Orca Scan and QR to Sheets both get barcode and QR scans from a phone into a spreadsheet, and both are good at it. They are built around different ideas of where the data lives. Orca Scan keeps it in its own sheets and can send a copy to Google Sheets. QR to Sheets has no sheet of its own; your Google Sheet is the only place the data goes.
Written by QR to Sheets, so treat the recommendation accordingly. Every Orca Scan fact below was read on 2026-10-01 from Orca Scan's own pricing page and its own Google Sheets integration guide, including the cases where Orca Scan is the better choice. Prices change; check theirs before deciding.
The free route first, as always
Before paying either of us: a Google Form with a short-answer question behind a printed QR code writes into a Google Sheet for nothing. It has no camera scanner of its own, so a barcode is read by one app and pasted into the form; a submission attempted without signal is lost; and nothing warns about a repeated scan. If none of that affects you, use the free route.
What Orca Scan costs, as of October 2026
Orca Scan's pricing page lists four plans, priced per plan with users, sheets and rows included and extras charged on top. It defines a user as one personalised email address, a sheet as a real-time database whose columns become data entry fields in the mobile app, and a row as one unique item such as a barcode, SKU or serial number.
- Free: 0 USD, described as free forever, with 1 user, 1 sheet and 100 rows per sheet. Offline access and the label generator are included.
- Starter: 49 USD a month, or 39 USD a month billed annually, with 2 users (15 USD per extra user), 5 sheets and 2,000 rows per sheet.
- Business: 99 USD a month, or 79 USD a month billed annually, with 5 users (25 USD per extra user), 10 sheets and 10,000 rows per sheet. This is the plan that lists the Google Sheets integration, along with the REST API, webhooks, Zapier, Excel and Power BI.
- Enterprise: 500 USD a month, or 400 USD a month billed annually, with custom limits.
How each one gets data into Google Sheets
Orca Scan's own guide describes a one-way link from an Orca sheet to a Google Sheet: enable public URL access in the Orca sheet's Integrations menu, copy its Live Data URL, and put an IMPORTDATA formula containing that URL in cell A1 of the Google Sheet. The guide states that Google pulls data from Orca Scan every 60 minutes, and that two-way sync uses Zapier. The Orca sheet stays the primary record and the Google Sheet is a live copy of it.
QR to Sheets works the other way round. Each scan is appended as a row directly to your Google Sheet as it syncs, usually within seconds, and if a phone loses signal the scan waits on the phone and is written when the connection returns. There is no second database to keep in step. The trade is that there is also nowhere else the data lives: the sheet is the record.
| Capability | Orca Scan | QR to Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free forever: 1 user, 1 sheet, 100 rows per sheet | 300 lifetime scans, 1 scanner link, 1 Sheet, 1 device |
| Paid pricing model | Per plan: Starter 49 USD, Business 99 USD a month, extra users, sheets and rows on top | 7 USD per registered device per month, unlimited scans |
| Google Sheets | Integration on Business and Enterprise | Every plan; Google Sheets is the only destination |
| How rows reach Google Sheets | IMPORTDATA from a Live Data URL; their guide says Google pulls every 60 minutes | Each scan appended to your sheet as it syncs |
| Where the data lives first | Orca Scan's own sheet | Your Google Sheet |
| How the scanner starts | The Orca Scan app | A link in the phone browser, no install |
| Offline | Offline access on every plan | Scans held on the phone, with a CSV backup |
| Label printing | Label generator on every plan | No label printer support; free bulk QR sheets for Avery labels |
| API and integrations | REST API, webhooks, Zapier, Excel, Power BI on Business | No public scan API |
| Photos, GPS, signatures | GPS from Starter; photos and signatures on Business | None |
Where Orca Scan is the better choice
Orca Scan does a great deal that QR to Sheets does not attempt, and if you need those things it is the right buy.
- You print barcode labels. Orca Scan's label generator is on every plan; QR to Sheets does not drive label printers.
- You want a native app with offline access on every plan, including the free one.
- You need an API, webhooks or integrations beyond Google Sheets, such as Excel, Power BI or a database, in the same tool.
- You want photos, signatures or GPS captured with each record.
- Each row should be an item whose details you update over time, such as a stock record, rather than one row per scan event.
- You want a permanent free plan for one person and a small list. Orca Scan's free plan has no time limit; the QR to Sheets free plan is 300 lifetime scans.
Where QR to Sheets fits better
- Google Sheets must be the system of record, written as each scan happens, not a copy refreshed on a schedule.
- The people scanning are temporary staff, volunteers or event crews who will not install an app or be given an email login.
- Several phones scan into one sheet and you would rather pay per scanning device than per plan with seats on top.
- You want a one-row-per-scan event log, with a timestamp in your own timezone and an amber warning when a code repeats, for attendance, check-in or check-out.
Both leave you with data you can take away: Orca Scan through its exports and integrations, QR to Sheets because the data only ever lived in your Google Sheet. That makes this a lower-stakes choice than it looks.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Orca Scan cost with Google Sheets?+
As of October 2026, Orca Scan's pricing page lists the Google Sheets integration on the Business plan at 99 USD a month, or 79 USD a month billed annually, with 5 users included. Read from their own pricing page on 2026-10-01; check it before deciding.
Is there a free Orca Scan alternative for Google Sheets?+
A Google Form behind a QR code is free and writes into a Google Sheet, without a camera scanner or offline handling. QR to Sheets is free for the first 300 scans and writes straight into your sheet from a phone browser. Orca Scan's own free plan does not list the Google Sheets integration.
How does Orca Scan send data to Google Sheets?+
Their guide describes an IMPORTDATA formula in the Google Sheet pointing at the Orca sheet's Live Data URL, and states that Google pulls data from Orca Scan every 60 minutes. Two-way sync is done through Zapier. Read on 2026-10-01.
Do the people scanning need an account?+
With a QR to Sheets scanner link, no: the worker opens a URL and scans. Orca Scan's plans include a set number of users, and its pricing page defines a user as one personalised email address.
Can QR to Sheets print labels like Orca Scan?+
No. If label printing matters, Orca Scan is built for it. QR to Sheets has a free bulk QR code generator that produces print-ready sheets for Avery paper labels, which suits asset tags, cards and checkpoint tags rather than label printers.