Comparison

CamScanner vs PDF Scanner

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

Head to head
About

CamScanner

Transform your mobile device into a powerful portable scanner. Instantly scan, edit, and share documents in various formats like PDF, JPG, Word, and TXT. Features include OCR, e-signatures, and secure file management.

Highlights
  • Mobile document scanning
  • Text recognition (OCR)
  • PDF conversion
  • E-signature creation
  • Secure file management
  • Cloud storage integration
Features
Read full description

The most intelligent scanner app Trusted by 300M+ users CamScanner is an all-in-one scanner app. It turns your mobile device into a powerful portable scanner that recognizes text automatically (OCR) and improves your productivity to save your time. Download this scanner app for free to instantly scan, save, and share any document in PDF, JPG, Word, or TXT formats. Would you like to keep your entire office in your pocket and increase your productivity at work? Use the CamScanner scanner app to handle your paperwork with ease. Say goodbye to huge and heavy copy machines and get this ultra-fast scanner app for free now. DOCUMENT SCANNER This free-of-charge yet powerful scanner app is a must-have for students and anyone involved in business: accountants, realtors, managers, or lawyers. With this PDF scanner, scan anything you need, receipts, contracts, paper notes, fax papers, books, and store your scans as multipage PDF or JPG files. VARIOUS SCANNING MODES –ID CARD & PASSPORT: A mode specifically designed for fast and convenient scans of ID documents. –QR CODE: Scan any QR code with the camera on your mobile device. PDF CONVERTER –PDF Converter: This PDF scanner enables you to create PDF from a website, and convert documents in multiple formats to PDF. –Supported file formats: PDF, JPG, DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSM, XLSX, CVS, PPT, PPTM, PPTX. SHARE AND COLLABORATE –Share files for commenting or viewing in WhatsApp, iMessage, Microsoft Teams. –Collect comments from multiple people in one file online. –Speed document reviews by responding to each other's comments. –Receive activity notifications for the files you share. INNOVATIVE PDF SCANNER –Scan documents and photos to PDF, JPG, or TXT. –Easily scan multiple pages into one document. –Extract text from any scannable object with text recognition (OCR). –Create and add your own e-signature on documents. HANDY DOCUMENT EDITOR & FILE MANAGER –Edit scans with filters and the feature of noise removal. –Manage files with folders, drag & drop to reorder, and enjoy other document editing features. –Protect your confidential scans by locking folders and files with passwords. EASILY SEND DOCUMENT –Scan, save and send documents in just a few taps. –Email with attachments or send document links. –Upload scanned documents to cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and OneDrive. –Print PDF files, such as contracts and invoices, right from the scanner app. –Send files quickly and securely. Scanning or sharing is achieved with no intervention from the CamScanner scanner app team or any third party. Documents are safely stored on your mobile devices. UNLIMITED ACCESS MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION –You can subscribe to get unlimited access to all features of the scanner app. –Subscriptions are billed weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually at the rate based on the subscription plan. –Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. –Subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. –Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost depends on the selected plan. –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 the free trial will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. 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 We'd love to hear your feedback: isupport@camscanner.com Follow us on X: @CamScanner Like us on Facebook: @CamScanner UA Follow us on Instagram: @CamScanner_Official Follow us on YouTube: @CamScanner_Official Check out other products of INTSIG: CamCard - Business Card Reader

About

PDF Scanner

Transform paper documents, notes, and photos into digital PDFs or PNGs. Extract editable text from images using OCR technology. Share your scanned files and extracted text easily via various cloud services and messaging apps.

