Platform
Category
Top 11 Scanners and OCR SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store
Last update: 16 Aug 2023 CET
App Store

Top 11 Scanners and OCR SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store

We at 42matters have identified the 11 most popular Scanners and OCR SDKs leveraged by iOS apps available on the iOS app market.

Scanner and OCR SDKs enable apps to scan and process texts and QR codes from images and documents. While Scanner SDKs provide apps with the ability to scan, crop, rotate, and color correct documents and QRs, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) SDKs recognize text in scanned images and documents and convert them into machine-readable texts. These SDKs may also provide tools for language detection, spell checking, and formatting.

This list is based on our analysis of the millions of mobile applications – and the 2,300+ SDKs they use – that constitute the vast inventory of the Apple App Store. The accompanying data provides readers with a glimpse into the rich mobile application insights generated by the 42matters technology. This data is also available via our APIs, file dumps, Explorer, and SDK Explorer.

The intended purpose of this article is to assist app builders in their search for the perfect Scanners and OCR SDK to leverage in their app, as well as to give SDK developers insight into their biggest competitors and potential customers. This data collected by our technology may also serve as a useful tool for folks researching the wider mobile app market.

The 11 most widely-integrated scanners and ocr SDKs:

1st

ZXing

Check “ZXing” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, 70.49% have integrated ZXing. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

ZXing ("zebra crossing") is an open-source, multi-format 1D/2D barcode image processing SDK implemented in Java, with ports to other languages.

Total Apps
78.65k
App Store
App Share
70.49%
App Store
Apps
78.20k
Games
446
Total Downloads
11.65b
App Store
Download Share
74.07%
App Store
App Downloads
9.55b
Game Downloads
2.10b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use ZXing.

2nd

ZBar

Check “ZBar” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, 24.41% have integrated ZBar. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

ZBar is an open source software suite for reading bar codes from various sources, such as video streams, image files, and raw intensity sensors.

Total Apps
8.92k
App Store
App Share
24.41%
App Store
Apps
8.87k
Games
47
Total Downloads
2.23b
App Store
Download Share
14.21%
App Store
App Downloads
2.02b
Game Downloads
218.42m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use ZBar.

3rd

QRCodeReaderViewController

Check “QRCodeReaderViewController” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, 4.55% have integrated QRCodeReaderViewController. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

QRCodeReaderViewController was initially a simple QRCode reader SDK. But it now lets you specify the format type you want to decode.

Total Apps
3.38k
App Store
App Share
4.55%
App Store
Apps
3.36k
Games
16
Total Downloads
1.03b
App Store
Download Share
6.57%
App Store
App Downloads
799.35m
Game Downloads
233.79m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use QRCodeReaderViewController.

4th

Tesseract OCR

Check “Tesseract OCR” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, 1.06% have integrated Tesseract OCR. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

The Tesseract OCR SDK contains an OCR engine — libtesseract and a command line program — tesseract. Tesseract 4 adds a new neural net (LSTM) based OCR engine which is focused on line recognition, but also still supports the legacy Tesseract OCR engine of Tesseract 3 which works by recognizing character patterns.

Total Apps
1.45k
App Store
App Share
1.06%
App Store
Apps
1.43k
Games
27
Total Downloads
245.62m
App Store
Download Share
1.56%
App Store
App Downloads
235.60m
Game Downloads
10.02m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Tesseract OCR.

5th

Scandit

Check “Scandit” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated Scandit. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Scandit develops software for mobile enterprise apps with the highest quality barcode scanning, text and objects recognition, and augmented reality solutions.

Total Apps
1.11k
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
1.11k
Games
1
Total Downloads
1.14b
App Store
Download Share
7.25%
App Store
App Downloads
1.14b
Game Downloads
799

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Scandit.

6th

Scanbot

Check “Scanbot” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated Scanbot. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Total Apps
203
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
203
Games
0
Total Downloads
378.06m
App Store
Download Share
2.40%
App Store
App Downloads
378.06m
Game Downloads
0

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Scanbot.

7th

Cortex Decoder

Check “Cortex Decoder” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated Cortex Decoder. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Total Apps
170
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
170
Games
0
Total Downloads
409.75k
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
409.75k
Game Downloads
0

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Cortex Decoder.

8th

ABBYY

Check “ABBYY” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated ABBYY. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Mobile document capture and on-device text recognition. Create smooth self-service experiences for customers.

