Comparison

Adobe Scan vs PDF Scanner App, OCR

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

Head to head
About

Adobe Scan

Transform your mobile device into a powerful PDF scanner. Easily capture, edit, and organize documents, receipts, and notes into searchable digital files. Enhance scans with features like auto-detection, magic eraser, and OCR to convert images to editable text.

Highlights
  • High-speed bulk scanning
  • Magic eraser for clean scans
  • Convert paper to PDF/JPEG
  • Extract pages from scans
  • Image-to-text with OCR
  • Auto-detect borders and sharpen
  • Organize documents into folders
Read full description

Major update: The new Digitize tool lets you scan handwritten notes and whiteboards into editable, searchable documents that look digitally created. Adobe Scan is free to download and turns your mobile device into a powerful PDF and document scanner that helps you create, save, and organize your paper documents as digital files. 6 WAYS TO USE ADOBE SCAN 1) Save time with a fast document scanner: Use High-speed scan to bulk scan documents and turn stacks into PDFs in seconds. 2) Clean up scans with Magic eraser: Auto-detect and remove thumbs, shadows, stains and creases so your document scans look clear and professional. 3) Make a PDF with your phone: Convert paper documents or printed images into PDFs or JPEGs with the mobile PDF and photo scanner. 4) Use the Extract pages tool to choose the pages you need from any multi-page scan and save them as a new PDF. 5) Turn images to text: Use the image-to-text feature to make words in your scans searchable and editable with OCR. 6) Scan anything: Receipts, IDs, notes, recipes, photos, business cards, whiteboards – scan documents into PDF or JPEG files you can work with on your phone, tablet, or computer. CAPTURE WITH PRECISION • The Straighten tool fixes pages that come out curved or tilted while you scan, even if all four corners aren’t visible in the scan. • Advanced scanning technology detects borders, sharpens content, and makes your scans editable and searchable. ENHANCE YOUR SCANS • Edit in text lets you scan words, and handwritten text, to make it editable. • The Modify tool helps you crop, rotate, resize, and adjust colors in your scans. • Reorder pages and preview before saving. • Adjust the brightness and contrast of your scans in just a few taps. ORGANIZE YOUR DOCUMENTS • Scan paperwork and create custom folders for work documents, personal files, school forms, or ID scans. • Contact details are pulled straight from business cards so you can save them to your phone contacts in seconds. • Scans are automatically saved to Adobe Document Cloud for instant access and sharing. • Set a password to keep that important scan secure while you send it. SMART LIBRARY • This powerful doc scanner finds documents and receipts in your photo library and turns them into PDFs. • Touch up scans or photos directly from your camera roll. REUSE & SHARE • Open PDFs directly in Adobe Scan, without leaving the app. Then use tools like Modify, Edit, and Share. • Make high-quality PDFs that unlock text from images – from scanned contracts to study notes – so you can copy, edit, and reuse. • Export your scans to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for new formats, then share. DO MORE WITH ACROBAT READER • Open your PDF scan in Acrobat Reader to comment, highlight, fill forms, and sign documents. • Access and share securely across Scan, Reader, and Acrobat on web and mobile. IN-APP PURCHASE • Subscribe for even more scanning power. Subscriptions work across Scan and Reader mobile apps and Acrobat on the web. • Combine scans into one file so you can take multiple scans and consolidate into one document. • Increase OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages so that you can find text in multiple images. Download this free mobile scanner to convert important photos and documents into PDF and JPEG files to help you stay organized. Adobe Scan is the PDF converter trusted by millions worldwide. Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do not sell or share my personal information www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree

About

PDF Scanner App, OCR

This app transforms your device into a high-quality document scanner. It offers automatic text recognition for searchable PDFs, secure document management, and flexible storage options. Easily organize, edit, and share your scanned documents.

Highlights
  • HD document scanning
  • Automatic OCR text recognition
  • Secure document management
  • Cloud integration and local storage
  • Edit scans after saving
  • Full-text search
  • Share via email/messenger
Features
Read full description

