CodeCheck
CodeCheck is a mobile shopping assistant app that lets users scan product barcodes to view ingredient lists and health/environmental ratings, primarily serving conscious consumers in German-speaking markets. Operated by Producto Check GmbH under Producto GmbH (Testberichte.de) following the 2022 acquisition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What CodeCheck does
CodeCheck is the leading mobile shopping assistant in German-speaking markets for consumers who want transparency about ingredients in food, drinks, cosmetics, and household products. Users scan a product barcode to see its full ingredient list with health and environmental ratings derived from a patent-pending algorithm informed by named scientific bodies (BUND, WWF, Deutscher Allergie- und Asthmabund, Verbraucherzentralen); ratings can be tailored to personal preferences such as vegan, palm oil-free, microplastic-free, lactose-free, gluten-free, or hormonal-effect-free. The platform is built around a proprietary database covering over 2 million FMCG products across DACH, UK, and the USA, against which it has logged 7.4-10 million cumulative organic downloads and a 4.5M+ conscious-consumer community.
The product portfolio spans the consumer CodeCheck App, the CodeCheck PLUS ad-free subscription (managed via Purchasely), the CodeCheck API for B2B product data licensing, CodeCheck Insights (a market-research panel, formerly Oeeda) for FMCG research clients, CodeCheck Green Label sustainability certification for third-party brands, and CodeCheck Advertising (native advertorials and sponsored content). Go-to-market operates on three vectors: product-led growth via app stores and word-of-mouth (92-99% recommendation rate), a community-led content and social motion (blog, Facebook, Instagram, earned media in ZEIT, FAZ, Welt, VICE, ZDF, stern, CHIP), and a sales-led B2B motion targeting FMCG enterprises and mid-market conscious brands (disclosed logos include Danone, Weleda, Allos, Biomazing, Farfalla, Logocos, Soeder, Gottingen, bepure, FVC). The original CodeCheck AG (Zürich) was acquired by Producto GmbH (operator of Testberichte.de) in May 2022 and the app now operates under Producto Check GmbH in Berlin, with Tobias Weishaupt as Managing Director.
CodeCheck firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CodeCheck
- Legal name
- Producto Check GmbH
- Website
- https://codecheck-app.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CodeCheck is a mobile shopping assistant app that lets users scan product barcodes to view ingredient lists and health/environmental ratings, primarily serving conscious consumers in German-speaking markets. Operated by Producto Check GmbH under Producto GmbH (Testberichte.de) following the 2022 acquisition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CodeCheck is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CodeCheck business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- CodeCheck PLUS Premium Subscription: Ad-free and enhanced version of the app offered as a paid in-app subscription through App Store and Play Store. Managed via Purchasely SAS subscription management platform. Provides premium features and an ad-free experience.
- Native Advertising: Advertorial format generates average 1,000,000 impressions in the CodeCheck newsfeed with average 10,000 article views. Sponsored posts provide credible brand connection with editorial content reaching up to 25,000 ad impressions. Social media promotion to 30,000+ followers.
- CodeCheck Insights (B2B Market Research): Market research panel services for FMCG companies. Provides consumer insights, trend analysis, and direct access to conscious consumer panel for surveys and product feedback. Customized insights and deep analysis combining consumer segments.
- CodeCheck API (Product Data): Independent product data API providing comprehensive, continuously maintained product ingredient data. Companies can integrate CodeCheck's product database into their own systems and applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free basic app with full barcode scanning and ingredient checking |
| Subscription | Monthly | CodeCheck PLUS premium subscription (ad-free, enhanced features) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
CodeCheck product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CodeCheck is a mobile barcode scanning application that provides consumers with instant ingredient transparency for food, drinks, cosmetics, and household products. Users scan a product's barcode to view ingredient lists along with personalized health and environmental ratings based on scientific sources (e.g., BUND, WWF), and receive suggestions for cleaner and healthier alternatives aligned to dietary preferences such as vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, palm-oil-free, microplastic-free, and hormonal-effect-free.
