Updated October 2026 by Kamal Nasir
Halal scanner apps check a product's ingredients against a list of additives and give a status such as halal, haram or mushbooh. They differ in how they get the ingredients (a barcode database or reading the label), whether they let you follow a school of thought, and whether they show the sources behind a status. Each blurb below is drawn from the app's own App Store description.
Scans a barcode or, when a product is not in its database, reads the ingredient list with OCR and identifies each additive and E code. It includes an encyclopedia of more than 500 additives, settings by school of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali), scan history and a Ramadan fasting tracker. App Store
Scans a product's UPC or EAN barcode and breaks down the sources of its ingredients (plant, animal, synthetic) with a halal status. Made by the team at scanhalal.org, it currently supports products from the USA and Canada. App Store
Reads a photographed food label with AI in more than 30 languages and gives a halal, haram or mushbooh verdict with explanations for your chosen school of thought. It also includes prayer times, a Qibla compass, a Hijri calendar and a search of more than 500 E numbers. App Store
Scans a barcode to show whether a product is halal, mushbooh or haram, with ingredient and supply chain details. For products not in its database, you can scan the back of the pack to detect and analyze additives. App Store
Reads an ingredient panel with the camera or takes a typed ingredient or E number, and shows each ruling with links to the regulation and the published rulings behind it. Where rulings disagree it shows both positions. It has no network code, and it never says a product is halal or certified. About it ยท App Store
Most compare a product's ingredients and E numbers against a list of additives with a status for each, using either a barcode database or text read from the label. Slaughter method and alcohol content are not printed on a label, so a certifier's mark on the package remains the direct answer for a product.
Some ingredients, such as gelatine, carmine, emulsifiers from fats of unstated origin and vinegar made from wine, are disputed among scholars. Apps handle this differently: some let you choose a school of thought, and Dalil shows both positions with the bodies that hold them.
Our entry in this category: Halal Scanner - Dalil.
Published by Kamal Nasir, the developer of the apps marked Ours. Apps change, so check each one's App Store page for its latest features.