Yuka vs Open Food Facts: which is better in 2026?
Short answer: choose Yuka if you want one clear health score per product, scanned from the barcode, with healthier alternatives suggested when a product scores badly, for food and personal care products alike. Choose Open Food Facts if you want the underlying grades yourself, Nutri-Score, NOVA processing level and Eco-Score, matched against criteria you pick, from an open nonprofit database anyone can add to. Both are free.
How we compare: what each developer says the app does in its own App Store description, how it scores a product, what it covers, who runs the data and what it asks of you. Then the current standing of both on the Censuus ranking.
| Yuka | Open Food Facts | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | a quick health verdict at the shelf | detailed grades matched to your own criteria |
| How it scores | nutrition, additives and organic, rolled into one rating | Nutri-Score A to E, NOVA 1 to 4, Eco-Score A to E |
| Covers | food and personal care products | food and cosmetics |
| Healthier swaps | suggests similar, healthier products | compares products within a food category |
| Who runs it | independent project, no in-app ads | nonprofit, built by volunteers, open data |
| Missing product | not described | photograph it and add the data yourself |
How each one scores a product
Yuka rates each food on three criteria, nutritional quality, additives and whether it is organic, and turns that into one rating with detailed information behind it. Cosmetics are scored ingredient by ingredient, each with a risk level. Open Food Facts shows the grades themselves: Nutri-Score for nutrition, the NOVA group for how processed a food is, and Eco-Score for environmental impact, and colours a scan green or red against the criteria you choose, such as salt, allergens or additives.
Healthier choices at the shelf
Yuka recommends similar but healthier products when something scores badly, which is the fastest way to swap one item. Open Food Facts lets you compare products in a category side by side, say three tomato sauces, with a comparison tailored to your preferences.
Independence and open data
Yuka calls itself a 100% independent project: no brand can influence its ratings and there is no in-app advertising. Open Food Facts is a nonprofit run by volunteers and calls itself the Wikipedia of food; its open database feeds other apps, and it lists Yuka among them.
When a product is missing
Open Food Facts is collaborative: if a product is not there, you photograph it and add the data to unlock its Nutri-Score, NOVA group and Eco-Score. Yuka does not describe a contribution flow in its store listing.
The verdict
Pick Yuka for one fast health verdict and a healthier swap, for food and cosmetics. Pick Open Food Facts for the raw grades, your own criteria, the environmental score and open data you can add to. More scanners: best food scanner apps.
Frequently asked questions
Is Yuka or Open Food Facts better?
Neither outright. Yuka is better for one quick health rating with healthier swaps; Open Food Facts is better for Nutri-Score, NOVA and Eco-Score grades matched to your own criteria.
Does Yuka use Open Food Facts data?
Open Food Facts says its open database has enabled more than 150 apps and names Yuka among them.
Do both scan cosmetics?
Yes. Yuka scores personal care products by their ingredients, and Open Food Facts covers foods and cosmetics.