Comparison

PDF Archiver vs Smart Document Manager

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

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.

Highlights
  • AI-powered automatic filing
  • OCR text search
  • Document deadline tracking
  • Personal and shared archives
  • PDF editing and export
  • Optional iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

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

PDF Archiver4 screens
Smart Document Manager4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PDF Archiver versus Smart Document Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ArchiverSmart Document Manager
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJulian KahnertEugen Muehl

Customer experience

PDF Archiver

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

Smart Document Manager

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
5 purchases

Smart Document Manager

Subscriptions2
  • Smart Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Smart Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
One-time3
  • Starter 30 Scans$2.99
  • Pro 75 Scans$3.99
  • Archive · 500 Pages$22.99

Questions

Is PDF Archiver free?
PDF Archiver is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart Document Manager free?
Smart Document Manager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Archiver or Smart Document Manager have ads?
PDF Archiver shows ads; Smart Document Manager does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Archiver or Smart Document Manager?
PDF Archiver ships an update every 6 weeks, and Smart Document Manager every 3 days. Most recently, PDF Archiver was updated on November 2, 2026 and Smart Document Manager on November 3, 2026.

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