Comparison

FineReader vs mScanner

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

Head to head
About

FineReader

Transform your mobile device into a powerful scanner for documents and books. Extract text from images with advanced OCR technology, create editable digital copies, and share them easily. Organize and annotate your scanned files with intelligent features.

Highlights
  • Scan documents and books
  • Offline and online OCR
  • Extract text to TXT
  • Save as PDF and JPEG
  • Share to cloud storage
  • Annotate PDFs
  • Automatic document classification
Features
Read full description

ABBYY FineReader PDF - the first smart AI-powered scanner that turns your mobile device into an all-purpose tool to quickly capture docs and books, create electronic copies in PDF and JPEG, and extract texts from scans for further editing and sharing. FineReader PDF - the top mobile scanner for iPhone or iPad from ABBYY, a Digital Intelligence company. *** Ranked #1 Business application in 98 countries *** *** Winner of SUPERSTAR Award in the "Document Capture" category in the Mobile Star Awards *** Use FineReader PDF to scan paper documents, books, agreements, receipts, magazine articles, notes, recipes, charts, tables, slides, whiteboards, or even billboards on the street and get perfect digital copies. KEY FEATURES • PDF & JPEG. Scan any text and save scans to JPEG images or cross-platform PDF documents. • OFFLINE OCR. Quickly extract text from scans into TXT format on your device without an internet connection. • ONLINE OCR. Recognize text (OCR) on scans in 183 languages (including Latin, Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean alphabets) and choose from among 4 output formats. • SHARE & EXPORT. Send results by email, to FineReader PDF for Windows, save in cloud storages - iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, Evernote, OneDrive for Business, and more. • LIVE TEXT. Make phone calls, send emails, follow the links, and more from scanned docs. • ABBYY NEURAL NETWORK. The smart gallery will automatically classify documents into 7 types: A4, books, business cards, handwritten, IDs, other docs, and receipts. • SEARCH TEXT ON PHOTOS. Type the text from a photo into a Search field in the gallery. FineReader PDF will find photos that have this text. • AR RULER. Define doc size in AR. It will be useful for non-standard documents and further printing them out in proper proportions. • SIRI SHORTCUTS. Open scans with Siri and set the flow of actions with scans using Shortcuts app. • ANNOTATE SCANS. Discover a set of easy-to-use tools to modify your PDFs: add your signature or a text box, use a highlighter, write with a pen, or conceal content with the redaction tool. • 3D TOUCH & SPOTLIGHT SEARCH SUPPORT. • PASSWORD ON PDF. Add a password for the image-only PDF files while exporting and sending via email. • MULTIPAGE DOCS. Create, edit, and enhance separate images or large multi-page documents without any additional selection on the viewfinder. • AUTO-CAPTURE AND FILTERS. Excellent visual quality with auto-capture of page boundaries and advanced image filters, which process scans in color, greyscale, or black-and-white versions. • BUILT-IN FILE STORAGE. Save scans inside the app with tags and search capabilities. • Transfer docs to your Mac or PC using Home Sharing. • AIRPRINT. Print out scans directly from your iPhone or iPad. Read us: abbyy.com/blog/mobile Facebook.com/ABBYYsoft Twitter @ABBYY_Software YouTube.com/ABBYYvideos Do you like FineReader PDF? Please leave a review!

About

mScanner

Transform your phone into a powerful scanning device. Create new documents, add text and signatures, and convert scans to PDF. Share your files instantly via various communication apps.

Highlights
  • Scan documents, receipts, and IDs
  • Create new documents with text and signatures
  • Extract text from photos (OCR)
  • Fill forms with handwriting font
  • Convert scans to PDF
  • Store and organize documents
  • Share documents via multiple apps
Features
Read full description

