# Penman vs LightPDF Scanner

Penman and LightPDF Scanner both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of LightPDF Scanner's written reviews are positive against 58% of Penman's. LightPDF Scanner also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). Penman's advantage is ratings volume (252 vs 14). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penman sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and LightPDF Scanner sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Penman against 4.0 for LightPDF Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penman has 252 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Penman's written reviews are positive against 79% of LightPDF Scanner's.

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, LightPDF Scanner every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | LightPDF Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews)** | [4.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightpdf-scanner-scan-pdf/id1516561385/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **252** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | **79.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 125 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [Wangxu Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1254320291) |

## What reviewers say

### Penman

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098)

Effortlessly convert spoken words into text notes in over 120 languages using advanced speech-to-text technology. Enhance your writing with AI-powered actions and organize your notes with a powerful, intuitive editor. Sync securely across devices and export your work in various formats.

**Highlights:** Speech to text transcription, AI-powered writing enhancements, Intuitive text editor, Note organization and categorization, Cross-device iCloud sync, Export to PDF, TXT, Image, HTML, Multiple language support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Discount Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Penman Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| 3 Months Penman Premium | $8.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Voice to Text Live | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Discount Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| 6 Months Penman Premium | $16.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Voice to Text plan | $19.99 | per year |
| Yearly Speech to Text Live | $19.99 | per year |
| Yearly Speech Voice to Text | $29.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Voice to Text | $29.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Voice to Text | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Voice to Text | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate speech-to-text transcription
- ⚡ Fast and efficient note-taking
- 🎨 Beautiful, intuitive UI design
- 🌍 Supports multiple languages
- 📱 Easy text export to various formats

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 💾 Data loss and disappearing text issues
- 🔄 Unreliable syncing across devices
- ⏸️ Recording stops when phone sleeps
- ❌ Inconsistent speech-to-text accuracy

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or during use
- Text disappears without user action
- Transcription halts when device enters sleep mode
- iCloud sync failures between devices
- Notes deleted when free trial expires

**Requested features**

- Persistent highlighting tool color selection
- Export to Markdown (.md) format
- Custom photo book covers
- More font options
- Ability to keep handwritten notes without conversion


### LightPDF Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightpdf-scanner-scan-pdf/id1516561385)

Transform your mobile device into a powerful scanner. Easily capture documents, photos, and papers, converting them into high-quality PDFs or other formats. Edit, extract text with OCR, and create professional ID photos on the go.

**Highlights:** Scan documents, photos, and papers, Convert to PDF, Word, Excel, TXT, JPG, Extract text with OCR (20+ languages), Edit PDFs: annotate, e-sign, merge, Create and edit ID photos, Remove handwriting from papers, Batch scanning

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly Bundle Plan | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Bundle Plan | $9.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| Apowersoft Scanner （3 Years） | $19.99 | one-time |
| 3-year Membership | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

Penman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is LightPDF Scanner free?

LightPDF Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Penman or LightPDF Scanner?

Penman is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while LightPDF Scanner averages 4.0 from 14 ratings.

### Do Penman or LightPDF Scanner have ads?

Neither Penman nor LightPDF Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penman or LightPDF Scanner?

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and LightPDF Scanner every 11 days. Most recently, Penman was updated on October 26, 2026 and LightPDF Scanner on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*