# PDF Document Scanner vs PDFelement

The clearest difference is update cadence: PDFelement at every 10 days against PDF Document Scanner's every 3 months. PDFelement also leads on ratings volume (7.6K vs 16). PDF Document Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (98% vs 76%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Document Scanner sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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.

PDF Document Scanner holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDFelement has 7.6K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 98% of PDF Document Scanner's written reviews are positive against 76% of PDFelement's.

PDF Document Scanner ships an update every 3 months, PDFelement every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Document Scanner | PDFelement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-document-scanner-scan-app/id1487602918/reviews)** | [4.6 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfelement-pdf-editor-viewer/id1516765045/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **98.0% of reviews** | 76.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 72 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Chili Marketing Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/557171400) | [Wondershare Technology Group Co.,LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/298647757) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Document Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-document-scanner-scan-app/id1487602918)

Transform your device into a high-quality mobile scanner. Easily convert documents to PDF, sign them, and extract text with OCR. Share your scanned files quickly via email or cloud services.

**Highlights:** High-quality mobile scanning, Convert documents to PDF, Sign PDFs directly, Automatic text recognition (OCR), Share via email and cloud, Scan multiple document types

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Doc Scanner PRO (40% OFF) | $2.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner - 1 Month | $4.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner(40% OFF): 6 Months | $17.99 | per 6 months |
| PDF Doc Scanner PRO (60% OFF) | $19.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner - 6 Months | $29.99 | per 6 months |
| PDF Scanner - 12 Months | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Fast and efficient scanning
- ✨ High-quality scans
- 📄 Converts documents to PDF
- 💡 Powerful features like OCR, watermarking, signing

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Ads in free version
- ✈️ Airplane mode ad blocking doesn't work

**Requested features**

- Face ID for free version functionality


### 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 Document Scanner free?

PDF Document Scanner 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 Document Scanner or PDFelement?

PDF Document Scanner is rated higher. PDF Document Scanner averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while PDFelement averages 4.6 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do PDF Document Scanner or PDFelement have ads?

Both PDF Document Scanner and PDFelement show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Document Scanner or PDFelement?

PDF Document Scanner ships an update every 3 months, and PDFelement every 10 days. Most recently, PDF Document Scanner was updated on October 13, 2026 and PDFelement on October 17, 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.*