Comparison

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner vs Highlights

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

Head to head
About

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner

Transform your phone into a powerful scanner for documents, receipts, and notes. Optimize scan quality, extract text with OCR, and share files easily via email, cloud, or fax. Secure your documents with passcodes and sync them across all your devices.

Highlights
  • Mobile scanner for documents
  • Optimize scan quality
  • Extract text with OCR
  • Share PDF/JPEG files
  • Print via AirPrint
  • Fax documents
  • Secure important docs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Scan docs into clear & sharp image/PDF, to email, fax, print or save to cloud. * Over 200,000 new registrations per day * App Store Best of 2014 * CamScanner, 50 Best iPhone Apps, 2013 Edition – TIME ----Paid App Features---- * All features that the free version has * Recognize and extract texts from a single page * Larger cloud space of 400M (200M for free version) * Export PDFs without watermark "Scanned by CamScanner" * Ad-free Features: *Mobile Scanner Use your phone camera to scan receipts, notes, invoices, whiteboard discussions, business cards, certificates, etc. *Optimize Scan Quality Smart cropping and auto enhancing make the texts and graphics look clear and sharp. *Extract Texts from Image OCR (optical character recognition) feature extracts texts from single page for further editing or sharing. (Paid app only) *Share PDF/JPEG Files Easily share documents in PDF or JPEG format with others via social media, email attachment or sending the doc link. *AirPrint & Fax Documents Instantly print out docs in CamScanner with nearby printer via AirPrint; directly fax docs to over 30 countries from the app. *Collaboration Invite friends or colleagues to view and comment on your scans in a group. (Registrants only) *Advanced Editing Making annotations or adding customized watermark on docs are made available for you. *Secure Important Docs Set passcode for viewing important docs; meanwhile, when sending doc link, you can set password to protect it. *Sync across Platforms Sign up to sync documents on the go. Just sign in to any smartphone, tablet or computer (visit CamScanner website) you own and you can view, edit and share any document. Premium Subscription Service: 1. Edit OCR results and notes of the doc, exporting as .txt file 2. Create Doc Collage for multiple pages 3. + 10G cloud space 4. + 40 extra collaborators 5. Send doc link with password protection and expiration date 6. Auto upload docs to Box, Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, One Drive and etc. 7. Batch download PDF files through web application of CS 8. Import PDF to Camscanner for editing 9. Scan academic questions to make practice tests for study 10. High Standard ID Scan and More... Payment models for Premium subscription: • Monthly Subscription: $4.99 per month, • Yearly Subscription: $35.99 for 1st year and $49.99/year starting from the next year, • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. For Terms of Use, please visit https://www.camscanner.com/app/service?language=en-us For Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.camscanner.com/app/privacy?language=en-us CamScanner users scan and manage * Bill, Invoice, Contract, Tax Roll, Business Card… * Whiteboard, Memo, Script, Letter… * Blackboard, Note, PPT, Book, Article… * Credential, Certificate, Identity Documents… 3rd Party Cloud Storage Services Supported: -Box, Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, OneDrive We’d love to hear your feedback: isupport@intsig.com Follow us on Twitter: @CamScanner Like us on Facebook: CamScanner Follow us on Google+: CamScanner Check out other INTSIG’s products: CamCard - Business Card Reader CamDictionary - Snap Translator

About

Highlights

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

Highlights
  • Read and browse PDF documents
  • Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
  • Add comments and sticky notes
  • Extract annotations into organized notes
  • Convert table data and recognize text
  • Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex)
  • Lookup citation metadata and DOI links
Features
Read full description

