Who each one is for
Apple’s support article “Scan a QR code with your iPhone or iPad” is short. Open the Camera app from the Home Screen, Lock Screen or Control Center, or with the Camera Control on supported models. Or tap the Scan Code button in Control Center to open Code Scanner. Hold the device so the code is in view, then tap the link to open the content. Nothing else is described: no history, no saved-photo scanning, no generation.
That is enough for the most common QR moment: a menu, a poster, a boarding gate. Every QR Studio user has this on their phone too, and we do not pretend otherwise. QR Studio starts where the Camera stops, at making the code.
Where QR Studio is better
- It creates codes. URL, Wi-Fi, vCard, text, email, SMS, geo and more. The Camera creates nothing.
- Design. Dot and eye shapes, logos, colors and an AI design partner, with every variant checked for scannability.
- Export. PNG, SVG and print-ready PDF with bleed and crop marks.
- Dynamic codes and analytics. Edit the destination after printing; see scan counts.
- Scanning extras. Reads codes from Photos and shows the raw payload before opening anything, which is useful for checking your own prints.
Where the Camera and Code Scanner are better
- Already there. No install, no account.
- Speed to scan. One swipe to the Lock Screen camera.
- Privacy. Apple’s own app, no third-party label to read.
- Cost. $0, with nothing to buy.
Pricing side by side
| Feature | QR Studio | iPhone Camera and Code Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Scanning | Free | Free, included with iOS |
| Creating codes | Free, unlimited static codes, no ads | Not available |
| Design, SVG, print PDF, dynamic codes | Pro $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year | Not available |
| One-off | Lifetime $69.99 | Nothing to buy |
Switching
Keep both. Use the Camera to scan what the world puts in front of you. Use QR Studio to make what you put in front of the world, and to test your own prints from Photos before they go out.
Note
Apple updates iOS every year. We read support article 102680 on 24 September 2026; Apple published the current version on 14 September 2026. Features that appear in later iOS versions are not listed here until Apple documents them.
Try it yourself