PDF Archiver vs PDF Document Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PDF Archiver
Digitally organize your documents by scanning and tagging them. This app uses on-device text recognition and iCloud Drive for secure, private storage and easy retrieval.
- 100% Open Source
- Intelligent Text Recognition (OCR)
- On-device text processing (no cloud)
- iCloud Drive synchronization
- Customizable search by tag and description
- Document naming convention for easy searching
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An archive that outlasts the app. Your documents are PDFs in folders sorted by year — with the date, a description and tags written into the filename. Readable on any machine, with or without this app. HOW IT WORKS • Point your iPhone at the page. The scan lands in your inbox, cropped and straight. • Apple Intelligence suggests the date, a description and tags — on your device. • Check them, fix what's off, save. The document is renamed and moved to your archive. • Find it again in PDF Archiver, in Spotlight, in the Finder, or in whatever file manager you happen to open — because the search terms are part of the filename. Already have PDFs? Drop them in — from your scanner, a mail attachment, your downloads folder. WHY PDF ARCHIVER • Everything stays on your device. Text recognition and suggestions run locally. There is no PDF Archiver server. • No account. No sign-up, no password, no email address. • You choose where files live: iCloud Drive, a local folder, or any folder you point the app at. • No lock-in. Your archive is a folder of PDFs. Copy it to a backup drive, a NAS, a Windows machine — it stays readable. • Open source. The code is on GitHub. • A person answers. Questions go to one developer, not a ticket queue. Most get a reply within a few hours. ON EVERY DEVICE iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. Widgets show what's still untagged. Shortcuts automate what you do often. The share sheet takes documents from any other app. BUILT SINCE 2018 First release in February 2018, still shipping updates today. One developer, eight years. "The Mac app uses a simple file name convention, which simply notes keywords, data and descriptions in the file name of the documents and can therefore be used largely independently of the operating system, cloud provider and Mac or PC application." — iFun TRY IT, THEN BUY IT Two weeks free, no account and no credit card. After the trial you can subscribe — or buy the lifetime licence and keep the app. Prices are listed at the top of this page. Cancel whenever you like. Your documents stay readable either way — they are just PDFs in a folder. QUESTIONS Answers to the most common ones: pdf-archiver.io/faq Write to us: support@pdf-archiver.io The code is at github.com/PDF-Archiver/PDF-Archiver Privacy policy: pdf-archiver.io/privacy Terms of use: pdf-archiver.io/terms
PDF Document Scanner
This app transforms your mobile device into a powerful scanner and document manager. It allows you to extract contact information, create searchable PDFs, and organize your files with folders and tags. Edit, sign, and share documents securely, optimizing your workflow from anywhere.
- Automatic document detection and correction
- Extract contact info from business cards
- Create searchable PDFs with OCR
- Sign, edit, and share documents
- Organize with folders and tags
- Secure with Face ID/Touch ID
- iCloud synchronization
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Turn paper into searchable PDFs in seconds. Scan, fill, sign, and organize documents on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — with on-device processing that never leaves your Apple devices. Captize is your personal document library. Capture receipts, contracts, IDs, and paperwork, then find anything later with full-text search. No extra account. Sync with iCloud. SCAN • Automatic edge detection, crop, perspective, and exposure correction • Batch scanning and high-definition captures • Searchable PDFs with on-device OCR • Smart titles from document content, with Apple Intelligence • Import photos, files, and whole folders EDIT & SIGN • Fill out forms • Add signatures, markups, and comments — Apple Pencil on iPad • Reorder, split, merge, and export pages • Password-protect private PDFs ORGANIZE • Folders, subfolders, tags, and notes • Instant full-text search across names, notes, and document content • Reminders on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch • Widgets and Shortcuts for scan and search BUSINESS CARDS • Auto-extract name, company, email, and phone • Save to Contacts and search by person or company APPLE-NATIVE & PRIVATE • iCloud sync across your devices — no extra login • Optional auto-upload to iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or WebDAV • Lock the app with Face ID or Touch ID • Image processing and OCR run on-device Terms https://www.mwaretechnologies.com/products/captize/terms-and-conditions-en Support support@mwaretechnologies.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: PDF Document Scanner at free with in-app purchases against PDF Archiver's subscription. PDF Document Scanner also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (118 vs 9). PDF Archiver's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. PDF Archiver sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Document Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 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 — 4.6 for PDF Archiver against 4.7 for PDF Document Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Document Scanner has 118 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of PDF Archiver's written reviews are positive against 74% of PDF Document Scanner's.
PDF Archiver ships an update every 2 months, PDF Document Scanner every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Archiver | PDF Document Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (9 ratings) | 4.7 (118 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 73.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 118 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Julian Kahnert | MWare Technologies AS |
Customer experience
PDF Archiver
PDF Document Scanner
In-app purchases
PDF Archiver
- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$6.991 Year
- Lifetime License$26.99
PDF Document Scanner
- PRO Scanner weekly3 Days trial$1.497 Days
- PRO Scanner monthly$2.991 Month
- PRO Scanner Yearly$22.991 Year
- Pro Version UnlimitedFree
Questions
Is PDF Archiver free?
Is PDF Document Scanner free?
Which has better reviews, PDF Archiver or PDF Document Scanner?
Do PDF Archiver or PDF Document Scanner have ads?
Which is updated more often, PDF Archiver or PDF Document Scanner?
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