Save your money and time, get your work done in minutes. There are so many scanning apps, but this is not another scanner app that cannot meet your needs. PDF Scanner is created to resolve the most common problems users face while scanning, and it's here to change your scanning experience for good. Turn your phone into a full functional scanning device with this all-in-one app that will handle your all scanning needs. This useful, powerful, multifunctional scanner app will save your day! CREATE A BRAND NEW DOCUMENT Now you can create a brand new document inside of the app. Let's bring your scanning experience to the next level! You can write text, sign it, and send it to anyone. This function will be a lifesaver when you're away from your computer and need to write a document on your phone as soon as possible. AN ALL-IN-ONE SCANNER APP Whether for your school or business needs, you can scan documents or write a new one in seconds! IDs, receipts, books, passports, school notes, or any document you need will be scanned and sent immediately in high quality. By using your phone, you can instantly scan any written material—including business cards, contracts, receipts, notes, or articles—and save it or share it anywhere. MORE THAN JUST SCANNING You can use PDF Scanner as a scanner and for document creation. You can also scan photos to text. Once you have the PDF Scanner app, you will have a multi-functional app you can use for your various needs and various occasions. No need for a computer, scanning machine, or scanning center. Wherever you are, we're here to bring the ultimate solution to your scanning needs. We've created a handy and useful technology that simplified your scanning needs in the best way. SCAN - Business Cards - Documents - Photos ADD - Multiple texts - Multiple signatures CREATE - A brand new document with your fingertips in seconds - Sign it and send it immediately on your phone SEND - Documents via mail, message, airdrop. and Organize your docs in the app! DISCOVER OUR FEATURES >> PHOTO TO TEXT (OCR): Extract the text of your document's photo magically. >> SIGN DOCUMENTS: Sign any scanned document, right from your device >> MULTIPLE SIGNATURES: Adding multiple signatures to the same document. >> FILL FORMS: Fill your forms with handwriting font. >> ADD MULTIPLE TEXTS: Adding multiple texts to the document. >> CONVERT TO PDF: Convert any scanned document to PDF >> STORE DOCS: Store all documents on all your iOS devices >> SHARE ANYWHERE: with Whatsapp, Slack, Facebook Messenger, Gmail, Google Drive, >> iCloud, Notes, SMS, or your favorite communication app. The digital world is fast, so is Scanner. We know technology should be simple and effective, so we’ve created an app that meets your needs in the best way possible. ℹ To use the app you must subscribe weekly, monthly, or yearly. Subscription prices may vary by location and all subscriptions are automatically renewed. Privacy Policy: https://madduck.com/privacy-policy/ Terms Of Use: https://madduck.com/terms-of-use/ Help Center: https://support.madduck.app/scanner/help-center

Screenshots

FineReader4 screens
mScanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: FineReader at free with in-app purchases against mScanner's subscription. FineReader also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (19K vs 418). mScanner's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. FineReader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and mScanner sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FineReader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FineReader has 19K ratings behind it against 418, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of FineReader's written reviews are positive against 83% of mScanner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FineReader ships an update monthly, mScanner fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
FineReader versus mScanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFineReadermScanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (19K ratings) — better4.3 (418 ratings)
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews83.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19K — better418
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperABBYY USA Software House IncMadduck

Customer experience

FineReader

All ratings19,332 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews444 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative23.4%

mScanner

All ratings418 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral0.7%
Negative16.3%
Written reviews397 reviews
Positive83.4%
Neutral0.3%
Negative16.4%

User reviews

FineReader

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick scanning
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 📁 Efficient file management
  • 🔑 Reliable OCR performance
  • 💾 Convenient cloud integration

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with cloud processing
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Inconsistent scanning quality
  • 📄 Limited multi-page document handling

mScanner

From 418 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient for scanning documents
  • ✨ Good quality scans
  • 💻 Useful for business and personal use

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔑 Misleading about being free
  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🚫 Unable to cancel subscription

Bugs and requests

FineReader

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes when switching between apps
  • Unreliable auto-capture feature
  • Issues with sending scans via email

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to edit scanned documents
  • Support for multi-page PDF scanning
  • Improved edge detection for curved documents
  • Offline OCR processing option

mScanner

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App won't open or function properly
  • Scanning issues and failed uploads

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add free version or trial period
  • Improve subscription management

In-app purchases

10 purchases

FineReader

Subscriptions9
  • [ARCHIVE]Entry Premium monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Scan PDF and documents7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • [ARCHIVE]Basic Premium monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • ARCHIVE-Advanced Premium month7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • PDF Scanner + OCR7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • FineScanner Premium monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PDF Scanner$9.991 Year
  • Photo Scanning app14 Days trial$20.991 Year
  • FineScanner Premium yearly$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • [ARCHIVE] No Ads$5.99
9 purchases

mScanner

Subscriptions9
  • mScanner Pro2 variants$6.997 Days
  • Document Scanner App3 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • mScanner Pro1 Month trial2 variants$19.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • mScanner Pro$19.991 Month
  • mScanner Pro3 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • mScanner Pro3 Days trial$24.993 Months
  • mScanner Pro2 variants$39.991 Year
  • mScanner Pro3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • mScanner Pro2 variants$89.991 Year

Questions

Is FineReader free?
FineReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is mScanner free?
mScanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FineReader or mScanner?
FineReader is rated higher. FineReader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while mScanner averages 4.3 from 418 ratings.
Do FineReader or mScanner have ads?
Neither FineReader nor mScanner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FineReader or mScanner?
FineReader ships an update monthly, and mScanner fortnightly. Most recently, FineReader was updated on September 25, 2026 and mScanner on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons