# SmartScan AI vs PDF Scan

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartScan AI | PDF Scan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (94 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartscan-ai/id1393471734/reviews) | **[4.5 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scan-max-scanner/id1438590887/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **94** | 44 |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 116 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Naveen Vijay](https://appshunter.io/developer/1275020392) | [Govarthani Rajesh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1225032526) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartScan AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartscan-ai/id1393471734)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 75 Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 175 Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| 500 Credits | $4.99 | one-time |


### PDF Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scan-max-scanner/id1438590887)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Scans Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Scans Yearly | $60.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*