QR Scanner (PFA)
QR Scanner (PFA) is a free, open-source utility app for Android. (SECUSO) Privacy Friendly QR-Scanner with minimal permissions. It has 517 GitHub stars and is released under the GPL-3.0-only license, and you can install it from F-Droid.
github.com/SecUSo/privacy-friendly-qr-scanner (opens in a new tab)
- Android
- Java
- Utilities
- Maintained
About QR Scanner (PFA)
QR Codes become more and more important. In some areas they have even replaced the traditional barcode. A QR Code is able to store up to seven thousand characters and therefore is qualified for more complex content, e.g. vCards. Hence nowadays QR Codes can nowadays be found on nearly every advertisement poster and animate the user to scan it with his smartphone. Thus, it is no longer necessary take a hand written note, it is enough to scan the QR Code. Correspondingly, there are already many QR Code scanner apps available in the Google Play Store. It belongs to the Privacy Friendly Apps group developed by the research group SECUSO at Technische Universität Darmstadt.
Privacy and F-Droid
F-Droid builds QR Scanner (PFA) from its published source code and flags anti-features such as ads, tracking or reliance on non-free services.
No anti-features flagged on the latest F-Droid build.
Screenshots
Screenshots from the app's F-Droid listing.
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What is QR Scanner (PFA)?
QR Scanner (PFA) is a free, open-source utility app for Android. (SECUSO) Privacy Friendly QR-Scanner with minimal permissions. It has 517 GitHub stars and is released under the GPL-3.0-only license, and you can install it from F-Droid.
Is QR Scanner (PFA) free and open source?
Yes. QR Scanner (PFA)'s source code is public on GitHub under the GPL-3.0-only license, which is OSI-approved or FSF-free. F-Droid, which builds it from source, flags no anti-features such as ads or tracking on its latest build.
How do I install QR Scanner (PFA)?
You can install QR Scanner (PFA) from F-Droid (package com.secuso.privacyFriendlyCodeScanner); the links are on this page. Its GitHub repository also publishes releases (latest: v4.6.19).
Is QR Scanner (PFA) still maintained?
The repository's most recent commit was on Apr 26, 2026. Its F-Droid listing was last updated on Feb 24, 2026. appsgit only lists apps whose repository had a commit in the last six months.