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

Organize your documents digitally. Just scan and tag them with the PDF Archiver. THE FEATURES • 100% OpenSource (github.com/pdf-archiver) • Intelligent Textrecognition • Text processing only on your iPhone/iPad (no cloud involved) • Synchronisation via iCloud Drive THE WORKFLOW • Scan all incoming documents with PDF Archiver. • Put the original paper documents in a folder, sorted by year. Don't care about bills/insurance papers etc. Just leave all of them in a box. • PDF Archiver analysis the document locally and suggests tags and the document date. • Save your documents to your archive folder in iCloud Drive. • You can view these documents at any time from within PDF Archiver or in iCloud Drive. THE CONCEPT PDF Archiver saves your documents by the following naming convention: 2017-01-02--blue-jeans__bill_clothes.pdf 2018-04-30--launch-in-berlin__work_travel.pdf This structure is independent from your OS and filesystem and makes it very easy to search files ... • ... by tag via a searchterm like: "_tagname", starting with _ • ... by description via a searchterm like: "-descriptionword", starting with "-" • ... by tag or description via a searchterm like: "searchword", starting with the term SUB­SCRIP­TI­ON This App re­spects your pri­va­cy and avo­ids e.g. ad­ver­ti­sing plat­forms. To help the fur­ther de­ve­lop­ment of this app, I use a sub­scrip­ti­on mo­del. Be­fo­re purcha­sing for PDF Ar­chi­ver, you can use it wi­t­hin a 2-week free tri­al pe­ri­od! Af­ter­wards, you have two op­ti­ons to con­ti­nue using the app: • $1.99 USD per month • $7.49 USD per year The pri­ces may vary from coun­try to coun­try. Pay­ment will be char­ged to your iTunes ac­count. Your ac­count will be char­ged for re­ne­wal 24 hours pri­or to the end of the cur­rent sub­scrip­ti­on. Auto-re­ne­wal may be tur­ned off at any time by go­ing to your set­tings in the iTunes Store af­ter purcha­se. QUESTIONS Just write a GitHub issue or send an E-Mail ( mail@pdf-archiver.io ). PDF Archiver is an Open Source project (https://github.com/PDF-Archiver/PDF-Archive-Viewer). Contributions and feature requests are welcome! PDF Archiver's privacy policy (https://pdf-archiver.io/privacy) and terms of use (https://pdf-archiver.io/terms.html)

About

Smart Document Manager

This intelligent assistant scans, analyzes, and edits documents using AI. It automatically organizes files, summarizes content, and highlights important tasks. All your data is securely stored locally, with optional iCloud synchronization.

Highlights
  • AI-powered document analysis and summarization
  • Automatic folder organization and naming
  • Edit PDFs and images with text
  • Scan and import documents
  • Identify important tasks and deadlines
  • AI privacy filter for sensitive information
  • 100% local data storage
Features
Read full description

Scan or import a document—Smart Document Manager handles the filing. AI creates a clear title, recognizes the document type, and automatically places it in a useful folder and subfolder structure. Amounts, senders, contract dates, deadlines, and other key details appear in a smart document card. When the app detects a concrete action with a reliable due date, it can suggest a relevant task. You decide whether to save the task and a reminder. Find documents by title, folder, and recognized PDF text. Or ask questions across your archive in natural language and open the source documents used for the answer. Features: • Scan paper documents with the camera • Import PDFs and photos • Create clear titles and folder structures automatically • View key details in a smart document card • Make documents searchable with OCR when possible • Detect relevant tasks and deadlines • Ask your documents questions and open sources • Edit, share, and export PDFs • Filter personal details before AI requests • Optionally sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud No account is required. iCloud is optional. You stay in control of what is processed and stored. Less paperwork. No manual filing. An intelligent archive that does the work for you. In-app purchases and subscriptions are available. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PDF Archiver3 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 update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). PDF Archiver's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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 Smart Document Manager sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Archiver ships an update every 2 months, Smart Document Manager every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and August 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 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 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJulian KahnertEugen Muhl

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
7 purchases

Smart Document Manager

Subscriptions3
  • Starter 30 pages3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Pro 150 pages$4.991 Month
  • Ultimate 500 pages$7.991 Month
One-time4
  • Starter 30 Scans$3.99
  • Pro 75 Scans$5.99
  • Business 1500 Scans$229.00
Show 1 more
  • Business Pro 3000 Scans$299.00

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?
Neither PDF Archiver nor Smart Document Manager shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Archiver or Smart Document Manager?
PDF Archiver ships an update every 2 months, and Smart Document Manager every 5 days. Most recently, PDF Archiver was updated on June 5, 2026 and Smart Document Manager on August 9, 2026.

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