Product overview
CodeCheck is a consumer-facing mobile app and web platform for conscious shopping. The core product is the CodeCheck App, which allows users to scan product barcodes to view ingredients and ratings. The product portfolio includes CodeCheck PLUS (premium ad-free subscription), CodeCheck API (B2B product data access), CodeCheck Insights (B2B market research panel), CodeCheck Green Label (sustainability certification), and CodeCheck Advertising (native advertising solutions). The company operates as a subsidiary of Producto GmbH (Testberichte.de) following acquisition in 2022.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CodeCheck App Mobile shopping assistant app for individual consumers that lets users scan product barcodes to view ingredients with health and environmental ratings based on scientific sources and discover healthier, more sustainable alternatives.
- CodeCheck PLUS Premium ad-free, feature-enhanced in-app subscription version of the CodeCheck App for individual consumers seeking an uninterrupted shopping-assistant experience.
- CodeCheck API B2B product data API providing independent, continuously maintained ingredient and product data so enterprises can integrate CodeCheck's database into their own applications and systems.
- CodeCheck Insights B2B market research and consumer analytics platform that provides FMCG companies with category insights, competitor analysis, trend forecasting, and direct access to a panel of conscious consumers for surveys and product testing.
- CodeCheck Green Label Sustainability certification label awarded to products meeting CodeCheck's environmental and health criteria.
- CodeCheck Advertising Native advertising and sponsored-content offering enabling FMCG brands to reach CodeCheck's conscious-consumer audience at point of purchase via advertorials, sponsored posts, banners, and social media packages.
Quantifiable outcome
- 92% of CodeCheck users recommend the app to others
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use CodeCheck
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CodeCheck technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
CodeCheck partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Scandit AGcoreScandit provides barcode scanning software integrated into the CodeCheck app. Together with the mobile device camera, it enables reading barcodes on products and identifying their ingredients. Scandit processes data including installation ID, software version, scan counts, and device model to ensure app functionality and license compliance.
- Purchasely SAScorePurchasely provides subscription management software for CodeCheck PLUS premium subscriptions. Processes billing, subscription management, and provides statistical analysis and target group measurements for app optimization. Based in Paris, France.
- Google Ireland Ltd (Firebase)coreFirebase is used for performance monitoring and error logging in the CodeCheck app. Monitors app speed, functionality, and performance, and creates error logs including crash traces. Also used for usage analysis and creating usage profiles to improve products.
- Cloudflare Inc.coreCloudflare provides DDoS protection, abuse prevention, and performance optimization services for CodeCheck's web offers. Acts as a processor examining connections to pages and processing visitor information.
- Sourcepoint Technologies Inc.coreSourcepoint provides Consent Management Platform (CMP) as part of IAB Europe Transparency & Consent Framework compliance. Manages user consent for data processing in accordance with GDPR requirements.
- Mailjet GmbHcoreMailjet provides professional email newsletter distribution service for CodeCheck. German-based company servers located within EU territory, compliant with GDPR and Federal Data Protection Act requirements.
- BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany)minorExpert organization providing scientific input for CodeCheck's ingredient rating methodology, particularly regarding environmental impact of ingredients.
- Deutscher Allergie- und Asthmabund (DAAB)minorExpert organization providing scientific expertise for CodeCheck's ingredient ratings related to allergens and respiratory health.
- WWF GermanyminorExpert organization contributing to CodeCheck's scientific rating methodology, particularly on environmental sustainability and ecological impact of product ingredients.
- Verbraucherzentralen (Consumer Advice Centers)minorGerman consumer advocacy organizations providing input for CodeCheck's ingredient rating methodology and consumer protection perspective.
- CodeCheck AG (Zürich)minorOriginal Swiss company (Zürich-based) that founded CodeCheck in 2010. Transferred the CodeCheck app business to Producto Check GmbH (Germany) in 2022. Founder Roman Bleichenbacher's vision was to make the world a little better through transparency.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CodeCheck competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Think Dirty: Think Dirty is a mobile app that scans cosmetics and personal care barcodes to expose ingredient toxicity, serving the same conscious-consumer use case as CodeCheck's cosmetics scanning capability. It is a focused cosmetics peer rather than a broad food-plus-cosmetics one.
