SmartLinks vs Scantrust
SmartLinks includes product authentication and anti-counterfeit — plus DPP, AI and the full post-purchase platform Scantrust doesn't cover.
Free trial — no payment until you go live · ESPR / DPP Ready
Feature comparison
Side-by-side on the capabilities that shape a connected product programme.
| Feature | SmartLinksUs | Scantrust |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free tier · transparent plans · no payment until live | From $250/mo, no trial |
| Product Authentication | Serialised QR + cryptographic NFC | Copy-protected secure QR |
| Anti-Counterfeit / Clone Detection | Yes | Yes |
| First-Scan Binding & Grey-Market Detection | Yes | Partial |
| AI Product Assistant | Per-product RAG/MCP | No |
| Warranty Automation | Yes | No |
| Ownership Capture | Yes | No |
| Post-Purchase Platform | Full lifecycle | No |
| NFC Support | Yes | No |
| RFID Support | Yes | No |
| Multi-Audience Scanning | Yes | No |
| AI/LLM Readiness (MCP/RAG) | Yes | No |
| Smart Product Pages (SEO) | Yes | No |
| Industry Templates | Yes | No |
| Digital Product Passport (ESPR) | Built-in, compliance-ready | Partial |
| GS1 Digital Link | GS1 UK Approved Partner | GS1 France partner |
| QR Codes | Yes | Copy-protected secure QR |
| Vendor Lock-in Risk | None — open standards | Medium — proprietary secure QR |
| Self-Service Setup | Live in under an hour | Yes |
SmartLinks vs Scantrust: the real cost
| SmartLinks | Scantrust | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes — fully functional | No |
| Entry paid plan | Free tier · paid plans transparent | From $250 / mo |
| Year-one cost | £0 to start, scale when ready | $3,000+ committed upfront |
| Pay before you're live | Never | Yes — upfront |
| Public, transparent pricing | Yes | No |
Start free. Only pay when you go live and you're happy with your setup.
The quick verdict
Three differences that matter most for enterprise buyers.
Authentication & anti-counterfeit included
SmartLinks ships serialised QR and cryptographic NFC, first-scan binding and grey-market detection on every plan. You don't have to choose between anti-counterfeit and everything else.
AI product assistant
SmartLinks includes a per-product AI assistant trained on your product data. Scantrust doesn't offer AI.
Full post-purchase platform
SmartLinks covers warranty, ownership, upsells, and lifecycle triggers. Scantrust focuses on anti-counterfeiting.
QR + NFC + RFID
SmartLinks supports all three carrier technologies. Scantrust is QR-only.
“SmartLinks are our GS1 Approved Partner, supporting businesses in implementing GS1 standards with innovative SmartLinks solutions.”
A GS1 UK Approved connected product platform.
Trusted by brands across food & beverage, apparel, health & beauty, and outdoor industries — from first product to full DPP rollout.
Key differences
The story behind the table — why enterprise buyers pick SmartLinks.
Authentication is table stakes — we do it, then we do more
SmartLinks includes the same authentication surface Scantrust sells as its headline: serialised QR, cryptographic NFC, first-scan binding and grey-market detection. The difference is what happens after the scan resolves as genuine. Scantrust stops at 'authentic ✓'. SmartLinks turns that same tap into a registered owner, an activated warranty, and an open lifecycle channel — on every plan, starting free.
Anti-counterfeit + ownership capture on every scan — included on every SmartLinks plan.
Your support team is answering questions your product should handle
Scantrust has no AI product assistant, no warranty automation, and no lifecycle triggers. Every product question a customer can't self-serve at the scan becomes a ticket for your team to resolve manually. SmartLinks gives every product an AI-powered support hub that deflects those tickets and captures the owner in the same flow.
SmartLinks ships this on day one — no add-on, no roadmap wait.
One carrier = one touchpoint. Three carriers = every touchpoint.
Scantrust is QR-only. If your product category needs NFC for premium tap experiences or RFID for warehouse and retail workflows, you're stuck bolting on a second vendor. SmartLinks supports QR, NFC and RFID from one platform, so the same product identity travels across shelf, warehouse, service and consumer.
One identity, every carrier — included on every SmartLinks plan.
ESPR obligations are live. A bolt-on to an anti-counterfeit tool won't pass audit.
Scantrust has added basic ESPR features on top of an anti-counterfeit product, without compliance scoring, sector templates, or a DPP-first data model. When auditors come knocking, 'we added DPP fields to our authentication tool' is not a compliance story. SmartLinks was built as an authentication and DPP platform from the ground up, with sector templates, compliance scoring and the full toolkit.
SmartLinks is GS1 UK Approved and DPP-native — starting free.
Who should choose SmartLinks over Scantrust?
- SmartLinks authenticates every scan too — the difference is we also capture the owner, register the warranty and open a lifecycle channel in the same tap.
- Every product question a customer can't self-serve becomes a £5–15 support ticket — an AI assistant on every scan changes that unit economic.
- If you need NFC or RFID alongside QR and your vendor is QR-only, you'll end up paying twice for one product identity.
- Regulators won't accept 'our anti-counterfeit vendor is bolting on DPP' as an ESPR compliance plan. SmartLinks was built authentication-and-DPP-native from day one.
Digital Product Passport obligations are live.
Batteries and textiles are first. All product categories follow by 2030.
Brands on SmartLinks are already compliant. Brands still evaluating vendors will scramble.
Start free today — your first product can have a live DPP in under an hour.
GS1 UK Approved Partner · ESPR compliant · No payment until live