Who each one is for
QRbot is a scanner first. On the App Store it is listed as “QR Code & Barcode Scanner” by TeaCapps GmbH, with 95,448 ratings at 4.6 stars. It reads QR codes and a long list of barcode formats, looks products up on Amazon, eBay and Google, keeps unlimited history synced through iCloud, and exports that history as CSV. A Business Scanner Mode sends each scan to a web server you set up, which the developer pitches for stock-taking and quality checks. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple silicon Macs, and qrbot.net lists an Android version too.
Its last feature release was version 2.5.4 on 13 February 2023. The latest note says Apple rebuilt it for watchOS 27 and that no new features were added.
QR Studio does the other half of the job: it makes codes that look good, scan reliably and print well, with dynamic editing and analytics for people who need them.
Where QR Studio is better
- Design. Dot and eye shapes, logos, colors, live scannability checks and an AI partner. QRbot’s listing says you can create and share codes, and says nothing about styling them.
- Dynamic codes and analytics. Edit the destination after printing and see scan counts. QRbot’s listing offers neither.
- Print output. SVG and print-ready PDF with bleed and crop marks. QRbot’s listing names no export format for generated codes.
- No ads. QR Studio has no ads on any tier. QRbot’s privacy label lists identifiers and usage data used to track you across other companies’ apps, and data collected for third-party advertising.
- Clear pricing. QR Studio has Free, Pro and Lifetime, each with a stated scope. QRbot lists three purchases all named “Pro Version” and does not say what separates them.
Where QRbot is better
- Barcode formats. QR, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Interleaved 2 of 5, Codabar, DataBar, Data Matrix, PDF417 and Aztec. QR Studio’s scanner is there to test QR codes.
- History that travels. Unlimited history, synced through iCloud, searchable from Spotlight, and exportable as CSV to Excel, Numbers or cloud storage.
- Inventory work. Business Scanner Mode posts scans to your own server, and product lookup covers Amazon, eBay, Google and websites you add.
- More devices. Apple Watch and Mac as well as iPhone and iPad, plus Android per the developer’s site. QR Studio is on iPhone and iPad.
- Track record. On the App Store since June 2016 with a large rating base.
Pricing side by side
| Plan | QR Studio | QRbot |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, unlimited static codes, no ads | Free, with advertising data collected |
| Monthly | Pro $4.99 | Not stated |
| Yearly | Pro $29.99 | Not stated |
| One-off | Lifetime $69.99 | “Pro Version” at $3.99, $10.99 or $14.99; the listing does not say if these renew |
Switching
Nothing QRbot generates is dynamic, so nothing breaks when you move. Decode each code, paste the content into QR Studio, pick a design and export. If you mainly use QRbot to scan barcodes or track stock, keep it for that; QR Studio’s scanner reads QR codes but does not look up products or post to a server.
Note
Prices change. We read the App Store listing, its In-App Purchases list and its privacy label on 24 September 2026. The listing does not say what each Pro Version purchase includes, whether any is a subscription, or whether generated codes can carry a logo or custom shapes, so we have not claimed either way. Some user reviews mention watching ads to reach Pro features; the listing itself does not describe this.
Try it yourself