Triggerbites vs InTolerApp: the closest scanner to what we track
Both cover salicylates, tyramine and nickel, which almost nothing else does. One keeps a journal without symptoms.
The quick overview
| Triggerbites | InTolerApp | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Finding what affects you | Checking products against your profile |
| Barcode scanning | Yes | Yes |
| Other ways to add a product | Brand name or a photo of the label | Ingredient photo |
| Profiles or criteria | 40+ criteria in six groups | 60+ profiles |
| Unusual compounds | Salicylates, tyramine, nickel, alpha-gal | Salicylates, tyramine, nickel |
| Food journal | Yes | Yes |
| Symptom tracking | Yes | No |
| Pattern analysis | Yes, with delayed reactions | No |
| Multiple profiles | No | Yes, on Pro |
| Platform | iOS | iOS, Android |
| Price | Subscription (7-day free trial) | Free with Pro; lifetime option |
InTolerApp is the scanner that comes closest to the range of things we track, and the two apps get compared for that reason. Both cover histamine, salicylates, tyramine and nickel, which almost nothing else does. They do different things with a product once you have scanned it.
What InTolerApp does well
InTolerApp has sixty-plus profiles, and the list goes well past the obvious. Histamine, lactose, fructose, gluten and FODMAPs, all fourteen EU allergens, and then the compounds most scanners never touch: salicylates, tyramine and nickel.
If you are tracking salicylates or nickel and trying to shop with a scanner, the field narrows quickly. InTolerApp and Triggerbites both cover it, as do Food Intolerances by Baliza and ALLiCANEAT. InTolerApp is on Android where we are not.
It runs on Open Food Facts data, the same open database we use, so the product coverage is comparable. Its Pro tier allows multiple profiles, which suits a household, and it sells a lifetime purchase as well as a subscription.
What InTolerApp leaves out
InTolerApp keeps a food journal without symptoms. A journal of what you ate, with no record of how you felt, cannot produce a pattern, so the app can only tell you whether a product matches the profile you declared.
You have to arrive already knowing which compounds to avoid, and working that out is a separate job.
What Triggerbites does with the same scan
We read the same barcode, and you can also say a brand name or photograph the ingredients label, which covers own-brand and local products a barcode lookup misses.
Most days you can skip the scanner and journal your day in plain words or by voice, in about 30 seconds: "muesli with dried apricots and a black tea at 8, a cheddar and pickle sandwich for lunch, a headache by the afternoon." The app pulls out every ingredient, finds packaged products by name, and tags each one for salicylates, tyramine, nickel, histamine and the rest of its 40-plus criteria. All of it goes into a diary alongside your symptoms, your sleep and your stress.
After a few weeks the app ranks what your bad days have in common, including reactions that arrive a day or two later. That record tells you which of those sixty profiles you actually need.
One thing to check before you choose
InTolerApp's iOS build was last updated in May 2024. On Android it has been maintained more recently.
That matters less for a database-driven scanner than for most apps, since the product data updates independently. It is still worth knowing before paying for a lifetime tier.
Which should you choose?
Choose InTolerApp if you know which compounds you react to, you want the broadest profile coverage in a scanner, and you are on Android.
Choose Triggerbites if you are still working out what affects you, or you want the scan and the symptom in the same place.
Use both if you have a confirmed sensitivity to something unusual and want a shopping tool alongside a diary.
Journal your day in 30 seconds, find your triggers.
Common questions
Does InTolerApp track symptoms?
No. It keeps a food journal without symptoms, so it can tell you whether a product matches the profile you gave it, and it cannot tell you whether that profile is the right one.
Which covers more intolerances?
InTolerApp lists 60-plus profiles against our 40-plus criteria in six groups, and the overlap is large. Both cover the unusual ones most scanners skip: salicylates, tyramine and nickel.
Is InTolerApp on Android?
Yes, and that is a real advantage over us. Triggerbites is iOS only. If you are on Android and want a scanner covering unusual compounds, InTolerApp is one of very few options.
Do they use the same product data?
Largely. Both draw on Open Food Facts, the open product database, so coverage is comparable. Triggerbites also accepts a brand name or a photo of the ingredients label, which covers products a barcode lookup misses.
How do they charge?
InTolerApp sells a Pro tier monthly, yearly or as a lifetime purchase. Triggerbites is a subscription with a seven-day free trial. The lifetime option is worth weighing against how actively the app is maintained.
Is InTolerApp still being updated?
The iOS build was last updated in May 2024, with more recent activity on Android. That matters less for a database-driven scanner, since product data updates independently, but it is worth knowing before buying a lifetime tier.
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Weighing the two up? Reach out at and we'll give you a straight answer.