Report updated Apr 18, 2026
Buycott - Barcode Scanner & QR Bar Code Scanner
For conscious consumers who want to align their daily purchasing decisions with their ethical, political, and environmental values.
Buycott - Barcode Scanner & QR Bar Code Scanner is a struggling shopping app that is a paid app. With a 4.5/5 rating from 2.4K reviews, it struggles with user retention. Users particularly appreciate compelling concept, though technical instability remains a common concern.
What is Buycott - Barcode Scanner & QR Bar Code Scanner?
Current Momentum
v3.1 · 99mo ago
ZombieThe app has not received a feature update since 2018 and is currently in maintenance mode.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Users join specific non-profit campaigns to align shopping with personal values.
Shows parent company ownership, a feature often missing from ingredient-focused competitors.
Scan product barcodes to retrieve history and ethical alignment data.
Provides recommendations for products that better match the user's selected values.
How much does it cost?
- $1.99 upfront purchase
- Paid B2B API access
The app maintains a paid model despite being functionally broken, leading to significant user resentment. The developer appears to prioritize B2B API monetization over consumer app maintenance.
Who Built It?
Empowering consumers to align spending with personal values through corporate transparency and barcode scanning.
Portfolio
1
Apps
Explore the full Buycott report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Buycott.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · 49 reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a upset sentiment. Users appreciate compelling concept, but report technical instability and app abandonment.
Limited review volume (49 reviews). Sentiment analysis will deepen as more data lands.
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Buycott - Barcode Scanner & QR Bar Code Scanner?
How's The Shopping Market?
How does it evolve in the Shopping market?
Rank progression
139 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
The outtake for Buycott - Barcode Scanner & QR Bar Code Scanner
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Proprietary corporate hierarchy database
- Strong brand recognition in ethical shopping
- High App Store search equity (#4 Paid ranking)
Critical Frictions
- No updates since Feb 2018
- Broken barcode scanner and login functionality
- Outdated campaign data (9+ years old)
Growth Levers
- Pivot to freemium model to rebuild user trust
- Automate corporate ownership data via financial APIs
- Crowdsource database updates to reduce maintenance costs
Market Threats
- Open Food Facts (free, open-source alternative)
- Yuka (modern UX and high update velocity)
- App Store removal due to lack of maintenance
What are the next best moves?
Restore core scanner and login functionality
Technical instability and broken core features are the #1 complaint theme, rendering the app unusable.
Pivot from $1.99 Paid to Free/Freemium model
Users report feeling 'defrauded' and call the app a 'scam' because it charges an upfront fee for a broken product.
Refresh campaign data and corporate ownership links
Users note that boycott information is up to 9 years old, undermining the app's primary value proposition.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Community-driven open database (available in Open Food Facts)
- Health and cosmetic scoring (available in Yuka)
- AI-powered ingredient analysis (available in SkinSAFE)
Key Takeaways
Buycott is a technically abandoned 'zombie app' that survives on the strength of a brilliant, still-relevant concept and high historical rankings. While its corporate hierarchy data is a major differentiator, the app is currently a reputational liability; it must be completely rebuilt and moved to a free model to compete with modern, active rivals like Open Food Facts.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Last updated Feb 2018 — the app is in maintenance-free abandonment mode.
Core barcode scanner is non-functional — the primary user journey is broken.
Upset user base calling the product a 'scam' due to the $1.99 price for a broken app.