Comparison

PDF Archiver vs QuickScan

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

QuickScan

This app offers a powerful yet simple way to scan documents using your device's camera or import existing files. It features advanced OCR for text recognition, allows digital signatures, and automates export processes. All data is processed locally for enhanced privacy.

Highlights
  • Scan documents with automatic detection
  • Import PDFs and images
  • OCR for text recognition and searchability
  • Add digital signatures
  • Automated file naming and export
  • Siri Shortcuts and Widgets integration
  • Export to cloud services and local storage
Features
Read full description

The app is 100% FREE, with NO ads and NO data collection. Donations are possible to support the project. QuickScan is the easiest & quickest yet super-powerful scanner on iOS. Main features: ### iOS integration ### • QuickScan has been designed specifically for iOS & iPadOS for seamless integration and an exceptional user experience. ### Scan & import ### • Scan with your camera (automatic document detection & automatic angle correction) • Import existing images • Import existing PDF files • Organize your documents in folders ### OCR (text recognition) ### • Professional-quality OCR on images and existing PDFs • Make documents searchable with text integrated into PDFs (search, select, copy, paste) • Automatic language detection and dictionary matching for highly accurate results ### SIGN ### • Add signatures to your documents • Create signatures with your finger, Apple Pencil, or import existing signatures • Adjust size and color for a polished look ### Automate ### • Automatic document/file naming with patterns (e.g., document date, title, issuer, time, text, counter) • 'Export Favorites': Automatically export to preconfigured locations (cloud, email, etc.) with custom settings (color, black & white, filename, format) • 'Export Groups': Export to multiple locations simultaneously by grouping Export Favorites • Automatic deletion of documents after successful export • iOS Home screen & Lock screen Widgets & Control Center controls. Associate an Export Favorite to the widget for instant export to that favorite after the scan started by tapping the widget. • Place document automatically in the configured folder when the scan is started from a Widget/Shortcut associated to an Export Favorite • Siri Shortcuts compatible • Launch scan directly from the home screen with a long press on the app icon (or using a widget) ### Export ### • Export in PDF with the recognized text integrated (very advanced feature). This allows to search/copy & paste into the generated PDF. • Export recognized text as a .txt file • Export as images with optional filters (grayscale, black & white) • Save to cloud services with Favorites (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, WebDAV, paperless-ngx, pCloud, NAS, SMB, NextCloud, and more) • Export anywhere (to Files, to any Drive, E-mail, message, Airdrop, …), or to the cloud • Apply image filters (grayscale, black & white), crop, rotate images • Easily adjust output file size and quality with real-time size estimation • ... and much more, there are really many useful features Everything is processed on your device: No internet connection required and ZERO data collection. There’s no quicker, easier way to scan, OCR, and manage documents beautifully SUPPORTED LANGUAGES FOR OCR: • ENGLISH • GERMAN • FRENCH • SPANISH • ITALIAN • PORTUGUESE • CHINESE • KOREAN • JAPANESE • UKRAINIAN • RUSSIAN • VIETNAMESE • THAI • ARABIC • ARABIC NAJDI • Danish • Swedish • Dutch • Norwegian • Norwegian Nynorsk • Norwegian Bokmål • Czech • Polish • Romanian • Turkish • Indonesian • Malay • Other languages are supported but do not benefit from the enhanced accuracy provided by language dictionaries I hope you’ll save a lot of time thanks to the efficiency of QuickScan! Your privacy matters: everything happens locally, on your device! This app does not use any server. No personal data is collected. QuickScan is 100% free to use (no ads, does not sell your data). In-app purchases are optional donations to help me support development and bring future updates. They do not restrict the app's functionality. --------- The privacy policy and terms of use can be found here: https://quickscanapp.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

PDF Archiver4 screens
QuickScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: QuickScan at free with in-app purchases against PDF Archiver's subscription. QuickScan also leads on ratings volume (4K vs 9) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDF Archiver sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and QuickScan sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

QuickScan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: QuickScan has 4K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of PDF Archiver's written reviews are positive against 98% of QuickScan's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Archiver ships an update every 2 months, QuickScan fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PDF Archiver versus QuickScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ArchiverQuickScan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9 ratings)4.9 (4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better98.1% of reviews
Number of ratings94K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJulian KahnertiSolid apps

Customer experience

PDF Archiver

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

QuickScan

All ratings4,018 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews1,065 reviews
Positive98.1%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.2%

Bugs and requests

PDF Archiver

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

QuickScan

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes when exporting JPG files
  • Issues with WebDAV integration

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to adjust brightness, contrast, and sharpness
  • Option to save scans directly to a local folder
  • Handwriting and sketch conversion capabilities

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PDF Archiver

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime License$26.99
21 purchases

QuickScan

Subscriptions5
  • Donation: 1 good coffee$4.991 Month
  • Donation: 1 good lunch$12.996 Months
  • Donation: 1 book for my kids$19.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Donation: 1 book for my kids3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Donation:1 healthy family meal$29.991 Year
One-time16
  • Donation: One good coffee2 variants$4.99
  • 1 Small Thank You2 variants$5.99
  • 1 Medium Thank You$9.99
Show 13 more
  • Tip: One good sandwich$14.99
  • Donation: One book for my kids$15.99
  • 1 Big Thank You$19.99
  • Donation: One good lunch$19.99
  • Donation:1 healthy family meal$24.99
  • Donation: One book for my kids$24.99
  • Donation: 6 Years Anniversary$34.99
  • Donation:1 healthy family meal$49.99
  • Donation: 1 toy for my kids$49.99
  • Donation: One toy for my kids$59.99
  • Donation: 1 day off w/ family$89.99
  • Donation: Real app value$99.99
  • Donation: Real app value$139.99

Questions

Is PDF Archiver free?
PDF Archiver is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is QuickScan free?
QuickScan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Archiver or QuickScan?
QuickScan is rated higher. PDF Archiver averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while QuickScan averages 4.9 from 4K ratings.
Do PDF Archiver or QuickScan have ads?
Neither PDF Archiver nor QuickScan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Archiver or QuickScan?
PDF Archiver ships an update every 2 months, and QuickScan fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Archiver was updated on September 25, 2026 and QuickScan on September 26, 2026.

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