Shortnotes vs Scan 'Em Up
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shortnotes
Capture and organize small pieces of information like codes, names, or license plates. Access your quick references across all your Apple devices, with options to add tags, photos, and even import notes from your desktop.
- Simple note adding and deleting
- Attach images to notes
- Speech input for notes
- Organize notes in folders
- Filter notes by tags
- iCloud synchronization
- Today Widget and Apple Watch support
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Shortnotes is perfect for all the little stuff that is not a "real" note. Your colleague's name, license plate, codes, room numbers, medicine names etc. Just put them down in one place and access them on your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Organize your notes in folders, attach tags and photos. View your favorite notes in the Today Widget. For pupils and students: now it's possible to prepare also large notes on your desktop computer and import them later in Shortnotes! Good luck ;-) Features: - Simple adding and deleting notes - Attaching images to the notes - Text formatting options - Create notes using speech input - Export as text file (.rtf) - Organize your short notes in folders - Changing the sort order of the notes - Favorites view - Filter notes by tags - Favorite notes are displayed in the App Widget (Today Extension) - iCloud-synchronisation. All of your notes are automatically synchronised between your devices like iPhone, iPad or Mac using iCLoud. Shortnotes Pro: - Import of the text files (.txt .rtf) - Favorite notes are displayed on your Apple Watch - Your purchase will help support the ongoing development of Shortnotes!
Scan 'Em Up
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Scan Em Up turns your iPhone into a pocket scanner that produces clean, sharp PDFs in seconds. Built for people who scan real paperwork — receipts, contracts, medical forms, IDs — and want results that actually look scanned. KEY FEATURES • Smart edge detection Camera highlights the page in real time and snaps once it's framed. Perspective is automatically straightened, so even handheld shots come out aligned. • Multi-page in one go Capture as many pages as you need without leaving the camera. Continue, retake, or finish whenever you're done. • Document-grade enhancement Per-image white-point correction makes paper look truly white. High-contrast text stays crisp even at the strongest compression — no muddy gray scans. • On-demand PDF compression Four quality levels — Original, Light, Medium, Strong — let you trade size for fidelity. Strong typically reduces file size by 70% with no readable difference. • Edit any page Rotate, auto-upright (Vision-based), perspective crop, reorder, duplicate, copy/paste between documents. • Sign with your finger Draw signatures with finger or Apple Pencil, or import a saved one. Place anywhere on the page, resize freely, then bake into the PDF. • Privacy first Everything stays on device. No accounts, no uploads, no tracking. Raw scans live in app storage and are kept untouched even when you export. • One-time purchase The free plan keeps a single document. Unlock the full app once and scan unlimited documents forever — no subscriptions. WHO IT'S FOR — Sailors, drivers and freelancers who deal with paper contracts on the go — Students who need fast, legible PDFs of handouts and notes — Anyone tired of scanner apps that demand subscriptions for basic features
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Shortnotes at 4 against Scan 'Em Up's 1. On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Shortnotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Scan 'Em Up sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Shortnotes | Scan 'Em Up |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 45.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ilya Gorodnyanskiy | Dmytro Mayevsky |
In-app purchases
Shortnotes
- Shortnotes Pro$3.99
Scan 'Em Up
- Unlock Full App$2.99
Questions
Is Shortnotes free?
Is Scan 'Em Up free?
Do Shortnotes or Scan 'Em Up have ads?
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