Total Apps
61
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
61
Games
0
Total Downloads
29.05m
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
29.05m
Game Downloads
0

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use ABBYY.

9th

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader

Check “Dynamsoft Barcode Reader” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated Dynamsoft Barcode Reader. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Total Apps
53
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
52
Games
1
Total Downloads
755.22k
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
720.86k
Game Downloads
34.36k

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Dynamsoft Barcode Reader.

10th

Pixolus

Check “Pixolus” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated Pixolus. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Pixolus is an SDK that automates data acquisition. Users only need a smartphone and Pixolus's image recognition software to acquire content and data.

Total Apps
41
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
41
Games
0
Total Downloads
458.32k
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
458.32k
Game Downloads
0

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Pixolus.

11th

Anyline SDK

Check “Anyline SDK” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing scanners and ocr SDKs, <1% have integrated Anyline SDK. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the scanners and ocr SDK category.

Anyline is a mobile OCR SDK that enables you to scan numbers and short text within your application.

Total Apps
31
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
31
Games
0
Total Downloads
2.53m
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
2.53m
Game Downloads
0

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Anyline SDK.

Browse iOS and Android SDKs With the SDK Explorer

Browse background top image

  • SDK IntelligenceSDK Intelligence

    See how many apps integrate specific SDKs, how many times these SDKs have been downloaded, developer details, similar SDKs, and more.

  • New Installations and Removals HistoryNew Installations and Removals History

    Analyze installation and removal trends for SDKs. Discover which apps have removed or integrated specific SDKs in a given timeframe.

  • Market Share per Google Play and Apple App Store CategoryMarket Share per Google Play and Apple App Store Category

    See which app categories or genres are most likely to use specific SDKs. Detect SDK market share per category.

Browse background bottom imageBrowse right section image
Schedule a demo

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does 42matters collect this data?'

We’ve developed a number of machine learning algorithms that scan millions of mobile and connected TV (CTV) applications on a regular basis. In addition, we collect ground truth app performance intelligence and use this data to build statistical models that estimate the performance of apps for which we do not have ground truth data.

What SDK data does 42matters collect?'

We track over 2,300 of the most popular SDKs integrated in iOS and Android apps. We collect a variety of SDK insights (title, platform, ID, category, and developer website); performance metrics (the number of apps that have installed each SDK, installation and removal trends, and app downloads); market share statistics (including market share per app category); and more!

How can I access 42matters’ SDK data?'

The most direct way is to use our SDK Explorer, which is a visual, web-based research platform that enables you to peruse all 2,300+ SDKs that we track. It’s great for market research, lead generation, competitor analysis, etc. However, more technically-inclined folks might prefer our APIs and File Dumps, which enable you to query info for specific apps or SDKs. You can also use our other research platforms (the Explorer and App Watchlist) to view integrated SDKs by app.

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to generate app publisher leads?'

Absolutely! We actually wrote about this on our blog. We focused on ad network SDKs, but the examples are applicable to most SDK types. To summarize, you can use the Explorer’s advanced filtering capabilities to home in on best-fit app publishers, leverage the SDK Explorer to see which apps use your competitors’ SDKs, and use our APIs and file dumps to build custom lead generation processes.

What data does 42matters provide on mobile apps?'

A ton! We track 17+ million apps across Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent MyApp, and Huawei AppGallery. Our solutions provide access to app details (developer insights, metadata, ASO keywords, contact information, etc.); performance metrics (downloads, MAUs, ratings, reviews, top chart rankings, etc.); technical insights (integrated SDKs, permissions, required capabilities, etc.); content details (categories, genres, IAB categories, content ratings, etc.); compliance information (app-ads.txt, privacy policies, store status, etc.) and much, much more!

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to find SDKs for my app?'

Definitely. The SDK Explorer enables you to sort SDKs by category, identify similar SDKs, analyze SDK reliability, and more. In addition, you can use the App Watchlist and Explorer to monitor your competitors, including which SDKs they add and remove, their current tech stacks, and SDK changelogs. This means you use our solutions not only to find the right SDK for a particular purpose, but also which SDKs you might need to keep up with your rivals.

The best businesses need the highest-quality app intelligence!

Meta
Digital Turbine
Comcast
Ookla
Vungle
Oolo
Tactile