# FineReader vs mScanner

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | FineReader | mScanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finereader-pdf-scanner-and-ocr/id534203582/reviews)** | [4.3 (418 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mscanner-pro-pdf-scan-app/id1439290223/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 418 |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews | **83.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 130 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ABBYY USA Software House Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/347345477) | [Madduck](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435773822) |

## What reviewers say

### FineReader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finereader-pdf-scanner-and-ocr/id534203582)

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:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ARCHIVE Entry Premium monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Scan PDF and documents | $2.99 | per month |
| ARCHIVE Basic Premium monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| ARCHIVE-Advanced Premium month | $5.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner + OCR | $5.99 | per month |
| FineScanner Premium monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| PDF Scanner | $9.99 | per year |
| Photo Scanning app | $20.99 | per year |
| FineScanner Premium yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| ARCHIVE  No Ads | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### mScanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mscanner-pro-pdf-scan-app/id1439290223)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mScanner Pro | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Document Scanner App | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| mScanner Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| mScanner Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| mScanner Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| mScanner Pro | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| mScanner Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| mScanner Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| mScanner Pro | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Add free version or trial period
- Improve subscription management


## Frequently asked 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.

---

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