# SmartScan Pro vs PaperScan

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartScan Pro | PaperScan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartscan-pro-pdf-scanner/id533516060/reviews) | **[4.8 (747 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperscan/id670210933/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 747 |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | **70.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 18 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AMAXIM APPS, INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/488569471) | [DocuWare GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/411884967) |

## 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


### PaperScan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperscan/id670210933)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*