# SmartScan Pro vs Nova Scanner

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SmartScan Pro at 12.0 against Nova Scanner's 15.0. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmartScan Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Nova Scanner sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. 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 4.6 for Nova Scanner. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.3K and 817 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of SmartScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 74% of Nova Scanner's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartScan Pro | Nova Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartscan-pro-pdf-scanner/id533516060/reviews) | **[4.6 (817 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-scanner-scan-pdf-document/id1193953564/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 817 |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | **74.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 18 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMAXIM APPS, INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/488569471) | [Beesoft Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1420966143) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartScan Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartscan-pro-pdf-scanner/id533516060)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SmartScan Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| SmartScan Premium | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient scanning
- 💡 Helpful for expense tracking
- 🚀 Quick and convenient
- 👍 Simple and straightforward

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 💰 Limited free features, requires paid upgrade
- 🔒 Lack of security/privacy features
- 🎨 Poor image quality and editing options
- 🗑️ No delete/remove function

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to scan
- Camera not working after updates
- Scans not saving properly
- Inconsistent performance across devices

**Requested features**

- 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


### Nova Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-scanner-scan-pdf-document/id1193953564)

Transform your phone into a powerful mobile scanner. Easily capture, edit, and share documents as PDFs or JPEGs. Features include OCR for text extraction, faxing, and secure document management.

**Highlights:** Multipage scanning, OCR text extraction, Cheap fax service, Document signing, Cloud file integration, Export as PDF/JPEG/PNG

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scanner App Premium - 1 Month | $1.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner, Fax and OCR | $9.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner, Fax and OCR | $10.99 | per year |
| Scanner App Premium - 1 Year | $11.99 | per year |
| Scanner App - 50 Fax Credits | $3.99 | one-time |
| 250 Fax Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| 600 Fax Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Premium | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2000 Fax Credits | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient
- 💡 Great for on-the-go scanning
- 👍 User-friendly
- 👍 Excellent scanning quality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Subscription issues (unable to use after paying)
- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Security concerns (unable to bulk share documents)

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription not working as expected
- Repeated prompts to subscribe even with active subscription
- Distorted or partial image capture

**Requested features**

- Bulk document sharing
- Improved subscription management
- Compatibility with more platforms (e.g., Canvas, Discord)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartScan Pro free?

SmartScan Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nova Scanner free?

Nova Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SmartScan Pro or Nova Scanner?

Nova Scanner is rated higher. SmartScan Pro averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Nova Scanner averages 4.6 from 817 ratings.

### Do SmartScan Pro or Nova Scanner have ads?

Neither SmartScan Pro nor Nova Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartScan Pro or Nova Scanner?

SmartScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Nova Scanner every 2 months. Most recently, SmartScan Pro was updated on September 21, 2026 and Nova Scanner on September 21, 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.*