"... an app that students, academics, and anyone who does substantial amounts of PDF-based research should try" - Macstories.net "It’s the novel approach to PDF annotation that makes this app a cut above the rest"- TapSmart.com *** "App of the Day" - App Store, US *** USE HIGHLIGHTS FOR FREE Highlights is a fast and lightweight PDF reader (under 10MB) packed with features to help you do your best research. Free users have access to standard PDF reader features including document browsing, reading and annotating. There are NO ADS, time limits or tracking. READ PDF DOCUMENTS • Open PDF documents from anywhere • Browse files using the familiar document browser • Open PDFs in Single Page or Two Page scroll mode • Double tap to Smart Zoom in on a paragraph or figure • Scrub smoothly to the desired page • Search the entire document in an instant • Navigate using any connected keyboard or mouse STORE YOUR FILES WHERE YOU WANT • Full support for "Open In Place" lets you make edits to the file where it is • Access your files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box using the document browser • Or keep them privately on device only HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE FASTER • Select text with your finger, Apple Pencil or mouse pointer • Highlight, underline, strikethrough text and make image selections • Add comments to annotations or as individual sticky notes • Annotate with fewer taps using context aware popovers • Default annotation colors prevents you from having to repeatedly setting the color for the same type of annotation every time TURN ANNOTATIONS INTO NOTES • As you markup text and images the contents are extracted and sorted into notes • Customize the formatting and contents of your notes • Sort the annotations chronologically or create your own color coding EXTRACT TABLE DATA AND RECOGNIZE TEXT • Convert images containing text or tables to actual text and tables using machine learning - letting you get to the underlying data with a single tap SMART COPY Copy annotations to the desired format with one tap: • Text markup as text • Image selections as images • Tables as CSV • Citations as BibTex LOOKUP CITATIONS • Highlights will fetch DOI-links and metadata • Markup any reference and tap the link icon to look it up • If you have read the work already or have it in your reference manager library, Highlights will link you to it EXPORT ANYWHERE • Save or share your notes as portable files: Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive or PDF • Share them to your favorite notes app: Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, Evernote, DEVONThink, Keep It, MindNode, Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research or Ulysses • Or send them to a colleague via mail. It's your notes, you decide where they go MUCH MORE • Dark mode • Multi-window support on iPadOS • Keyboard shortcuts and navigation • Support for system Copy and Undo gestures • Alternative app icons • Custom accent colors • Apple Pencil double-tap gestures • Power annotation tools For a full list of features see: highlightsapp.net/features HIGHLIGHTS PRO The Highlights Pro subscription unlocks advanced features on your iPhone, iPad and Mac: • Export options for other apps and easily editable formats • Extract information using table and text recognition • Customize accent colors and alternative app icons • Power annotation tools • Citation lookups • Smart Copy Highlights Pro includes a 14-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off within 24-hour prior to the end of of the current period. Payments will be charged to your iTunes account and your account will be charged within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. For more information about Highlights Pro: highlightsapp.net/pro Privacy Policy: highlightsapp.net/privacy Terms of Use: highlightsapp.net/terms

Screenshots

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner4 screens
Highlights4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Highlights at Free against CamScanner + | OCR Scanner's $0.99. Highlights also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). CamScanner + | OCR Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 53%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Highlights is free to download; CamScanner + | OCR Scanner costs $0.99 up front. CamScanner + | OCR Scanner sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CamScanner + | OCR Scanner has 17K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of CamScanner + | OCR Scanner's written reviews are positive against 53% of Highlights's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner ships an update every 3 months, Highlights fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
CamScanner + | OCR Scanner versus Highlights: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamScanner + | OCR ScannerHighlights
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (17K ratings) — better4.5 (1.6K ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better53.3% of reviews
Number of ratings17K — better1.6K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size228 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLinguan DataJonas Myren Ribe

Customer experience

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner

All ratings17,235 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews1,799 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative13.8%

Highlights

All ratings1,610 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews465 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral15.3%
Negative31.4%

User reviews

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient scanning
  • 🚀 Efficient document management
  • 👍 Great for receipts and documents
  • 🚀 Reliable and stable

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Privacy concerns
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔒 Forced account creation
  • 💰 Nickel-and-diming for features

Highlights

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for highlighting and annotating PDFs
  • 🔍 Effective for research and note-taking
  • 📚 Useful for academic and professional work
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
  • 🔗 Good integration with other apps and cloud storage

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 🔒 Lack of customization options
  • 🔧 Poor customer support and unresponsive developers

Bugs and requests

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Sync issues leading to lost documents
  • Unreliable faxing and emailing
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • Inconsistent scanning quality

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved cloud storage integration
  • Easier document organization
  • Better OCR and text recognition
  • Ability to edit/annotate scanned documents
  • Automatic backup and restore functionality

Highlights

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
  • Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
  • Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Export functionality not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
  • Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
  • Allow editing of notes directly in the app
  • Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation

In-app purchases

7 purchases

CamScanner + | OCR Scanner

Subscriptions3
  • CamScanner Premium$4.991 Month
  • CamScanner Premium1 Year trial3 variants$49.991 Year
  • CamScanner Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • One-page Fax$0.99
  • 600 cp + One chance to Draw$0.99
  • 3000 C-Points$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Ten-page Fax$8.99
3 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions3
  • Highlights Pro: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Highlights Pro14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade1 Year trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is CamScanner + | OCR Scanner free?
CamScanner + | OCR Scanner costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CamScanner + | OCR Scanner or Highlights?
CamScanner + | OCR Scanner is rated higher. CamScanner + | OCR Scanner averages 4.9 out of 5 from 17K ratings, while Highlights averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.
Do CamScanner + | OCR Scanner or Highlights have ads?
CamScanner + | OCR Scanner shows ads; Highlights does not.
Which is updated more often, CamScanner + | OCR Scanner or Highlights?
CamScanner + | OCR Scanner ships an update every 3 months, and Highlights fortnightly. Most recently, CamScanner + | OCR Scanner was updated on September 26, 2026 and Highlights on September 25, 2026.

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