The only Scanner App you need! 1) The integrated document scanner enables fast PDF scans in HD quality. The scan is readable and searchable thanks to automatic OCR text recognition. 2) With the secure document management system and scanner, the right document is at hand in just one click. Paper chaos or going through paper folders are a thing of the past! 3) Optional cloud integration and local storage on the device for maximum security of your documents. 4) Share scannable documents directly via email or messenger. *BENEFITS OF DOCUTAIN* Scan in HD With intelligent document recognition and automatic shutter in the perfect moment, perspective correction, document edge detection, blur-reduction and color correction, you achieve a perfect scan with the PDF scanner app. Create a PDF scan or photo scan, use batch scanning for multiple pages and convert to PDF. Edit Manually crop, color filter, add, reorder, or remove pages. Even after saving, you can still edit the scan of documents. Organize Optional index information when saving a scan (e.g. name, keywords, address, tax relevance, and optical character recognition (OCR)) helps organize and retrieve your digital documents. Index information is automatically recognized so that you receive suitable suggestions for indexing scannable PDFs. Docutain Pro also lets you pay your scanned invoices and monitor expenses through payment providers. You can use the PDF scanner app to manage not only scannable documents with the camera, but also existing photos and PDF documents. This also enables to convert images to PDF files (jpg to pdf). Search & Find Find documents with the help of the detailed search mask, your self-defined criteria or via the full text search thanks to OCR. In addition, quick searches are available, e.g. via keywords or addresses. Share You can export your scannable docs as PDF files and send them directly by mail or text messenger with the mobile scanner. Security & Privacy With optional cloud connection you can protect documents from loss and synchronize them with all your end devices. Available cloud services: GoogleDrive, OneDrive, Dropbox, STRATO HiDrive, MagentaCLOUD, Web.de, GMX MediaCenter, Box, WebDAV, Nextcloud, ownCloud. For maximum security, you can encrypt all data in the scanner app using state-of-the-art methods and protect app access with a password or fingerprint. No external servers are connected, data is stored locally on your device. *USE CASES* Invoices & Contracts Receipts, warranties, business cards, passports, insurance documents + more scannable documents can be managed securely & clearly in one place with relevant information - e.g. end of contract reminder. Tax return Find all tax-related documents within one click. Save time to focus on tax return. Docutain supports you. Rental Documents for service charge settlements can be assigned to the rental parties by means of keywords, without duplications after scanning. This way, billing is done quickly. Apartment handover protocols, meter readings or defects can be easily stored in the DMS. Studies, Homeschooling, Homeoffice Exercise sheets, homework, lecture notes, book pages + more. Share transcripts with fellow students, scan books from the term paper, or send certificates to instructors as space-saving PDF scans. Recipes Create your own cookbook with document types + tags and browse with flexibility combining your criteria with the PDF scanner app and intuitive document manager. Download Docutain, the scanning app, stay organized and keep track with the smart, mobile photo scanner! Contact@Docutain.de Terms of Use http://www.docutain.de/AGBPrivat?Local=en

Screenshots

Adobe Scan4 screens
PDF Scanner App, OCR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Adobe Scan at 1.6M against PDF Scanner App, OCR's 206. Adobe Scan also leads on chart position (#10 vs unranked). PDF Scanner App, OCR's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Adobe Scan sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Scanner App, OCR sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Adobe Scan against 4.8 for PDF Scanner App, OCR. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 206, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Adobe Scan's written reviews are positive against 77% of PDF Scanner App, OCR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, PDF Scanner App, OCR monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Adobe Scan versus PDF Scanner App, OCR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdobe ScanPDF Scanner App, OCR
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.6M ratings) — better4.8 (206 ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better77.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6M — better206
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#10 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size439 MB190 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperAdobe Inc.INFOSOFT Informations- und Dokumentationssysteme GmbH

Customer experience

Adobe Scan

All ratings1,606,021 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews3,992 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative14.9%

PDF Scanner App, OCR

All ratings206 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive77.1%
Neutral2.1%
Negative20.8%

Bugs and requests

Adobe Scan

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Scans not saving properly
  • Compatibility issues with older devices
  • Problems with multi-page document scanning

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to save scans locally without cloud sync
  • Improve edge detection and auto-cropping accuracy
  • Implement multi-language OCR support
  • Allow manual control over scan settings and adjustments

PDF Scanner App, OCR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Adobe Scan

Subscriptions10
  • Adobe Scan Premium$3.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Adobe PDF Pack$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Adobe Scan Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Premium$9.991 Month
  • Scan premium - monthly$14.991 Month
  • Adobe Scan Plus - Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Adobe Scan Premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
9 purchases

PDF Scanner App, OCR

Subscriptions9
  • Docutain Premium$3.997 Days
  • Docutain Premium3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Docutain Premium$4.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Docutain Premium monthly subs.3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Docutain Premium3 Days trial2 variants$4.991 Month
  • Docutain Premium3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Docutain Premium3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Docutain Premium3 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Docutain Premium yearly subs.3 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Adobe Scan free?
Adobe Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Scanner App, OCR free?
PDF Scanner App, OCR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Adobe Scan or PDF Scanner App, OCR?
Adobe Scan is rated higher. Adobe Scan averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while PDF Scanner App, OCR averages 4.8 from 206 ratings.
Do Adobe Scan or PDF Scanner App, OCR have ads?
Both Adobe Scan and PDF Scanner App, OCR show ads.
Which is updated more often, Adobe Scan or PDF Scanner App, OCR?
Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Scanner App, OCR monthly. Most recently, Adobe Scan was updated on November 9, 2026 and PDF Scanner App, OCR on November 6, 2026.

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