A side-by-side, honest comparison of the top apps for checking whether a brand is cruelty-free or vegan — including how each one sources its data, what it costs, and what it's actually good at.
Best overall (multi-source, free): Bunny Search — aggregates 9 certification organizations including PETA and Leaping Bunny across 10,000+ brands.
Best if you only trust PETA: Bunny Free — official PETA app, single source.
Best for activism + ingredient health: Cruelty Cutter (activism), Think Dirty or Yuka (ingredient hazards).
The truth is that no single app is perfect for every shopper. The right one depends on whether you trust one certification body or want to cross-reference several, whether you want barcode scanning in stores, and whether you also care about ingredient health, not just animal testing.
Bunny Search is an independent app and web directory that aggregates cruelty-free and vegan brand data from 9 certification organizations into one searchable database of 10,000+ brands. Because it isn't owned by any certification body, it can show all sources side-by-side — including when those sources disagree about a brand, which happens more often than people realize.
Pros
The only app that aggregates 9 sources transparently
Doesn't include ingredient hazard ratings (try Think Dirty or Yuka for that)
Smaller community than Yuka
Best for
Shoppers who care which certification body says what about a brand, and who want one app that covers PETA, Leaping Bunny, and the rest in one place.
Try Bunny Search freeiOS, Android, and web — 10,000+ brands
2. Bunny Free (PETA)
Best single-source · Free
The official PETA app. It surfaces PETA's "Beauty Without Bunnies" cruelty-free list and PETA's "Companies That Do Test on Animals" list in a clean interface. If you trust PETA's criteria as the single arbiter, this is the most direct way to use them.
Pros
Official PETA list, fully up-to-date with PETA's database
Clean, simple interface
Free
Cons
Single source only — you don't see what Leaping Bunny or other organizations say
No barcode scanner
PETA accepts a signed statement of assurance, which has lighter requirements than Leaping Bunny's supplier-monitoring standard
Best for
Users who want PETA's perspective specifically and don't want any other opinions in the mix.
3. Cruelty Cutter
Best for activism · Freemium
Built by the Beagle Freedom Project, Cruelty Cutter has a barcode scanner and includes a "Bite Back" feature for tweeting at brands that test on animals. It's as much an activism tool as a shopping app.
Pros
Barcode scanner
Built-in activism features
Backed by an active animal-rescue organization
Cons
Smaller brand coverage than larger aggregators
Freemium model
Single-source perspective
Best for
Shoppers who also want to engage in activism while they shop.
4. Think Dirty
Best for ingredient hazards · Free
Think Dirty rates cosmetics on a 0–10 hazard scale based on ingredients (carcinogens, allergens, endocrine disruptors). It also flags cruelty-free brands, but ingredient health is its core focus, not animal testing per se.
Pros
Detailed ingredient health ratings
Barcode scanner
Useful for people with allergies or sensitivities
Cons
Cruelty-free is a secondary feature, not the primary focus
Hazard scoring methodology has been debated by some chemists
Smaller brand coverage
Best for
Shoppers whose primary concern is ingredient health, with cruelty-free as a bonus filter.
5. Yuka
Best for general scanning · Freemium
Yuka covers both food and cosmetics, scoring products on health risk and offering alternatives. Its strength is breadth: massive scanned product coverage thanks to community contributions. Cruelty-free is one of several factors in its score, not the focus.
Pros
Huge product coverage (food + cosmetics)
Excellent barcode scanner with offline mode in some plans
Shoppers who want one app for both groceries and cosmetics, with cruelty-free as one of many concerns.
6. Cruelty-Free Bear
Smaller alternative · Free
A community-driven directory of cruelty-free brands. Smaller in scope than Bunny Search or Bunny Free but maintained by a passionate community.
Pros
Community-curated
Free
Cons
Smaller brand coverage
No barcode scanner
No multi-source aggregation
Best for
Anyone who wants a community-driven view as a supplementary check.
How to pick the right cruelty-free app for you
If you shop in physical stores often
Pick an app with barcode scanning. Bunny Search, Cruelty Cutter, Think Dirty, and Yuka all scan; Bunny Free does not.
If you trust one certification body specifically
Use that body's official app. Bunny Free for PETA. Otherwise, an aggregator like Bunny Search lets you see all bodies side-by-side.
If you also care about ingredient health
Combine an aggregator (Bunny Search) with an ingredient-focused app (Think Dirty or Yuka). They answer different questions.
If you want to know which standard a brand actually meets
Use Bunny Search. PETA accepts a signed assurance, Leaping Bunny requires supplier monitoring, ECOCERT/NATRUE certify under broader natural-cosmetics standards. Seeing all of them helps you decide what counts as "cruelty-free" for you.
If you want zero ads, no paywall, no signup
Bunny Search and Bunny Free both qualify. Most others have a freemium tier.
Ready to try Bunny Search?
Free on iOS, Android, and the web. 10,000+ brands across 9 certification sources, no signup required.
