# Phonetic Contacts vs ScanMaster Document Scanner

The clearest difference is price: ScanMaster Document Scanner at Free against Phonetic Contacts's $1.99. ScanMaster Document Scanner also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Phonetic Contacts's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

ScanMaster Document Scanner is free to download; Phonetic Contacts costs $1.99 up front. ScanMaster Document Scanner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Phonetic Contacts asks for nothing beyond the download.

Phonetic Contacts ships an update every 3 months, ScanMaster Document Scanner monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phonetic Contacts | ScanMaster Document Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonetic-contacts/id1078961574/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **12** | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 14 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [磊 汪](https://appshunter.io/developer/1063627762) | [伟祥 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/6811831501) |

## What reviewers say

### Phonetic Contacts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonetic-contacts/id1078961574)

Enhance your contact list with phonetic sorting and quick search by Pinyin initials. This utility ensures Chinese names sort correctly in English systems and offers advanced features like polyphonic character correction and custom search fields.

**Highlights:** Pinyin initial contact search, Phonetic sorting for Chinese names, Add Pinyin fields for English system sorting, Polyphonic character correction, Customizable whitelist, Supports Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean systems

**In-app purchases:** none


### ScanMaster Document Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanmaster-document-scanner/id6813784942)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phonetic Contacts free?

Phonetic Contacts costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ScanMaster Document Scanner free?

ScanMaster Document Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Phonetic Contacts or ScanMaster Document Scanner have ads?

Neither Phonetic Contacts nor ScanMaster Document Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Phonetic Contacts or ScanMaster Document Scanner?

Phonetic Contacts ships an update every 3 months, and ScanMaster Document Scanner monthly. Most recently, Phonetic Contacts was updated on November 6, 2026 and ScanMaster Document Scanner on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*