There are dozens, if not hundreds of quick response code scanning mobile apps available for smartphones.
The mighty QR code can be found on everything from a can of peas at your local supermarket to an ad found in an in flight magazine on your way to the exotic vacation of a lifetime, and while they are designed to be quick and easy to use, your experience partly depends on your having selected the right scanner app.
Regardless of whether you have an iPhone, and Android based smartphone, a BlackBerry, or Windows Phone, you have options.
One of the best things for you to do is read reviews about different QR code scanner apps so that you can select the best one for your needs. Though there are a great many, our investigators tested out a small handful, this week, to give a better idea of how some of the most popular options hold up to the real world.
The following are three of the most popular QR Code reader apps and what our investigators thought of them.
QR Pal – This is an interesting app in that it stands out from the rest with a mobile wallet feature. It brings together the idea of a digital wallet, a scanner for QR codes, a calendar, social media links, and more. Instead of limiting its features to reading barcodes, it functions more as a personal assistant. Their tag line is “Scan, Share, and Pay.” This is compatible with iOS and Android, and the official website says that it is coming soon to BlackBerry and Windows Phone.
QuickMark – This mobile app is a pure barcode reader. It doesn’t involve any sales or payments options, but it does provide the ability to scan a QRcode, share what is found on Facebook, or send it via text or email. For people who are looking for a cleaner option that provides easy scanning and sharing, but not much else, then this application worked very well. They simply call themselves “an easy-to-use barcode scanner”. Calling itself a Google recommended barcode reader, this is compatible with both iOS and Android based devices.
ScanLife – Among all of the tested QR Code readers, this was the overall favorite of the investigators. It provides a very simple and direct scanner, but it does so with a range of different tools such as the “Discover” section that provides very useful offers to consumers in real time – particularly with the addition of its points/rewards system – while offering huge geolocation marketing potential to brands and marketers. The “My Scans” feature is also very handy to be able to view and access previous scans, or even access a barcode that had been scanned while in airplane mode or when WiFi or data were unavailable. This scanner is compatible with all major mobile operating systems.
