Compare/Yuka

Sketchy Labels vs Yuka

Both apps tell you what’s in a product and score it out of 100. Yuka scans barcodes against a database of about 6 million foods and cosmetics, and its food score is mostly about nutrition. Sketchy Labels reads a photo of the ingredient list and rates each ingredient against EU, Canadian and US rules for that kind of product. Here’s how they differ, and where Yuka is the better pick.

  • 8 sources

Side by side

FeatureSketchy LabelsYuka
What it covers
Sketchy LabelsFood, cosmetics, cleaning, pet and home products
YukaFood and cosmetics, including personal hygiene products
How you scan
Sketchy LabelsA photo of the ingredient listWorks on any product with a printed list, in a database or not
YukaThe product’s barcodeAbout 4 million food and 2 million cosmetic products, with about 1,200 added a day
Food score
Sketchy Labels0–100 from the ingredients only, weighted by their position on the labelNot a nutrition rating, though added sugar near the top of the list does lower it (methodology)
Yuka0–100: 60% nutritional quality (based on Nutri-Score), 30% additives, 10% organicA high-risk additive caps the score at 49/100
Cosmetics score
Sketchy Labels0–100, each ingredient rated against the rules for that product type (leave-on, rinse-off…), with caps for Caution and Avoid ingredients
YukaEach ingredient gets one of four risk levels. A high-risk ingredient keeps the score below 25/100; a moderate-risk one, below 50/100
Why an ingredient is rated
Sketchy LabelsThe EU, Canadian and US rule behind each rating, cited
YukaRisk level per ingredient, with its possible effects (for example endocrine disruption, allergy, irritation)
Where you can use it
Sketchy LabelsWeb (no account needed), iPhone and Android
YukaiPhone and Android
Languages
Sketchy LabelsEnglish and French
YukaFrench, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese
Price
Sketchy LabelsFree: 10 scans every 3 minutes on the web, 10 a month in the appPremium $7.99 CAD/month or $49.99 CAD/year (pricing)
YukaFree; Premium membership with “open pricing” (US$15/year on its website)Premium adds offline mode, search without scanning, food-preference alerts and full history
Funding
Sketchy LabelsNo brand partnerships, sponsored results or affiliate links
YukaDescribes itself as 100% independent and ad-free; says revenue comes from users, never brands
Based in
Sketchy LabelsCanadaDatabase hosted in Canada (privacy policy)
YukaParis, France (Yuca SAS)

Where Yuka is stronger

  • A much bigger product database. With about 6 million products and a barcode scan, you usually get an answer in a second without hunting for the ingredient list.
  • Nutrition. 60% of Yuka’s food score is nutritional quality based on Nutri-Score: sugar, salt, saturated fat, fibre and so on. Our score isn’t a nutrition rating, so if that’s what you care about most, Yuka answers a question we don’t.
  • Healthier alternatives. When a product scores poorly, Yuka suggests similar products that score better.
  • More languages (six), and offline scanning with Premium.
  • A published funding model: its independence page breaks down revenue, almost all of it from Premium subscriptions.

Where Sketchy Labels is different

  • It reads the label, not the barcode. New products, store brands, imports and anything not in a database still get a score, as long as the ingredient list is printed.
  • It covers cleaning, pet and home products as well as food and cosmetics.
  • Every rating comes from published regulation for that product type, and we cite it. The same ingredient can rate differently in a food and a rinse-off shampoo. See any ingredient’s EU, Canadian and US status side by side.
  • Canada first: Health Canada’s permitted food additive lists and Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist are among the rules we rate against, the site and apps are in English and Canadian French, and our database is hosted in Canada.
  • You can scan on the web without an account, and every change to the scoring is logged in the methodology.

Which should you use?

If you mostly shop for groceries, want a fast barcode answer and care about nutrition (sugar, salt, fat), Yuka is a strong choice, and its database covers a huge range of products.

If you want to know why each ingredient is flagged and which rule applies in Canada, the EU or the US, or you’re checking cleaning products, pet products or something that isn’t in any database, Sketchy Labels is built for that.

They measure different things, so the same product can score differently in each. Plenty of people use both.

Frequently asked

Why does the same product get a different score in Yuka and Sketchy Labels?

They measure different things. 60% of Yuka’s food score is nutritional quality, 30% additives and 10% organic. Sketchy Labels scores the ingredients only, against EU, Canadian and US rules for that product type, weighted by where each one sits on the label. A snack with safe ingredients but lots of salt can score well with us and poorly in Yuka.

Does Sketchy Labels scan barcodes like Yuka?

Sketchy Labels works from a photo of the ingredient list rather than a barcode lookup. That’s slower than a barcode when the product is already in a database, but it means products that aren’t in any database still get a score.

Are Yuka and Sketchy Labels available in French in Canada?

Yes. Yuka is available in French and five other languages and is listed on the Canadian App Store. Sketchy Labels is available in English and Canadian French, and rates ingredients against Health Canada rules alongside EU and US ones.

Do brands pay either app?

Yuka says brands cannot pay to advertise in the app and that its revenue comes from users, not brands. Sketchy Labels has no brand partnerships, sponsored results or affiliate links.

Sources

Competitor details come from the pages and store listings below, as they read when we checked them. Prices and features change; check the source for the current version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us through the contact page and we’ll fix it. Contact us

Get started for free

Know what’s inside.
Start with your next label.

Get the free app to save products and set up household flags.

Download on Android Download on iOS