# The Magic Highlighter vs Simple Scan

The clearest difference is price: Simple Scan at Free against The Magic Highlighter's $1.99. Simple Scan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (87% vs 47%). The Magic Highlighter's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Simple Scan is free to download; The Magic Highlighter costs $1.99 up front. Simple Scan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. The Magic Highlighter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Simple Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Scan has 660 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of The Magic Highlighter's written reviews are positive against 87% of Simple Scan's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Magic Highlighter | Simple Scan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-magic-highlighter/id1663033087/reviews) | **[4.9 (660 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-scan-quick-scanner/id6477965455/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **660** |
| Positive reviews | 46.9% of reviews | **87.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 4 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Herd Works Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1662987099) | [Agile Tortoise](https://appshunter.io/developer/331942785) |

## What reviewers say

### The Magic Highlighter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-magic-highlighter/id1663033087)

This Safari extension automatically highlights your search terms on search result pages across popular engines. It offers a private, on-device solution to quickly find the information you need, replacing traditional find-in-page functions with enhanced capabilities.

**Highlights:** Highlights search terms automatically, Supports popular search engines, 100% private, on-device processing, Replaces 'Find in page', Customizable highlight colors, Highlights multiple terms

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Simple Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-scan-quick-scanner/id6477965455)

Easily convert paper documents into searchable PDFs or images in seconds. This app offers a streamlined scanning experience without cluttering your existing notes, with options to share directly via email, messages, or other applications. Enjoy private, on-device processing with no ads.

**Highlights:** Scan documents to PDF or JPEG, Searchable PDFs with OCR, Share scans via email, messages, or system share sheet, Custom file destinations, File naming suggestions (Apple Intelligence required), On-device processing, No ads

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro - Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Pro - Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 No ads or privacy concerns
- 💡 Customizable workflows
- 👍 Simple and straightforward

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔧 Cropping could be improved
- 🔧 Inability to name scans before saving

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on multi-page scans for some users
- Issues with importing files from other apps

**Requested features**

- Ability to tag scans
- Favorite file/app destination options
- More image adjustment tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Magic Highlighter free?

The Magic Highlighter costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Simple Scan free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Magic Highlighter or Simple Scan?

Simple Scan is rated higher. The Magic Highlighter averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Simple Scan averages 4.9 from 660 ratings.

### Do The Magic Highlighter or Simple Scan have ads?

Neither The Magic Highlighter nor Simple Scan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Magic Highlighter or Simple Scan?

The Magic Highlighter ships an update every 3 weeks, and Simple Scan every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Magic Highlighter was updated on September 12, 2026 and Simple Scan on September 21, 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.*