Comparison

NotaryAct vs Smart PDF Document Scanner

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

Head to head
About

NotaryAct

This mobile application provides a secure, electronic journaling system for notaries. It helps ensure compliance with state and federal regulations by creating non-modifiable journal records. Features include scanning driver's licenses to pre-fill information and cloud-based storage.

Highlights
  • Electronic notary journal
  • Compliance with regulations
  • Secure cloud-based storage
  • Driver's license scanning
  • Pre-fill signer information
  • Mobile business record
Features
Read full description

The electronic notary journal built by notaries, for notaries. Scan a driver's license and log a complete journal entry in seconds. Try it free for 30 days, no credit card required. Since 2012, more than 25,000 notaries have recorded over 1 million journal entries with NotaryAct. SCAN. TAP. DONE. Stop handwriting names, addresses, ID numbers and expiration dates. Scan the barcode on the back of a signer's driver's license and NotaryAct fills in the entry for you. No typos, no missed fields. BUILT AROUND YOUR STATE'S RULES Choose which fields you capture, which are required, and the order they appear, so your journal matches your state's requirements. Every entry is sequential, time-stamped, GPS-tagged and locked once submitted. Electronic journal rules vary by state, so check NotaryAct.com for yours. FOR EVERY KIND OF NOTARY WORK Loan signings and real estate closings, powers of attorney, affidavits, oaths, vehicle titles and everyday office notarizations. Mobile notaries, signing agents and in-office notaries all use NotaryAct. FEATURES - Scan a driver's license to fill in signer details - Signer signs once for all of their documents - Thumbprint capture, including Bluetooth fingerprint scanners - Offline mode: work without a signal and sync later - Multiple drafts: prep entries ahead and finish at the table - Document packages for closings and refinances - Track which signer signed which documents - Fees, mileage and stamp counts for your business records - Face ID and Touch ID - View, search and print your journal in the app or any browser YOUR RECORDS, SAFE A paper journal can be lost, damaged or stolen. NotaryAct entries are encrypted with AES-256 and stored securely in the cloud, so if you lose your phone your journal is still there. TRUSTED BY NOTARIES Recommended by notary educators, NNA Notary of the Year recipients and signing agent course instructors. "NotaryAct is the ideal product for professional notaries." Elaine Wright Harris, NNA Notary of the Year "I cannot imagine life without it." DBest Notary, Maryland Real people answer support, by phone, text or email. TRY IT FREE FOR 30 DAYS No credit card required. After the trial, subscribe monthly or yearly in the app. Learn more at NotaryAct.com

About

Smart PDF Document Scanner

Transform your phone into a powerful document scanner. Capture, enhance, and organize your important papers with tack-sharp scans and a color-coded tagging system. Easily share PDFs for business or personal use.

Highlights
  • Tack-sharp document scanning
  • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction
  • Color, grayscale, and black-and-white scan options
  • FlashAssist for low-light scanning
  • Color-coded tagging system for organization
  • Quickly scan and share PDFs
Features
Read full description

Ditch the bulky office copier! Smart PDF Document Scanner is the ultimate free scanner app that turns your phone or iPad into a portable digitizing tool. Just snap a photo of your document, and get a high-quality pdf scan you can instantly send to your colleagues, clients, or keep for your personal records. TACK SHARP SCANS That processor in your phone is quite a little monster. Smart Scanner uses it fully to make the best possible scans. Even full-page articles come out tack-sharp and easy to read. It automatically detects the page edges and corrects for perspective. Pick full-color scans, grayscale, or black-and-white for maximum legibility. FlashAssist can take perfect scans even in poor lighting conditions. You can even change the correction and enhancement settings after the fact. POWERFUL COLOR-CODED ORGANIZATION Scanning is just half the problem. You need a good way to keep all your documents organized, and easy to find later. Smart Scanner uses a simple tagging system that is much easier and more powerful than the regular folder system. File documents under custom color-coded categories with just a couple taps. Browse and sort files by category with a couple more. It's the way filing should work. FOR ALL YOUR SCANNING NEEDS + Quickly scan and send contracts and forms + Keep scans of important documents in your pocket, separate form the Photo Library + Scan all your travel receipts for easy expense reports + Keep digital copies of your notes and sketches + Scan articles to read later + And more! TIPS AND TRICKS Here are a few tips to get the best scans: + Place your document on a darker surface to improve the edge auto-detection. + You can drag the corners of the blue rectangle to fine tune it after taking a photo. + Make sure there is adequate lighting. Use the flash in low-light conditions. + You can tap on a page to edit its scan settings (including edges) after the fact.

Screenshots

NotaryAct4 screens
Smart PDF Document Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smart PDF Document Scanner at none against NotaryAct's 2. Smart PDF Document Scanner also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%). NotaryAct's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. NotaryAct sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Smart PDF Document Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NotaryAct holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NotaryAct has 102 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of NotaryAct's written reviews are positive against 100% of Smart PDF Document Scanner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NotaryAct ships an update every 3 weeks, Smart PDF Document Scanner every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
NotaryAct versus Smart PDF Document Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotaryActSmart PDF Document Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (102 ratings) — better4.4 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings102 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperALL IP Operating, LLC.Qrayon, LLC

Customer experience

NotaryAct

All ratings78 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative14.6%

Smart PDF Document Scanner

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

NotaryAct

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App spins wheels creating account
  • No box to scan license
  • ID scanner issues after update
  • Login screen requiring credentials without sign-up option
  • 404 error on contact page

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dedicated iPad app
  • Improved UI
  • Better password management on iPhone
  • More flexible trial period
  • Clearer pricing upfront
Show 1 more
  • Ability to modify date and time of entries

Smart PDF Document Scanner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NotaryAct

One-time2
  • One month subscription to NotaryAct$4.99
  • One year subscription to NotaryAct$49.99
None

Smart PDF Document Scanner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NotaryAct free?
NotaryAct is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart PDF Document Scanner free?
Smart PDF Document Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NotaryAct or Smart PDF Document Scanner?
NotaryAct is rated higher. NotaryAct averages 4.8 out of 5 from 102 ratings, while Smart PDF Document Scanner averages 4.4 from 10 ratings.
Do NotaryAct or Smart PDF Document Scanner have ads?
Smart PDF Document Scanner shows ads; NotaryAct does not.
Which is updated more often, NotaryAct or Smart PDF Document Scanner?
NotaryAct ships an update every 3 weeks, and Smart PDF Document Scanner every 6 months. Most recently, NotaryAct was updated on October 21, 2026 and Smart PDF Document Scanner on October 11, 2026.

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