Highlights
  • Smart PDF scanning
  • Edge detection and auto crop
  • Batch scanning
  • Image to text OCR
  • Handwritten note recognition
  • Document organization and security
  • Cloud synchronization
Features
Read full description

With Scanner App, you can easily scan any paper documents, handwritten notes, photos, business cards and receipts into clear PDF or PNG. Convert scanned Image to editable Text with OCR technology. Share Text, PNG or PDF via email, WhatsApp, Dropbox, Box and Google Drive. √Smart pdf scanner: - Edge detection - Auto crop & scan - Batch scanning - Share or save scans - Filters (B&W, Grayscale, Threshold, Scans) - PDF converter - E-signature √Texts extracting: - Support 14 languages OCR - Recognize handwritten notes - Copy, edit and share in txt, png, pdf √Document organization & security: - Manage documents - Lock documents with password √Sync synchronization: - Cloud Space - Sync to iCloud, Box, Dropbox... Premium subscription: Weekly Subscription:$2.99 per week; Monthly Subscription:$6.99 per month; Yearly Subscription:$39.99 per 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://scanner24.app/terms.html For Privacy Policy, please visit https://scanner24.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

CamScanner4 screens
PDF Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CamScanner at weekly against PDF Scanner's every 2 months. CamScanner also leads on ratings volume (1.9M vs 27) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). PDF Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 61%). On price, ads, 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

Both are free to download. CamScanner sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and PDF Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CamScanner holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CamScanner has 1.9M ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of CamScanner's written reviews are positive against 82% of PDF Scanner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CamScanner ships an update weekly, PDF Scanner every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
CamScanner versus PDF Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamScannerPDF Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.9M ratings) — better4.5 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews82.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.9M — better27
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size383 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperINTSIG Information Co., LtdAOS INTERNET CO., LIMITED

Customer experience

CamScanner

All ratings1,914,032 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews2,684 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral3.7%
Negative35.2%

PDF Scanner

All ratings27 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative17.9%

User reviews

CamScanner

From 1.9M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient scanning and document management
  • 📁 Convenient cloud storage and backup
  • 🔍 Powerful OCR and document enhancement features
  • 🔧 Customizable scanning and editing options
  • 🏫 Useful for school and work applications

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and security
  • 🤖 Inconsistent OCR and text recognition accuracy
  • 💰 Aggressive upselling and subscription model
  • 🔌 App crashes and performance issues
  • 📤 Difficulties with sharing and exporting files

PDF Scanner

From 27 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Fast and agile
  • 📄 Scans and sends as PDF
  • 💯 Excellent functionality
  • 🌟 Very good app

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription cost is high
  • 💸 Forcing to buy Pro version
  • 😩 Annoying ads
  • 📉 Poor editing quality
  • ❌ Not automatically framing documents

Bugs and requests

CamScanner

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes during scanning and editing
  • Syncing and backup issues causing data loss
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices
  • Unexpected charges and subscription renewals
  • Unreliable performance and frequent updates

Requested features

6 requests
  • Improved OCR and text recognition accuracy
  • More flexible export and sharing options
  • Customizable storage and backup settings
  • Enhanced security and privacy controls
  • Streamlined subscription and pricing model
Show 1 more
  • Reduced ads and more features in free version

PDF Scanner

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 🐛 App keeps crashing
  • 🐛 Crashes when scanning many pages
  • 🐛 Errors when sending files
  • 🐛 App closes unexpectedly

Requested features

2 requests
  • Automatic document framing
  • Lower subscription cost

In-app purchases

13 purchases

CamScanner

Subscriptions12
  • Premium Account$4.991 Month
  • CamScanner Premium(1 week)3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • CamScanner Premium3 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 9 more
  • Premium Account(1 Month)$9.991 Month
  • Premium Account (1 month)1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • CamScanner Premium(1 week)3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • CamScanner Premium1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • CamScanner Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Premium Account (1 year)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Premium Account(1 year)3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Premium Account(1 year)3 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • CamScanner Premium1 Month trial$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-page Fax$0.99
3 purchases

PDF Scanner

Subscriptions3
  • Scanner24_weekly3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • PDF Scanner App Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Scanner24_yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is CamScanner free?
CamScanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Scanner free?
PDF Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CamScanner or PDF Scanner?
CamScanner is rated higher. CamScanner averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9M ratings, while PDF Scanner averages 4.5 from 27 ratings.
Do CamScanner or PDF Scanner have ads?
Both CamScanner and PDF Scanner show ads.
Which is updated more often, CamScanner or PDF Scanner?
CamScanner ships an update weekly, and PDF Scanner every 2 months. Most recently, CamScanner was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Scanner on September 22, 2026.

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