# PDF Scanner vs Scan Now

The clearest difference is ads: Scan Now at none against PDF Scanner's shown. Scan Now also leads on chart position (#44 vs unranked). PDF Scanner's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (71% vs 60%). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Scanner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Scan Now sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $7.95 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for PDF Scanner against 4.8 for Scan Now. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 943 and 2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of PDF Scanner's written reviews are positive against 60% of Scan Now's.

PDF Scanner ships an update weekly, Scan Now every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Scanner | Scan Now |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (943 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-document-scanner/id1489113703/reviews) | [4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-now-pdf-document-scanner/id1666079896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 943 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | **71.4% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#44** |
| Size | 21 MB | 111 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Golden Mind Services LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/417614614) | [East End Technologies Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1627256488) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-document-scanner/id1489113703)

Effortlessly scan, edit, and export documents as PDFs or JPGs. This app offers multi-page scanning, OCR text extraction, and a comprehensive PDF toolbox for merging, splitting, and encrypting files. Share your scanned documents instantly via email or other platforms.

**Highlights:** Multi-page scanning, OCR text extraction, Flexible document editing, Merge and split PDFs, Encrypt PDFs, Export as PDF or JPG

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $6.99 | per year |
| No Ads and Unlimited Scans | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fastest scanner
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Handy for small businesses
- 👍 Great for notaries
- 👍 Automatic page detection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't work on iPhone
- 🐛 Export feature doesn't work
- 👎 Confusing to use
- 👎 Automatic camera too fast

**Reported bugs**

- Scanned documents not exporting
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Better directions on how to use the app
- Add email integration


### Scan Now

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-now-pdf-document-scanner/id1666079896)

**Currently charting:** #44 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

Easily digitize any document using your iPhone camera or import existing files. Edit, sign, and organize your PDFs into groups. Convert files to PDF and share them seamlessly to streamline your workflow.

**Highlights:** Digitize documents with camera, Import existing documents, Edit PDFs, Add signatures, Organize into groups, Convert to PDF, Share scanned documents

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock all features | $7.95 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features | $10.95 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features | $11.95 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features | $14.95 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙌 Useful scanning features
- 💡 Innovative journal/text book functionality
- 👍 Great image quality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Impossible to cancel subscription
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
- 📞 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription charges without authorization
- App freezes on startup
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add free version without subscription
- Improve subscription cancellation process
- Fix app stability issues


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Scanner free?

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

### Is Scan Now free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Scanner or Scan Now?

PDF Scanner and Scan Now are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 943 and 2K ratings respectively.

### Do PDF Scanner or Scan Now have ads?

PDF Scanner shows ads; Scan Now does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Scanner or Scan Now?

PDF Scanner ships an update weekly, and Scan Now every 3 weeks. Most recently, PDF Scanner was updated on September 22, 2026 and Scan Now on September 23, 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.*