Comparison

SmartScan AI vs PDF Scan

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

Head to head
About

SmartScan AI

Effortlessly extract text from images using advanced AI. Translate content into over 150 languages, summarize complex information, and export editable files or professional PDFs. This intelligent assistant helps you work faster and smarter by digitizing notes and documents.

Highlights
  • Handwritten and printed text OCR
  • AI-powered translation to 150+ languages
  • AI assistant for summarization and insights
  • Text-to-speech functionality
  • Editable file and PDF export
  • Scan history and editing tools
Features
Read full description

SmartScan AI: Scan, Translate, Edit & Export–Powered by AI SmartScan AI is your intelligent OCR assistant for effortlessly extracting handwritten and printed text from images. Powered by advanced AI, it helps you translate text into over 150 languages and export it as editable files or professional PDFs. Whether you’re digitizing notes, translating signs, or are tired of typing, SmartScan AI helps you work faster and smarter. AI Assistant (New!) Free Chat Mode: Ask AI anything, not just about scanned text. Summarize: Get concise summaries of long texts. Explain: Break down complex text into simple language. Keywords: Extract the most important terms instantly. Insights: Discover key takeaways or action points. Printed Text OCR Instantly recognize printed text in over 150 languages — perfect for documents, books, labels, or signs. Includes Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Thai, and many more. Handwritten Text Extraction Turn notes, letters, forms, and whiteboards into a digital text with a single tap. Works across surfaces like sticky notes, notebooks, and more. Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Portuguese. AI-Powered Translation Translate any scanned text into over 150 languages within seconds — no external apps needed. Text-to-Speech Let the app read the extracted text aloud in 30+ languages. Ideal for studying, accessibility, and multitasking. History & Editing Tools All Ai, image scans are saved on your device. Share, edit text, add notes, preview PDFs, and manage your history with ease. Export Options Save as plain text or PDF. Print or share via email, AirDrop, messaging apps, and more. Private by Design No sign-up required. Your data stays on your device unless you choose to share it. Free with Optional Upgrade Enjoy the full feature set for free, supported by ads. Upgrade with in-app purchases for an ad-free experience. Made for You Switch between light/dark mode and choose your preferred app language. Designed with a clean, distraction-free interface.

About

PDF Scan

Transform your phone into a powerful document scanner. Easily scan paper documents, receipts, and IDs, converting them into searchable PDFs. Extract text from images using OCR and manage your files with cloud sync and various PDF tools.

Highlights
  • Document scanning with edge detection
  • OCR for text extraction from images
  • Image to PDF conversion
  • Cloud sync with Google Drive
  • PDF editing and signing
  • PDF compression, merging, and splitting
Features
Read full description

Max Scanner is OCR & PDF scanning app that turns your phone into Document Scanner. Scan paper documents, receipts, IDs, and photos, convert images to PDF, and extract text from images using OCR. Create searchable PDFs in seconds and manage them easily. • PDF Scanner – scan documents with automatic edge detection • OCR (Image to Text) – extract and edit text from images • Image to PDF Converter – create single or multi-page PDFs • Cloud Sync – back up and sync documents with Google Drive • PDF Tools – compress, merge, split, reorder, and protect PDFs • Edit & Sign PDFs – annotate, highlight, and add digital signatures Download Max Scanner – scan documents, use OCR, create PDFs, and sync to the cloud. Subscription Plans Monthly Plan – $5.99 • Unlimited scans & OCR • Ad-free access Yearly Plan – $60.99 • Unlimited scans & OCR • Ad-free access Subscription Info Payment is charged to your iTunes account at purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel subscriptions anytime in your Account Settings. Any unused free trial will be forfeited upon purchase. Privacy Policy: https://appzys.com/ios/smartscanner/privacypolicy Terms of Service: https://appzys.com/ios/smartscanner/termsofuse

Screenshots

SmartScan AI4 screens
PDF Scan4 screens

Verdict

The call

SmartScan AI and PDF Scan both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of PDF Scan's written reviews are positive against 54% of SmartScan AI's. PDF Scan also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. SmartScan AI sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and PDF Scan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. 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 — 4.4 for SmartScan AI against 4.5 for PDF Scan. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 94 and 44 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of SmartScan AI's written reviews are positive against 75% of PDF Scan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartScan AI ships an update every 2 months, PDF Scan every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SmartScan AI versus PDF Scan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartScan AIPDF Scan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (94 ratings)4.5 (44 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.2% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings94 — better44
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB116 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNaveen VijayGovarthani Rajesh

Customer experience

SmartScan AI

All ratings94 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral1.1%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.8%

PDF Scan

All ratings44 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SmartScan AI

One-time3
  • 75 Credits$0.99
  • 175 Credits$1.99
  • 500 Credits$4.99
2 purchases

PDF Scan

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Scans Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Unlimited Scans Yearly$60.991 Year

Questions

Is SmartScan AI free?
SmartScan AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Scan free?
PDF Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SmartScan AI or PDF Scan?
PDF Scan is rated higher. SmartScan AI averages 4.4 out of 5 from 94 ratings, while PDF Scan averages 4.5 from 44 ratings.
Do SmartScan AI or PDF Scan have ads?
Both SmartScan AI and PDF Scan show ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartScan AI or PDF Scan?
SmartScan AI ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Scan every 3 weeks. Most recently, SmartScan AI was updated on October 22, 2026 and PDF Scan on October 24, 2026.

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