# Adobe Scan vs PDF Scanner App

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Scanner App at none against Adobe Scan's shown. PDF Scanner App also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Adobe Scan's advantage is ratings volume (1.6M vs 217) and chart position (#11 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Adobe Scan sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PDF Scanner App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Adobe Scan against 4.8 for PDF Scanner App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Scan has 1.6M ratings behind it against 217, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, PDF Scanner App every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Adobe Scan | PDF Scanner App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-doc-scanner/id1199564834/reviews)** | [4.8 (217 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-app-scan-pdf-doc/id6456845801/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6M** | 217 |
| Positive reviews | 82.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 400 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [PDF Scanner Editor PDF Converter Expert](https://appshunter.io/developer/1719746897) |

## What reviewers say

### Adobe Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-scan-pdf-and-doc-scanner/id1199564834)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Grossing · Business, #42 Top Free · Business (US App Store)

Transform your mobile device into a powerful document scanner. Easily convert paper documents, receipts, and IDs into professional-looking PDFs or JPEGs. Enhance scans with automatic straightening, stain removal, and editable text conversion.

**Highlights:** High-speed bulk scanning, Convert paper to PDF/JPEG, Automatic straightening, Magic eraser for cleanup, Extract pages, Image to text OCR, Organize into folders

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Adobe PDF Pack | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Premium - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Scan premium - monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Adobe Scan Plus - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Adobe Scan Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Adobe PDF Pack | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Quick scanning
- 👍 Convenient for on-the-go
- 🚀 High-quality scans

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🐛 Issues with auto-cropping and alignment
- 🔒 Privacy concerns around cloud storage
- 💰 Expensive premium features

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-app-scan-pdf-doc/id6456845801)

Transform your device into a powerful document scanner. Easily scan, import, and share PDFs and images. Features include OCR, electronic signatures, and multi-page scanning. Store documents directly on your device.

**Highlights:** Scan documents and images, Convert to PDF or JPEG, OCR text extraction, Electronic signatures, Multi-page PDF creation, Automatic edge detection and perspective correction

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Editor, Doc Scanner Access | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Scanner Unlimited Access | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Adobe Scan free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Adobe Scan or PDF Scanner App?

Adobe Scan is rated higher. Adobe Scan averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while PDF Scanner App averages 4.8 from 217 ratings.

### Do Adobe Scan or PDF Scanner App have ads?

Adobe Scan shows ads; PDF Scanner App does not.

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

Adobe Scan ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Scanner App every 2 weeks. Most recently, Adobe Scan was updated on November 2, 2026 and PDF Scanner App on October 24, 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.*