- HowGood: HowGood is a sustainability intelligence platform and consumer app that rates packaged goods on environmental and social impact. It directly overlaps with CodeCheck Green Label and CodeCheck Insights on B2B sustainability data and with the consumer app on ingredient/sustainability scanning.
- Yuka: Yuka is the leading direct competitor: a mobile barcode-scanning app that rates food and cosmetic products on health impact using a transparent scoring algorithm, serving the same conscious-consumer demographic in Europe. It has scaled to tens of millions of users and is expanding from France into DACH and UK — CodeCheck's core markets.
- Open Food Facts: Open Food Facts is a crowdsourced, open-source database of food products with ingredient, nutrition and processing data, plus a mobile scanning app. It competes directly with CodeCheck on consumer-side ingredient transparency and overlaps with the CodeCheck API/product database asset on the data side.
- EWG Healthy Living: EWG Healthy Living is the Environmental Working Group's consumer app for scanning food and cosmetics and viewing health/environmental ratings based on EWG's scientific databases. It is a direct ingredient-transparency peer with strong scientific credibility, primarily serving US consumers.
- Barcoo: Barcoo is a German mobile barcode-scanning app that lets consumers compare prices, product info and reviews. It is referenced in CodeCheck's own German press coverage as a parallel product in the DACH market and competes for the same conscious-shopper eyeballs.
Broad incumbents
- NielsenIQ (Nielsen Consumer Data): NielsenIQ provides FMCG market research and consumer panel data to CPG manufacturers. It competes with CodeCheck Insights on the B2B market-research side and dwarfs CodeCheck in scale, but lacks a consumer-facing ingredient-transparency app and community.
- MyFitnessPal: MyFitnessPal is a broad incumbent in nutrition and food tracking with a large consumer food database and barcode scanning. It overlaps with CodeCheck on barcode-driven food transparency but extends into calorie tracking, exercise and broader health — making it a wider-portfolio competitor.
Emerging players
- Vivino: Vivino is a barcode-scanning app for wine that combines product data, ratings and recommendations with a community marketplace. It shares CodeCheck's barcode-scan-plus-data-advice product DNA but specializes in a single category (wine) and operates globally.
- Label Insight: Label Insight (now NielsenIQ) builds structured product attribute data (ingredients, allergens, nutrients) and licenses it to retailers and CPG brands. It is a B2B-side peer to CodeCheck's product database and API offering, with deeper retailer integration but no consumer-facing app.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CodeCheck social profiles
Digital presenceCodeCheck compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CodeCheck financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CodeCheck leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CodeCheck funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CodeCheck M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CodeCheck
What does CodeCheck do?
CodeCheck is a mobile barcode scanning application that provides consumers with instant ingredient transparency for food, drinks, cosmetics, and household products. Users scan a product's barcode to view ingredient lists along with personalized health and environmental ratings based on scientific sources (e.g., BUND, WWF), and receive suggestions for cleaner and healthier alternatives aligned to dietary preferences such as vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, palm-oil-free, microplastic-free, and hormonal-effect-free.
Is CodeCheck a public or private company?
CodeCheck is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was CodeCheck founded?
CodeCheck was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CodeCheck based?
CodeCheck is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does CodeCheck make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. CodeCheck PLUS Premium Subscription is the primary driver. The others are native Advertising, codeCheck Insights (B2B Market Research) and codeCheck API (Product Data).
Who are CodeCheck's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Think Dirty, HowGood, Yuka, Open Food Facts, EWG Healthy Living and Barcoo. Broad incumbents are NielsenIQ (Nielsen Consumer Data) and MyFitnessPal. Emerging players are Vivino and Label Insight.
Does CodeCheck have an API?
Yes. CodeCheck offers a Product Data API that provides independent product information for businesses. The API offers comprehensive, continuously maintained and improved product data. This is a B2B offering for companies wanting to integrate CodeCheck's product database into their own systems.