Comparison

PDF Reader vs Fast Scan

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PDF Reader

Edit, convert, and manage PDF documents on your mobile device. This app allows you to directly edit text, scan documents, fill out forms, and secure your files with passwords and watermarks. It also supports OCR to extract text from scans and convert PDFs to various formats.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF text directly
  • Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, images
  • OCR for text extraction from scans
  • Fill and sign PDF forms
  • Secure PDFs with passwords and watermarks
  • Annotate PDFs with highlights and notes
  • Merge and split PDF files
Features
Read full description

KDAN PDF, formerly KDAN PDF Reader, is a mobile PDF editor and reader for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Edit text directly on your device. Then scan, organize, convert, sign, and share your PDFs in one simple and powerful app. Trusted by millions, KDAN PDF connects your workflow across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, making it easy to review, annotate, and finalize documents anywhere. Who Recommends Us? - Featured as “10 Essentials” in Utility on iTunes - Featured in “10 Best PDF Reader Apps For iPhone & iPad 2019” by FOSSBYTES - Featured as “Best Utility App” in App Store Rewind KEY FEATURES PDF EDITOR • Edit and correct any typos directly on PDFs • Merge multiple files into one PDF • Split a large PDF into several small PDFs • Rotate, delete, add, and rearrange pages • Extract pages or images from PDFs • Change PDF background color PDF CONVERTER • Online & Offline PDF converter • Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT & image conversions (docx, xlsx, pptx, jpg, png, gif & bmp). • Save webpages and images as PDFs OCR (Optical Character Recognition) • Recognize and extract text from scans • Export OCR results as text or searchable PDFs • Support 50+ languages SIGN, FORM FILLING, SHARE • Fill out & edit PDF forms • Sign on PDFs • Customize and manage signatures SHARE FILES • Get files from KDAN Cloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Evernote, FTP, or WebDAV client • Compress PDFs • Share flatten PDFs • Send faxes directly from within the app PDF SECURITY • Add passwords to lock PDFs • Remove passwords & restrictions from PDFs • Add & remove PDF watermarks • Validate certificates & signatures in PDF documents VIEW FILES • Supports all mainstream file formats, including Vitrium* PDF format (Like University of Phoenix Ebooks) • Text Reflow & Auto Flow • Present a PDF as a slideshow • View multiple PDFs as tabs • Dark mode supported (only for iOS13 & macOS Mojave and later) • Convert text to spoken audio (text-to-speech) ANNOTATE & REVIEW PDF • Annotate PDFs with highlights, underlines, strikeout text, shapes, sticky notes & text boxes • Add pre-designed stamps, including Approved, Sign Here, Confidential, and more • Add custom stamps with time and date information • Insert hyperlinks to external websites, target pages, and email address • Attach audio notes & insert images to PDFs • Turn handwriting into text with Scribble (Available for iPad) • Add handwritten notes to PDFs MANAGE ANNOTATIONS • Save annotations in XFDF format • Remove all annotations in one tap - Recommended by Techradar, Techworm & Softsonic UPGRADE OPTIONS DOCUMENT 365 • Try for $0.00 for 7 days • Access KDAN PDF on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and other platforms. • Annual plan: billed at USD 59.99/year after the 7-day free trial ends • Quarterly plan: billed at USD 19.99/quarter after 3-day free trial ends • Monthly plan: billed at USD 9.99/month after 3-day free trial ends Subscriptions will be charged to your Apple account upon purchase and will auto-renew 24 hours before the current period ends at the same price and duration. Cancellation during the active period is not allowed. Manage your trial and subscription in your Apple account. Terms of service: https://pdf-reader.kdandoc.com/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://pdf-reader.kdandoc.com/privacy-policy Got a question? Contact us at helpdesk@kdanmobile.com or check out https://support.kdanmobile.com

About

Fast Scan

Transform your phone into a powerful scanner and AI assistant. Quickly digitize documents, identify objects, plants, and animals, and translate text in real-time. Manage your work and life more efficiently with this fun and intuitive app.

Highlights
  • AI object, plant, and animal identification
  • Real-time recognition results
  • Multi-language translation and voice reading
  • Document and ID scanning
  • Automatic edge correction and trimming
  • Text translation for browsing and travel
Features
Read full description

