Comparison

SmartScan Pro vs PaperScan

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read 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/

About

PaperScan

Easily digitize various paper documents like invoices, receipts, and recipes. Automatically crop, straighten, and enhance scans for outstanding quality. Upload to cloud storage or share via email and print.

Highlights
  • Automatic document recognition and capture
  • Automatic cropping and straightening
  • Scans various document types
  • High scan quality in any lighting
  • Creates PDF files
  • Batch upload to cloud storage
  • Share via email, print, and AirDrop
Read full description

Scan invoices, business cards, tickets, cookbook recipes and all other kinds of paper documents with PaperScan. Upload them to Dropbox, GoogleDrive or DocuWare and share with others. PaperScan helps you to overcome your daily paper flood. And the best thing is - the app is both free and ad-free. Features: - Automatically recognizes documents and triggers image capture - Automatically crops and straightens the captured document - Scans all kinds of documents: big ones, small ones, invoices, receipts, tickets - you name it - Outstanding scan quality in any lighting conditions - Creates PDF - Upload to Dropbox, GoogleDrive and DocuWare in batch mode - Email, print and AirDrop for single documents - Simple and intuitive

Screenshots

SmartScan Pro4 screens
PaperScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PaperScan at none against SmartScan Pro's 2. PaperScan also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). SmartScan Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. SmartScan Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. PaperScan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PaperScan holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.3K and 747 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of SmartScan Pro's written reviews are positive against 71% of PaperScan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, PaperScan every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SmartScan Pro versus PaperScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartScan ProPaperScan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.3K ratings)4.8 (747 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.1% of reviews70.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better747
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAMAXIM APPS, INCDocuWare GmbH

Customer experience

SmartScan Pro

All ratings1,349 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral4.6%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive68.1%
Neutral10.8%
Negative21.1%

PaperScan

All ratings747 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative20.4%

User reviews

SmartScan Pro

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

PaperScan

From 747 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 📄 Automatic edge detection and document alignment
  • 🚀 Fast scanning and processing
  • 💾 Multiple export options (PDF, email, Dropbox, DocuWare)
  • ✨ High-quality document capture

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent edge detection accuracy
  • ⚠️ Forced flash usage in good lighting
  • 🖼️ Automatic brightness adjustment issues
  • 🎨 Unattractive UI/skin design
  • ⏱️ Slow autoscan feature

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

PaperScan

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Image disappears after scanning instead of displaying
  • App freezes and requires multiple restarts to show scans
  • Edge detection fails 50% of the time
  • DocuWare integration not transferring documents properly
  • Autoscan unreliable and inconsistent
Show 1 more
  • Boundary re-registration issues after outline detection

Requested features

5 requests
  • Direct save to Photos app instead of Files only
  • Improved edge detection algorithm
  • Better autoscan reliability and speed
  • Manual brightness control options
  • UI/design improvements

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SmartScan Pro

Subscriptions1
  • SmartScan Premium$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • SmartScan Premium$4.99
None

PaperScan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SmartScan Pro free?
SmartScan Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PaperScan free?
PaperScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SmartScan Pro or PaperScan?
PaperScan is rated higher. SmartScan Pro averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while PaperScan averages 4.8 from 747 ratings.
Do SmartScan Pro or PaperScan have ads?
Neither SmartScan Pro nor PaperScan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartScan Pro or PaperScan?
SmartScan Pro ships an update every 2 months, and PaperScan every 4 months. Most recently, SmartScan Pro was updated on October 2, 2026 and PaperScan on September 30, 2026.

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