# FineReader vs PDF Scanner Plus

The clearest difference is ads: FineReader at none against PDF Scanner Plus's shown. FineReader also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 67). PDF Scanner Plus's advantage is review sentiment (97% vs 71%). On price, rating, update cadence 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 PDF Scanner Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Scanner Plus holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FineReader has 19K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of FineReader's written reviews are positive against 97% of PDF Scanner Plus's.

FineReader ships an update monthly, PDF Scanner Plus every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FineReader | PDF Scanner Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finereader-pdf-scanner-and-ocr/id534203582/reviews) | **[4.9 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-plus-scan-and-edit/id1602652110/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 67 |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews | **96.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 130 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ABBYY USA Software House Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/347345477) | [DigitAlchemy LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/376971628) |

## 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


### PDF Scanner Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-plus-scan-and-edit/id1602652110)

Easily digitize any document, photo, or text with a single click. Convert your scans into editable PDF files, compile multiple pages, and enhance image quality with built-in editing tools. Store and manage your digital documents for convenient access and modification.

**Highlights:** Scan documents and images, Convert to PDF format, Compile multiple pages, Edit image brightness and contrast, Store and manage digital files, Automatic border detection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Scanner Plus - Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FineReader free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner Plus free?

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

### Which has better reviews, FineReader or PDF Scanner Plus?

PDF Scanner Plus is rated higher. FineReader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while PDF Scanner Plus averages 4.9 from 67 ratings.

### Do FineReader or PDF Scanner Plus have ads?

PDF Scanner Plus shows ads; FineReader does not.

### Which is updated more often, FineReader or PDF Scanner Plus?

FineReader ships an update monthly, and PDF Scanner Plus every 6 weeks. Most recently, FineReader was updated on October 20, 2026 and PDF Scanner Plus on October 18, 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.*