The Fast Scan is the most satisfying scanner app you've ever seen. Who says the scanner app must be boring? Scanner can help you better manage your work and life in a more fun way. Not only can you quickly process files, set up work reminders, but you can also discover new worlds by scanning around things and identifying objects, and you can use the Fast Scan for entertainment when you are free. ▷ Powerful AI Recognition Function When you see an unknown object/animal/plant at work or in life, is it annoying that no one can tell you what it is? What is its name? how to use? Now you can use AI Scanner to see what it is anytime, anywhere! Features: • Supports the identification of common objects, plants, animals, fruits and vegetables. • Real-time output recognition results • Support multi-language translation and voice reading Come and discover the interesting things around you! ▷Powerful document scan & ID scan function Printing important documents is cumbersome and easy to lose. Especially for those working in the office, the types of documents are complex and many, and keeping them is a headache. Now, you can use the scanner to easily convert it into an electronic document. Just align the document with a single tap, and it will automatically correct and trim the edges for you, and it will be retained in electronic format. At this point, Fast Scan -- the portable scanner is your best choice! It can automatically edit and output clear images or documents by simply clicking on the capture button, which helps you save 90% of the time compared to a large scanner. ▷Text translation When traveling abroad, I always want to bring some local specialties to my relatives and friends, but when I arrive at the supermarket, I feel embarrassed because I don't know the local language.It will be more convenient if accompanied by a local translator. But now,i don't need to worry, The Fast Scan's translation feature allows me to translate everything in real time.Language barriers no longer exist. Text translation allows me to know the world events better while browsing the news. ▷ Fast Scan has the following subscriptions: Weekly subscription: 3 days free trial, then $1.99/week, auto-renewing Monthly Subscription: 3 days free trial, then $4.99/month,auto-renewing Yearly Subscription: 3 days free trial, then $29.99/year,auto-renewing Payment will be deducted from your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged with the subscription renewal fee within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period at the rate confirmed by you. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings. Terms of Use : https://sites.google.com/view/scannerios-users-en Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/scannerios-policy-en We would love to hear your feedback! Please provide us with your feedback and suggestions. We will improve the app based on your comments and provide you with a better experience with using our app. Our Email:sscannerdev@gmail.com

Screenshots

PDF Reader4 screens
Fast Scan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 81% against Fast Scan's 11%. PDF Reader also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.5) and monetization model (freemium vs subscription). Fast Scan's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Fast Scan sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.8K ratings behind it against 321, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 11% of Fast Scan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, Fast Scan every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PDF Reader versus Fast Scan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderFast Scan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (3.8K ratings) — better3.5 (321 ratings)
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews — better10.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3.8K — better321
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB214 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKdan Mobile Software LTDShenzhen Zhongcheng World Information Technology Co., Ltd

Customer experience

PDF Reader

All ratings3,542 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews2,196 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative14.4%

Fast Scan

All ratings321 ratings
Positive64.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative34.3%
Written reviews112 reviews
Positive10.7%
Neutral2.7%
Negative86.6%

User reviews

PDF Reader

From 3.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good app
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 📚 Useful for reading PDFs
  • 🔒 Secure file storage
  • 💡 Helpful features like highlighting and annotation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔐 Locked files behind paywall
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 📢 Intrusive ads
  • 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive UI

Fast Scan

From 321 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient scanning performance
  • 👍 Simple and easy-to-use interface
  • 💪 Powerful functionality despite being free
  • 📄 Accurate text extraction capabilities
  • ⚡ Quick file format conversion

Room to improve

  • 💰 Deceptive pricing model - advertised as free but requires paid subscription
  • 🚫 Paywall blocks all features immediately upon use
  • 😤 Hidden subscription charges without clear disclosure
  • 🔴 Inaccurate object/animal/plant recognition
  • 📵 Aggressive pop-up ads for premium upgrades

Bugs and requests

PDF Reader

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to open or access saved files
  • Syncing and backup issues
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved file management and organization
  • Better integration with cloud storage services
  • More customization options
  • Enhanced accessibility features

Fast Scan

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Inaccurate object identification (e.g., dog identified as sea lion, plant as bamboo)
  • Misidentification of colors and basic items
  • App crashes or fails to load properly
  • Pop-up ads appear every 30 seconds making app unusable
  • Automatic billing without user confirmation
Show 2 more
  • Charges continue after app deletion
  • Incorrect animal/plant species recognition

Requested features

8 requests
  • Make core features available for free or with optional premium features
  • Implement transparent pricing displayed upfront in app store
  • Add extended free trial period before requiring payment
  • Improve object recognition accuracy
  • Reduce frequency of upgrade pop-ups
Show 3 more
  • Add settings menu for managing subscription prompts
  • Provide easy subscription cancellation process
  • Include phone support for customer service

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PDF Reader

Subscriptions9
  • KDAN Cloud$2.991 Month
  • Deluxe Business Pack$5.991 Month
  • Creativity 3653 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Document 365 (Month)3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone$12.993 Months
  • Creativity 365 - 3 Months3 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Document 365 (Quarter)3 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone$39.991 Year
  • Document 3657 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Upgrade to Premium$2.99
10 purchases

Fast Scan

Subscriptions10
  • Scanner Subscription3 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Scanner Subscription3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Unlock all features for 1 week3 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 7 more
  • Unlock all features for 1 week3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Unlock all features for 1 week$7.997 Days
  • VIP features(Lite) for 1month3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Scanner Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Unlock all features for 1month3 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Unlock all features for 1 year3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Unlock all features for 1 year$89.991 Year

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fast Scan free?
Fast Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or Fast Scan?
PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Fast Scan averages 3.5 from 321 ratings.
Do PDF Reader or Fast Scan have ads?
Fast Scan shows ads; PDF Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or Fast Scan?
PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Fast Scan every 5 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on November 6, 2026 and Fast Scan on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons