Comparison

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup vs PDF Document Scanner

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup

Enhance your PDF workflow with powerful annotation and markup tools. This app offers a dynamic and intuitive experience for editing, drawing, and adding text to your documents. Access your work across multiple devices and collaborate in real-time.

Highlights
  • Dynamic PDF annotation tools
  • Cross-platform access and cloud sync
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Insert text, images, lines, and shapes
  • Convert images to PDF
  • Redact sensitive information (Pro)
  • Measurement tools (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Powerful PDF tools at your fingertips. The latest PDF technology and software for a better experience. With an intuitive UI designed for delight – there’s a better way to PDF! Do your best work with Drawboard. - Dynamic PDF tools that feel good to use - Multi-platform access and storage. Where you are, your work is. - Paperless. A way of working for a sustainable future TOOLS FOR EVERY JOB Fast, responsive, and accurate markup tools. Draw with best-in-class ink for flawless Apple Pencil hand-feel and finally replace pen and paper. CROSS-PLATFORM ACCESS ON ANY DEVICE Upload your annotated PDFs to the cloud and mark up with others in real time with instant sync. Go Pro in-app for additional storage capacity and advanced features. WORK YOUR WAY Customize your workspace by docking your favorite tools and build a toolbar that works for you! MORE - Text review markup - freehand highlighter, text highlighter, underline, strikeout, squiggly on PDF. - Insert lines and shapes - cloud tool, rectangle, ellipse, line, arrow, polygon and polyline on PDF. - Add text with a range of fonts and text styling options - Insert images and camera photos onto PDFs. - Convert JPG and PNG image files to PDF. - Write, annotate, ink and draw on PDFs. - Customize and edit annotation colors, stroke widths, and opacities. - Create new blank PDF documents of different size, color, orientation and page count. - Insert, rotate and delete PDF pages. - Open, read, mark up and save large and complex PDF documents. GET MORE WITH PRO - Redact text and sections of your PDF documents - Measure elements on your page with length and area measurement tools and smart page calibration - Add callouts, hyperlinks and audio notes to your documents - On-page ruler - measure objects on your page with the ease of using a tape measure

About

PDF Document Scanner

Features
Read full description

Paper in front of you. A clean, searchable PDF in your own iCloud a moment later. That is the whole job, and Pageora does it without an account, without a server, and without a subscription. SCAN, OR BRING PHOTOS YOU ALREADY HAVE Point the camera at any paper — letters, contracts, receipts, handwritten notes. Pages are straightened automatically, cleaned up in color, grayscale, or crisp document black & white, and read by on-device text recognition so every PDF is searchable and its text selectable. Already photographed it? Import JPG, HEIC or PNG straight from your photo library, or bring in an existing PDF. Imported photos get the same straightening, the same cleanup and the same text recognition as a live scan. YOURS, IN YOUR ICLOUD Every scan is saved as a normal PDF in your own iCloud Drive — visible in the Files app, synced to your other devices, and still yours if you ever delete the app. Pageora has no server. Nothing you scan ever leaves your devices and your iCloud. FIND ANYTHING Search finds words from inside your documents, not just titles — including from your iPhone's Home Screen search. Where Apple Intelligence is available, scans name and tag themselves on your device; everywhere else they are named from the date and the first line of recognised text. REDACTION THAT MEANS IT Draw a box over anything sensitive and the text underneath is deleted from the PDF, not covered. Copy, extraction, and search find nothing — because nothing is there. EDIT PAGES Reorder by drag, rotate, retake a single page, delete pages, add tags, rename freely. MORE, IF YOU WANT IT Pageora Unlimited adds sign & date, merge and split, find-and-redact across a whole document, export to text, spreadsheet or receipt CSV, archival PDF/A, password-protected PDFs, fit-to-email sizing, filing rules that tag scans for you as they arrive, a Face ID locked folder that hides documents from the library, from search and from Siri, duplicate finding, and a one-file backup of your whole library. PAY ONCE, OR DON'T The free app is the full scanner for up to 10 documents — full quality, no watermarks, no ads, iCloud included. Pageora Unlimited lifts the limit and turns the rest on, for a single one-time purchase. No subscription, ever. Privacy: Pageora collects no data. There is no analytics, no tracking, no account. The privacy label says "Data Not Collected" because that is the truth.

Screenshots

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup4 screens
PDF Document Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup at 17.0 against PDF Document Scanner's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and PDF Document Scanner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup ships an update every 11 days, PDF Document Scanner every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup versus PDF Document Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrawboard PDF Annotate, MarkupPDF Document Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews64.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings2K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDrawboard Pty LtdNikola Sretenovic

Bugs and requests

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Annotations not syncing properly between devices
  • Unexpected loss of work and unsaved changes
  • Scrolling and page navigation issues
  • Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
  • Text input box disappearing after scrolling

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add page flattening and form filling options
  • Improve eraser tool and precision
  • Implement a dark mode
  • Provide better organization and folder support
  • Add more customization options for tools and UI

PDF Document Scanner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup

Subscriptions6
  • Pro Lite7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Pro Plus7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro Unlimited7 Days trial$18.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Pro Lite7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Pro Plus7 Days trial$83.901 Year
  • Pro Unlimited7 Days trial$159.991 Year
One-time2
  • Pro Plus$10.00
  • Pro Unlimited$20.00
1 purchases

PDF Document Scanner

One-time1
  • Pageora Unlimited$14.99

Questions

Is Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup free?
Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Document Scanner free?
PDF Document Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup or PDF Document Scanner have ads?
Neither Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup nor PDF Document Scanner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup or PDF Document Scanner?
Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup ships an update every 11 days, and PDF Document Scanner every 2 weeks. Most recently, Drawboard PDF Annotate, Markup was updated on October 17, 2026 and PDF Document Scanner on October 8, 2026.

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