QR Code Scanner

iOS Camera app and Android Google Lens both decode QR codes natively — for the common case they are sufficient and you do not need a separate app. QR Code Scanner the PWA exists for: (1) older devices where native scanning is unreliable, (2) cases where you want to scan inside another browser tab without leaving context, (3) batch / continuous scanning workflows (the native Camera app prompts you each time, the PWA scans repeatedly), and (4) Linux / ChromeOS / Windows desktop browsers where native QR support is absent.

Yes — fully free, no ads, no account, no in-app purchases. The PWA is funded as a utility / portfolio project. The trade-off versus paid scanners like QR Reader by Kaspersky or Trend Micro is that there is no built-in URL safety check (the paid apps warn you if a QR code links to a known phishing domain). For most users that warning layer is not worth the privacy cost of installing those apps, but it is a legitimate gap.

Native QR scanner apps on Android (QR & Barcode Scanner by TeaCapps, etc.) often add value via batch history, multi-format barcode support, and QR generation in the same app. The PWA does QR scanning only, with a clean session-based history. The advantage of the PWA is no install bloat, no Google Play tracking, no permissions beyond Camera, and it works on iOS Safari where the App Store policies on free utilities are restrictive. For a privacy-aware user the PWA is a clean choice; for power users wanting history and inventory features the native apps remain stronger.

Yes. The WebAssembly QR decoder (ZXing.wasm or jsQR depending on the build) is cached on first visit, so subsequent loads work fully offline. The Camera API works without a network connection. Only when you tap a scanned URL does the network get involved (your browser opens the link). This makes the PWA reliable on planes, in basements and in poor-cellular environments where the native Camera app's QR scan still works but third-party scanner apps may not.

Decoding happens entirely client-side — no QR content is sent to any server. This is meaningful for QR codes containing 2FA secrets, payment URLs, sensitive Wi-Fi credentials, or boarding passes. The scanned URL is opened in your browser only if you tap it. The PWA itself has no telemetry. The remaining risk is the standard QR phishing surface (a malicious QR code linking to a credential-harvesting site) — that is intrinsic to QR codes, not the scanner, and is best mitigated by reading the URL before tapping.