# Scanner vs Simple Scanner

Scanner and Simple Scanner both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Simple Scanner's written reviews are positive against 36% of Scanner's. Simple Scanner also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.4). Scanner's advantage is ratings volume (223K vs 919) and chart position (#40 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Scanner sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Simple Scanner sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Scanner against 4.8 for Simple Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scanner has 223K ratings behind it against 919, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Scanner's written reviews are positive against 95% of Simple Scanner's.

Scanner ships an update weekly, Simple Scanner every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scanner | Simple Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (223K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-scan-pdf-id-and-docs/id1291962681/reviews) | **[4.8 (919 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-scanner-pdf-doc-scan/id1531265666/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **223K** | 919 |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **95.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#40** | — |
| Size | 171 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Luni](https://appshunter.io/developer/1274051421) | [TongSoft Information Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1522822281) |

## What reviewers say

### Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-scan-pdf-id-and-docs/id1291962681)

**Currently charting:** #40 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

Transform paper documents into high-quality PDFs directly from your smartphone. This mobile scanner offers advanced image processing and OCR technology to enhance document clarity and enable easy sharing. Save time and storage space with efficient document management.

**Highlights:** High resolution scans, OCR technology, Multiple page PDF support, Modify and delete pages, Image processing for quality enhancement, Easy data sharing

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Scanner Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium | $6.99 | per month |
| Premium | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium | $12.99 | per month |
| Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for on-the-go scanning
- 👍 Great quality scans
- 👍 Useful for organizing records

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 💰 Deceptive free trial
- 🔍 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 🐛 Glitchy scanning and exporting
- 📢 Too many ads

**Reported bugs**

- Scanning process often fails or freezes
- Exported files not received as expected
- Subscription not recognized even after payment

**Requested features**

- Ability to save scans locally without subscription
- Easier subscription cancellation process
- Batch exporting of scanned documents


### Simple Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-scanner-pdf-doc-scan/id1531265666)

Transform your phone into a portable scanner to digitize documents, photos, and receipts. Save scans as images or PDFs, organize them with folders and tags, and share them via cloud services, email, or direct Wi-Fi transfer. Features include OCR text recognition and password protection.

**Highlights:** Portable document scanner, Save as JPG or PDF, Cloud upload and sync, OCR text recognition, Password protection, Direct Wi-Fi transfer

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| 1 Month -Send unlimited faxes | $19.99 | per month |
| 1 year subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| 1 year subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| cloud storage subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| 1 Year - send unlimited faxes | $149.99 | per year |
| Fax  15  credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fax  60  credits | $2.99 | one-time |
| Fax 250 credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Fax 600 credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Fax 2000 credits | $49.99 | one-time |
| lifetime license | $89.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Useful features
- 🔒 Secure
- 📁 Organizes documents well

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 💰 Subscription issues
- 📢 Too many ads
- 🔄 Syncing problems

**Reported bugs**

- Camera not working properly
- Trouble canceling subscriptions
- Scanned documents not saving correctly

**Requested features**

- Add support for more file formats
- Improve sharing and exporting options
- Implement dark mode
- Allow importing PDFs directly


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scanner free?

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

### Is Simple Scanner free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Scanner or Simple Scanner?

Simple Scanner is rated higher. Scanner averages 4.7 out of 5 from 223K ratings, while Simple Scanner averages 4.8 from 919 ratings.

### Do Scanner or Simple Scanner have ads?

Both Scanner and Simple Scanner show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Scanner or Simple Scanner?

Scanner ships an update weekly, and Simple Scanner every 2 weeks. Most recently, Scanner was updated on October 19, 2026 and Simple Scanner on October 17, 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.*