# PDF Reader vs Fast Scan

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | Fast Scan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-editor-and-viewer/id368377690/reviews)** | [3.5 (321 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fast-scanpdf-doucment-scan/id1435571925/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 321 |
| Positive reviews | **80.8% of reviews** | 10.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Size | 190 MB | 214 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kdan Mobile Software LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/318936474) | [Shenzhen Zhongcheng World Information Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1674523091) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-editor-and-viewer/id368377690)

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:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| KDAN Cloud | $2.99 | per month |
| Deluxe Business Pack | $5.99 | per month |
| Creativity 365 | $9.99 | per month |
| Document 365 (Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Creativity 365 - 3 Months | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Document 365 (Quarter) | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone | $39.99 | per year |
| Document 365 | $59.99 | per year |
| Upgrade to Premium | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Fast Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fast-scanpdf-doucment-scan/id1435571925)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scanner Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Scanner Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlock all features for 1 week | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features for 1 week | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlock all features for 1 week | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| VIP features(Lite) for 1month | $9.99 | per month |
| Scanner Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlock all features for 1month | $19.99 | per month |
| Unlock all features for 1 year | $89.99 | per year |
| Unlock all features for 1 year | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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.

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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.*