# PDF Scan vs PDFelement

The clearest difference is ratings volume: PDFelement at 7.6K against PDF Scan's 44. PDFelement also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Scan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and PDFelement sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 — 4.5 for PDF Scan against 4.6 for PDFelement. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 75% and 76% positive.

PDF Scan ships an update every 3 weeks, PDFelement every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Scan | PDFelement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scan-max-scanner/id1438590887/reviews) | **[4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 44 | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **75.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 116 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Govarthani Rajesh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1225032526) | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scan-max-scanner/id1438590887)

Transform your phone into a powerful document scanner. Easily scan paper documents, receipts, and IDs, converting them into searchable PDFs. Extract text from images using OCR and manage your files with cloud sync and various PDF tools.

**Highlights:** Document scanning with edge detection, OCR for text extraction from images, Image to PDF conversion, Cloud sync with Google Drive, PDF editing and signing, PDF compression, merging, and splitting

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Scans Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Scans Yearly | $60.99 | per year |


### PDFelement

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045)

This application offers comprehensive PDF management, including advanced editing, AI-powered summarization and translation, and efficient scanning with OCR. It helps organize, convert, and secure documents for work, study, and personal use.

**Highlights:** AI Chat with PDF, Scan and OCR, PDF to Office Conversion, Edit PDF like Word, Password Protection, Compress PDF

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription (AI) | $3.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor& Converter& Scanner | $6.99 | per month |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro（iOS） | $6.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Quarterly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription (iOS) | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription (All) | $19.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $24.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS) | $29.99 | per year |
| Quarterly Subscription (All) | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Subscription (iOS+Win) | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (iOS+Mac) | $99.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription (All) | $109.99 | per year |
| PDF Editor & Scanner Pro | $39.99 | one-time |
| iOS | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient PDF editing
- 💡 Comprehensive feature set
- 🔒 Secure document handling
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Mandatory account required
- 🔒 Unclear licensing and subscription model
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to restore purchases
- Corrupted scanned files or loss of progress
- Inconsistent behavior when editing PDF text
- Compatibility problems with older devices or OS versions

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve cloud integration and file management
- Enhance OCR accuracy and capabilities
- Introduce multi-tab support for better workflow
- Add more customization options for toolbars and UI


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Scan free?

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

### Is PDFelement free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Scan or PDFelement?

PDFelement is rated higher. PDF Scan averages 4.5 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do PDF Scan or PDFelement have ads?

Both PDF Scan and PDFelement show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Scan or PDFelement?

PDF Scan ships an update every 3 weeks, and PDFelement every 10 days. Most recently, PDF Scan was updated on September 9, 2026 and PDFelement on September 29, 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.*