytics. Edit destinations after printing; count scans.
- No ads, no tracking. QR Code Reader’s privacy label lists Purchases, Identifiers, Usage Data and Diagnostics as data used to track you, and the free tier shows ads. QR Studio has neither.
Where QR Code Reader is better
- Formats. Data Matrix, Code 128, Code 39, EAN and Google Authenticator codes alongside QR.
- Product data. Food and product details from a barcode.
- Organisation. Folders, batch scanning and CSV export.
- Scale. Two-thirds of a million ratings.
Pricing side by side
| QR Studio | QR Code Reader (App Store list) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, unlimited static codes, no ads | Free with ads and a scan limit |
| Monthly | Pro $4.99 | Pro $3.99 or $7.99; Premium $6.99 |
| Yearly | Pro $29.99 | Pro $29.99 |
| Other | Lifetime $69.99 | Pro $2.99 and $3.99; Premium $9.99 and $11.99, terms not stated |
Switching
There are no generated codes to migrate. Export your scan history to CSV if you want to keep it. If you have codes as images from any source, decode them and rebuild in QR Studio.
Note
Prices change. We read the App Store listing and its In-App Purchases list on 7 September 2026. Apple’s list does not explain the difference between the Pro and Premium items, so we have not guessed.
Try it yourself