Best pantry inventory apps with a barcode scanner (2026)
We make Fixins, so we’ve put it first. Every other app here is described as fairly as we can, from its own website or app store listing.
Updated
All five apps here add groceries to a pantry list by scanning. Pantry Check, NoWaste and KitchenPal are built around tracking what you have, with expiry reminders. Fixins and Cooklist use the pantry to show recipes you can make: Fixins with the iPhone camera, expiration alerts and creator recipes, Cooklist with barcodes and grocery loyalty cards.
See what your own kitchen can make.
On iPhone. Scan your kitchen, see what you can cook tonight.
First
The short version
What to look for
Decide whether you want an inventory or dinner ideas. Inventory apps shine at counts, locations and use-by reminders. Recipe-first apps shine at turning what you have into a meal. Then check sharing, if more than one person shops, and which phones your household uses.
The list
The apps, one by one
Fixins
Point your iPhone camera at a grocery item or its barcode and it goes into your pantry with an expiration estimate, and Fixins alerts you before food expires. Share the pantry with your household, and see creator recipes that use what you have.
- Where it runs
- iPhone, iOS 26 or later (United States and Canada)source
- Price
- Subscriptionsource
- Scan your pantry with the camera
- Yes: point the camera at a grocery item or barcode and it goes into your pantry with an expiration estimate; Fixins sends expiration alertssource 1source 2
- Where recipes come from
- Recipes from creators, plus your own handwritten or cookbook recipessource 1source 2
- Missing ingredients
- A grocery list of what you're missing, grouped by aisle; one tap sends it to Instacart checkoutsource
Pantry Check
A detailed household inventory: barcode scanning, custom locations, expiry reminders, family sharing and shopping lists with running totals. Free for up to 200 items.
- Price
- Free for up to 200 items, with optional paid storage planssource
- Scan your pantry with the camera
- Yes: a barcode scanner backed by a crowd-sourced product databasesource
- Where recipes come from
- Not stated on its listing. Its focus is tracking what you havesource
- Missing ingredients
- Shopping lists based on what you use and have, with prices and running totals; no ordering stated on its listingsource
NoWaste
Simple fridge, freezer and pantry lists, filled by scanning barcodes, receipts or photos, with reminders before food expires.
- Price
- Free, with an optional NoWaste Pro subscription at $6.99 a yearsource
- Scan your pantry with the camera
- Yes: scan barcodes, receipts or photos to add foodsource
- Where recipes come from
- Not stated on its listing. It has recipes and meal plans for planning your weeksource
- Missing ingredients
- A shopping list; no ordering stated on its listingsource
KitchenPal
Barcode scanning with a library of 4 million+ products, expiry alerts, a shared grocery list and recipe ideas from what you have.
- Price
- Free, with an optional paid plan, KitchenPal Premiumsource
- Scan your pantry with the camera
- Yes: a barcode scanner, with a library of 4 million+ products, and expiry alertssource
- Where recipes come from
- Recipe ideas searched by ingredient and matched to your pantrysource
- Missing ingredients
- Shared grocery lists with suggestions from your pantry; no ordering stated on its listingsource
Cooklist
Imports your purchases from linked grocery loyalty cards, adds the rest by barcode, and matches over 1 million recipes to your pantry.
- Price
- Free, with an optional paid plan, Cooklist Prosource
- Scan your pantry with the camera
- Yes: a barcode scanner, plus purchases imported from linked grocery loyalty cardssource
- Where recipes come from
- Over 1 million recipes matched to the food in your pantrysource
- Missing ingredients
- A grocery list of only the ingredients you’re missing, sorted by aisle; no ordering stated on its listingsource
Trying Fixins
Getting started with Fixins
Get Fixins on your iPhone
Fixins needs iOS 26 or later and is available in the United States and Canada.
Scan your groceries
Point the camera at a grocery item or its barcode and it goes into your digital pantry.
Add your own recipes
The same scanner adds your own handwritten or cookbook recipes, like a family recipe card or a page from a cookbook you love.
Cook tonight
See the creator recipes you can make with what you already have. Anything missing goes on your grocery list, grouped by aisle, and one tap sends it to Instacart checkout.
Questions
Questions people ask
Is there a free pantry inventory app with a barcode scanner?
Pantry Check is free for up to 200 items. NoWaste, KitchenPal and Cooklist are free, each with an optional paid plan. Fixins is a subscription.
Which pantry apps remind me before food expires?
Fixins adds an expiration estimate to each item you scan and sends expiration alerts. Pantry Check and NoWaste send reminders before food expires, and KitchenPal has expiry alerts.
Which pantry apps also suggest recipes?
Fixins shows creator recipes that use what’s in your pantry. Cooklist matches over 1 million recipes to your pantry, and KitchenPal suggests recipe ideas from it.
Which ones work on Android?
NoWaste, KitchenPal and Cooklist run on Android. Pantry Check’s Android version is in progress. Fixins runs on iPhone with iOS 26 or later, in the United States and Canada.
Keep reading
Related guides
- Best apps to cook with what you have (2026)Apps that show recipes you can make from what’s already in your kitchen: Fixins, Supercook, Cooklist, KitchenPal, BigOven and Samsung Food, compared.
- Best apps to use up the food you buy (2026)Apps to use up groceries and reduce food waste at home: Fixins, NoWaste, Pantry Check, Cooklist, BigOven and Supercook, described from their own pages.
- Supercook alternatives (2026)Supercook alternatives that also start from what you have: Fixins, Cooklist, KitchenPal, BigOven and Samsung Food, each described from its own page.
Cook from what you have
Facts checked on October 21, 2026. Each fact links to the page it came from. “Not stated on its listing” means that page doesn’t say.
Cook a creator’s recipe tonight.
On iPhone. Scan your kitchen, see what you can cook tonight.