# Portable OCR Scanner vs Owl Scan AI

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Portable OCR Scanner at none against Owl Scan AI's 2. Portable OCR Scanner also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Owl Scan AI's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 111 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Owl Scan AI sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Portable OCR Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Portable OCR Scanner ships an update every 111 months, Owl Scan AI weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Portable OCR Scanner | Owl Scan AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 111 months | **Weekly** |
| Size | 193 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ramalingam Sivaramakrishnan](https://appshunter.io/developer/892706271) | [PREETI PREETI](https://appshunter.io/developer/6782406606) |

## What reviewers say

### Portable OCR Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/portable-ocr-scanner-pdf-scan/id1089007504)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Owl Scan AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/owl-scan-ai-document-scanner/id6785648672)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OWL Scan Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| OWL Scan Pro Yearly | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Portable OCR Scanner free?

Portable OCR Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Owl Scan AI free?

Owl Scan AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Portable OCR Scanner or Owl Scan AI have ads?

Portable OCR Scanner shows ads; Owl Scan AI does not.

### Which is updated more often, Portable OCR Scanner or Owl Scan AI?

Portable OCR Scanner ships an update every 111 months, and Owl Scan AI weekly. Most recently, Portable OCR Scanner was updated on November 2, 2026 and Owl Scan AI on November 5, 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.*