# PDF Scanner App vs Scanner app

PDF Scanner App and Scanner app both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Scanner app's written reviews are positive against 28% of PDF Scanner App's. Scanner app also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). PDF Scanner App's advantage is ratings volume (6.3K vs 117). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Scanner App sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Scanner app sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.5 for PDF Scanner App against 4.7 for Scanner app. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Scanner App has 6.3K ratings behind it against 117, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 28% of PDF Scanner App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Scanner app's.

PDF Scanner App ships an update every 3 weeks, Scanner app every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Scanner App | Scanner app |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-app-scan-document/id1414756292/reviews) | **[4.7 (117 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-app-ismart-scanner/id1616396840/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.3K** | 117 |
| Positive reviews | 27.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 92 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smart Tool Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1080080426) | [丹 周](https://appshunter.io/developer/1616384335) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Scanner App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-app-scan-document/id1414756292)

Transform your phone into a powerful mobile scanner. Quickly scan, sign, and share documents in various formats. Features OCR, QR code scanning, and robust editing tools for professional document management.

**Highlights:** Scan documents to PDF, JPEG, TXT, OCR for text recognition, QR code and barcode scanning, Electronic signature addition, Document editing and cropping, Cloud storage integration, File management with PIN protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fax Premium (One Month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium (One Week) | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium (One Month) | $7.99 | per month |
| One Month -PDFScanner Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| One Month -eScanner Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Promotion PDF subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Fax Premium (One Year) | $47.99 | per year |
| Scanner APP Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| One Year -PDFScanner Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Lifetime-PDFScanner Purchase | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent scanning quality
- 📝 Useful text recognition
- 🔍 Convenient document management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 📢 Intrusive ads and popups
- 🤯 Buggy and unreliable performance
- 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Scans not saving properly
- Subscription issues and billing problems
- Compatibility problems with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit scanned documents
- Improve OCR accuracy
- Provide more customization options


### Scanner app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-app-ismart-scanner/id1616396840)

Transform your device into a powerful digital office. Instantly scan, save, and share any document in PDF, JPG, or Zip formats. Go paperless and keep all your important files organized on your phone.

**Highlights:** Scan documents to PDF, JPEG, or Zip, OCR text recognition, ID card and passport scanning mode, QR code reader, Multi-page document scanning, Document editing and file management, Cloud sharing and printing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iSmart Scanner Pro(Weekly) | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| iSmart Scanner Pro (Monthy) | $4.99 | per month |
| iSmart Scanner Pro (Annual) | $28.99 | per year |
| iSmart Scanner Pro (Yearly) | $28.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Scanner App free?

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

### Is Scanner app free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Scanner App or Scanner app?

Scanner app is rated higher. PDF Scanner App averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.3K ratings, while Scanner app averages 4.7 from 117 ratings.

### Do PDF Scanner App or Scanner app have ads?

Both PDF Scanner App and Scanner app show ads.

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

PDF Scanner App ships an update every 3 weeks, and Scanner app every 10 days. Most recently, PDF Scanner App was updated on October 26, 2026 and Scanner app on October 22, 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.*