PDF Archiver vs Smart Document Manager
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
Smart Document Manager
Organize your important documents with AI-powered filing and search. Scan paper, import PDFs, and automatically categorize files. Keep track of deadlines and manage personal or shared archives efficiently.
- AI-powered automatic filing
- OCR text search
- Document deadline tracking
- Personal and shared archives
- PDF editing and export
- Optional iCloud sync
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Less paperwork. Find the right invoice, understand a contract and keep important deadlines in view. Smart Document Manager brings your PDF archive, automatic filing and document search together. Scan paper documents with your iPhone or iPad and import PDFs and photos, including files shared from other apps. AUTOMATIC FILING AI recognizes document types, creates useful titles and sorts files into folders and subfolders. The smart document card puts amounts, senders and contract details in a clear view. FIND WHAT IS INSIDE Search titles, folders and PDF text recognized with OCR. Ask questions about your documents or across your archive, then open the source documents behind the answer. KEEP TRACK OF DEADLINES Document Radar brings detected dates and deadlines into one view. Review suggestions and choose which ones to save as tasks with reminders. PERSONAL AND SHARED ARCHIVES Organize documents and tasks with your household. Personal documents stay separate from the shared archive. Group tax records, insurance papers or other related files in collections while keeping their original folders. PUT YOUR PDFs TO WORK Edit, share and export PDFs. Enable optional iCloud sync to access your documents across iPhone, iPad and Mac. YOU STAY IN CONTROL No separate app account is required. AI features need an internet connection. The optional privacy filter can remove personal details before AI requests. In-app purchases and subscriptions are available. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://dokumenten-verwaltung.web.app/privacy.html Terms of use: https://dokumenten-verwaltung.web.app/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Smart Document Manager at free with in-app purchases against PDF Archiver's subscription. Smart Document Manager also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). PDF Archiver's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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 Smart Document Manager sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PDF Archiver ships an update every 6 weeks, Smart Document Manager every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PDF Archiver | Smart Document Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (9 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| 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 | 55 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Julian Kahnert | Eugen Muehl |
Customer experience
PDF Archiver
Smart Document Manager
In-app purchases
PDF Archiver
- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$6.991 Year
- Lifetime License$26.99
Smart Document Manager
- Smart Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Smart Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
- Starter 30 Scans$2.99
- Pro 75 Scans$3.99
- Archive · 500 Pages$22.99
Questions
Is PDF Archiver free?
Is Smart Document Manager free?
Do PDF Archiver or Smart Document Manager have ads?
Which is updated more often, PDF Archiver or Smart Document Manager?
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