# PDF Reader vs Scanner App

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Reader at none against Scanner App's 4. PDF Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 7). Scanner App's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Scanner App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. PDF Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for PDF Reader against 4.3 for Scanner App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.9K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Scanner App's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, Scanner App every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | Scanner App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996/reviews) | [4.3 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-app-pdf-reader-pro/id1561322720/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wondershare Technology (Hunan) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721309409) | [Tam Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/898637894) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-pdfelement/id1150215996)

This app offers a superior PDF reading experience with its innovative Liquid Mode, which optimizes documents for mobile screens. It also provides robust tools for annotating, signing, managing, and sharing your PDF files, catering to both work and study needs.

**Highlights:** Liquid Mode for optimized mobile reading, Annotation tools (pencil, text, highlighting), Handwritten signature insertion, File management (move, merge, copy, delete), Cloud service integration (Wondershare, iCloud), Create blank PDFs and folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Useful annotation tools
- 🚀 Convenient for students/professionals
- 👍 Great value for free app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with account requirement
- 👎 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Unreliable saving/syncing
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes appearing randomly
- Inability to select/edit text in some PDFs
- Scrolling issues and page loading delays
- Incompatibility with certain PDF formats

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit text formatting (font, size, color)
- Support for multiple open documents
- Improved Apple Pencil integration
- Bookmark/favorite feature for frequently used PDFs
- Expanded cloud storage integration (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)


### Scanner App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-app-pdf-reader-pro/id1561322720)

Transform your smartphone into a powerful document scanner. Easily convert paper documents to PDF with high-resolution scans and advanced OCR technology. Enhance document quality with image filters and share your files effortlessly.

**Highlights:** High-resolution document scanning, OCR technology for text recognition, Multi-page PDF creation, Page modification and deletion, Image enhancement filters, Easy file sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Scan Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Half Year Scan Pro | $9.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Scan Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Scanner App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or Scanner App?

PDF Reader and Scanner App are both rated 4.3 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3.9K and 7 ratings respectively.

### Do PDF Reader or Scanner App have ads?

Scanner App shows ads; PDF Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or Scanner App?

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Scanner App every 2 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 23, 2026 and Scanner App on June 4, 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.*