# Basic Scan vs PDF Photos+

The clearest difference is monetization model: PDF Photos+ at free with in-app purchases against Basic Scan's subscription. PDF Photos+ also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Basic Scan's advantage is review sentiment (95% vs 59%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Basic Scan sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and PDF Photos+ sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Photos+ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 293 and 326 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of Basic Scan's written reviews are positive against 59% of PDF Photos+'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Basic Scan ships an update every 3 weeks, PDF Photos+ weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basic Scan | PDF Photos+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (293 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-scan-pdf-scanner-ocr/id1437323368/reviews) | **[4.7 (326 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-photos-plus/id1580300019/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 293 | **326** |
| Positive reviews | **95.2% of reviews** | 58.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 17 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [INWARD INSIGHT LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437323367) | [Astrum Computing](https://appshunter.io/developer/1210150247) |

## What reviewers say

### Basic Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-scan-pdf-scanner-ocr/id1437323368)

Easily capture, scan, and share documents, receipts, and notes. Convert images to high-quality PDFs or PNGs, and extract text using OCR for easy searching. Sign documents and organize your scanned files efficiently.

**Highlights:** Document scanning with edge detection, Image filters for readability, OCR text recognition (20 languages), Digital signature tool, Export as PNG, PDF, or TXT, Organize and manage scanned pages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| اشتراك Premium شهري | $4.99 | per month |
| Basic Scan Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| اشتراك ربع سنوي | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Basic Scan Premium | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| اشتراك Premium سنوي | $39.99 | per year |
| Basic Scan Premium | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💡 Great for scanning documents
- 💡 Convenient for making PDFs

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❓ Difficulty canceling subscription
- 🐛 Edges not always cropped properly

**Reported bugs**

- Manual edge selection can be difficult

**Requested features**

- Automated document naming (time/location)
- AI-powered naming based on paper content
- Automatic edge detection for documents


### PDF Photos+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-photos-plus/id1580300019)

Transform your phone into a high-quality document scanner. Quickly scan, save, extract text, and share documents as PDFs or JPEGs. Organize receipts, contracts, notes, and more, going paperless and boosting productivity.

**Highlights:** AI-powered OCR and text recognition, Automatic border cropping, Professional scan filters, Add signatures to documents, Annotate and draw on documents, Import images from photos, PIN lock for application security

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional version | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Professional version | $3.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner Pro - Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Professional version | $5.99 | per month |
| Professional version | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner Pro - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner Premium Annual | $34.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner Premium Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient scanning
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- ✨ High clarity scanned photos
- ⏱️ Saves a lot of time
- 🖨️ Converts to high-quality PDF or JPG

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Auto scanning not perfect (edges vs. corners)
- 📉 Misleading lifetime IAP information
- ⚠️ Free trial screen issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iPhone 6s Plus iOS 15.0
- App crashes on iOS 15.1 (iPhone 11)
- App opens on free trial screen and doesn't allow to decline

**Requested features**

- Support for more OCR languages (e.g., Ukrainian)
- Editing of recognized text
- iPad version availability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Basic Scan free?

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

### Is PDF Photos+ free?

PDF Photos+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Basic Scan or PDF Photos+?

PDF Photos+ is rated higher. Basic Scan averages 4.5 out of 5 from 293 ratings, while PDF Photos+ averages 4.7 from 326 ratings.

### Do Basic Scan or PDF Photos+ have ads?

Neither Basic Scan nor PDF Photos+ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Basic Scan or PDF Photos+?

Basic Scan ships an update every 3 weeks, and PDF Photos+ weekly. Most recently, Basic Scan was updated on October 24, 2026 and PDF Photos+ on October 30, 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.*