SmartScan Pro vs PDF Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmartScan Pro
Transform your iPhone into a powerful document scanner. Quickly capture multipage documents in high-quality PDF or JPEG, with automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and shadow elimination. Organize, rename, and share your scans with ease.
- Automatic document edge detection
- Perspective correction
- SuperScan mode for low-light
- Document organization and search
- Email scans as PDF/JPEG
- Cloud backup to iCloud Drive
- Touch ID & passcode lock
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your iPhone becomes a fully-featured, powerful document scanner with SmartScan. You can quickly and easily scan your multipage documents in high quality PDF or JPEG files on your iPhone or iPad. You can then rename and organize them, and send them anywhere. SmartScan uses complex and efficient algorithms to accurately detect document edges, correct their perspective, eliminate shadows, and perfectly contrast text, black on white. You can also choose between color and black-and-white photo modes. Our user interface is powerful and easy to use. With this app you can easily adjust the brightness, color, and rotation of your device. SmartScan offers SuperScan, a scanning mode that captures sharper images, especially in low-light conditions. Acquiring multiple takes of the same scan, SuperScan guarantees the best result. SmartScan also has an "Email to myself" feature that works with a single tap. SMARTSCAN FEATURES: • Automatic document edge detection and shooting. Perspective correction • SuperScan mode for sharpest scans • Document naming, storage in folders and smart search • “Email to myself” feature for quick routine emails • Add and reorder pages at any time • Arrange multiple receipts or business cards on a PDF page for printing, etc. • Email or message documents as PDF, JPEG, or PNG, or save to Photos • Touch ID & passcode lock • Upload, auto-upload and backup to iCloud Drive • Open PDFs or JPEGs in other apps like Dropbox or Google Drive to send to clouds • Copy & paste scans to other scans or Clipboard, and merge • AirDrop function • Printing via AirPrint or printing apps • Compact attachments with adjustable size • Ultra-fast processing Scanning tips • Make sure the document is laying flat in a bright location • For optimal edge detection results, make sure to have a contrasting outline or margin around your document while snapping the photo • When shooting in low light conditions, use flash to illuminate the scene. However, be careful not to produce too much glare from shiny documents or surfaces. SmartScan is on a road of constant improvement, and we value your input and feedback. If you have any questions or problems with the SmartScan app, please email us at support@amaximapps.com. We would be happy to help you out. Our Privacy policy: https://www.amaximapps.com/ssepp.htm License agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
PDF Scanner
Transform your device into a portable scanner to digitize any document. Quickly capture, enhance, and export multi-page PDFs to cloud services or print them wirelessly. Ideal for archiving, note-taking, and on-the-go document management.
- Automatic document edge and perspective detection
- Multi-page PDF creation
- Cloud service export (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive)
- AirPrint printing
- Perspective correction and cropping
- On-device processing
Read full descriptionHide full description
This app will turn your iPhone or iPad into a portable document scanner. Quickly scan your documents on the go and export them as multi-page PDF files. Upload your scans to a cloud service or print them using AirPrint. This application incorporates special algorithms which correct perspective and make your scans as readable as possible. With this app you can scan books, receipts, any kind of documents, paper notes, whiteboards, business cards and schedules. FEATURES - Automatic detection of document edges and perspective - Ultra-fast processing - Creates PDF documents with multiple pages - Emails scans as PDF files - Exports documents to cloud service like iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive. - Prints over AirPrint - Scans in color, grayscale, or black & white - Easily crop and correct the perspective: You don't need to take a perfect straight shot. - Thumbnail view - Add pages anytime and delete pages - Instant one-tap brightness and color controls - Set page sizes for PDF ( Letter, Legal, A4 and more ) - Documents are processed on the phone, not sent to a third-party server - Universal - a single app for both iPhone and iPad. WHAT PEOPLE USE THIS APP FOR - Quickly scan any document anywhere - Get rid of all your paper documents by archiving them to a cloud service - At the university, take a picture of the whiteboard - Save handwritten memos, or book pages for future reference TIPS ON SCANNING - Make sure your document is flat and well lit. - Include some margin around your document while shooting. - Use flash in low light conditions, but avoid glare with glossy documents. Download this PDF Scanner today!
Screenshots
Verdict
SmartScan Pro and PDF Scanner both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 68% of SmartScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 21% of PDF Scanner's. SmartScan Pro also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 25 months) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 103). PDF Scanner's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. SmartScan Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Scanner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for SmartScan Pro against 4.5 for PDF Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartScan Pro has 1.4K ratings behind it against 103, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of SmartScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 21% of PDF Scanner's.
SmartScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, PDF Scanner every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartScan Pro | PDF Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.4K ratings) — better | 4.5 (103 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews — better | 21.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K — better | 103 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 25 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AMAXIM APPS, INC | Netviking AB |
Customer experience
SmartScan Pro
PDF Scanner
Bugs and requests
SmartScan Pro
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when trying to scan
- Camera not working after updates
- Scans not saving properly
- Inconsistent performance across devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to delete/remove scanned documents
- Improve image quality and editing tools
- Provide more free features without requiring upgrade
- Implement security and privacy features
- Add support for multi-page scanning and PDFs
PDF Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SmartScan Pro
- SmartScan Premium$1.991 Month
- SmartScan Premium$4.99
PDF Scanner
- Pro Upgrade$4.99









