S3 Client vs Simple Scan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
S3 Client
Access and manage your S3-compatible cloud storage directly from your device's file system. Files are downloaded on demand and synchronized automatically, with support for various S3 services and encryption methods.
- Direct S3 storage access
- On-demand file downloading
- Automatic synchronization
- Support for multiple S3 services
- System share sheet uploads
- Pre-signed sharing link generation
- Shortcuts automation support
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Access your S3 storage directly from the Files app, Finder, and other applications on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Developed by the creator of Working Copy, this application provides seamless integration with S3-compatible storage services. Once configured, S3 buckets appear alongside other cloud storage providers, with files available on demand. Files are downloaded as needed and automatically synchronized back to S3 when modified. The app supports a wide range of S3-compatible services, including AWS S3, BackBlaze B2, CloudFlare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces, MinIO, and others. Files and directories can be uploaded through the system share sheet on iOS and the Services menu on macOS. The app remembers preferred upload destinations for different file types, streamlining file management. Pre-signed sharing links can be generated directly from Finder and the Files app, allowing temporary access to files for up to seven days. Support for server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C) and client-side AES-GCM encryption compatible with the Amazon S3 Encryption Client. Comprehensive support for Shortcuts automation enables operations such as listing, downloading, uploading, and moving files. The app is free to use with a single server. A Pro Unlock is required for multiple servers, available as a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription, with access shared across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. A one-week free trial allows users to evaluate Pro features before purchase.
Simple Scan
Easily convert paper documents into searchable PDFs or images in seconds. This app offers a streamlined scanning experience without cluttering your existing notes, with options to share directly via email, messages, or other applications. Enjoy private, on-device processing with no ads.
- Scan documents to PDF or JPEG
- Searchable PDFs with OCR
- Share scans via email, messages, or system share sheet
- Custom file destinations
- File naming suggestions (Apple Intelligence required)
- On-device processing
- No ads
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Simple Scan is the quick, easy way to scan paper documents to optimized, searchable PDF documents (or images) and send them almost anywhere. ## FEATURES ## * Same great scanning functionality as Notes, but no need to clutter your notes data with one-off scans * Create high-resolution multi-page PDFs from your paper documents * PDFs are searchable thanks to automatic Optical Character Recognition (OCR) * Built for simplicity. Just scan and send – no document library * Send scans via email or messages. Save to a file, or "Share" use to send to other apps via the system share sheet * Set up message destinations with pre-filled recipients for easy "Email to Myself" and other common uses * Custom file destinations save scans directly to a pre-selected folder without extra taps * File naming suggestions, such as names, dates, pulled from the scanned document (requires Apple Intelligence) * Save scans directly to Photos * Option to output as images (JPEG) instead of PDF * Quality option to control file size * Never any ads. Ever. * Private and on-device. All scan processing is done locally on your device. ## SIMPLE SCAN PRO ## Simple Scan is free to download and try! To continue using Simple Scan, unlock Simple Scan Pro--available as a low-cost, annual subscription or a one-time lifetime unlock purchase. ## SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ## * Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase * Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period * Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were initially charged for the subscription * Subscriptions can be managed or canceled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Have questions? Email support@agiletortoise.com. Terms: https://agiletortoise.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://agiletortoise.com/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Simple Scan at 660 against S3 Client's 54. Simple Scan also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 79%). S3 Client's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. S3 Client sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Simple Scan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for S3 Client against 4.9 for Simple Scan. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Scan has 660 ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of S3 Client's written reviews are positive against 87% of Simple Scan's.
S3 Client ships an update every 9 days, Simple Scan every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | S3 Client | Simple Scan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (54 ratings) | 4.9 (660 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.1% of reviews | 87.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 54 | 660 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 17.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Anders Borum ApS | Agile Tortoise |
Customer experience
S3 Client
Simple Scan
User reviews
S3 Client
From 54 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive UI/UX
- 🔄 Universal setup across devices
- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 💡 Excellent integration with Files app
- 🛠️ Handles edge cases and retries well
Room to improve
- 🤔 Not intuitive for some
- 💰 Limited free features
- 🐛 Clunky to use
- 🐛 App constantly pauses
- 🐛 No obvious way to unpause
Simple Scan
From 660 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 No ads or privacy concerns
- 💡 Customizable workflows
- 👍 Simple and straightforward
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔧 Cropping could be improved
- 🔧 Inability to name scans before saving
Bugs and requests
S3 Client
Reported bugs
17 issues- Files renamed randomly
- High CPU usage
- Stopped working in iOS 26
- Can't set permissions
- Fails to load S3 buckets properly
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Duplicating root folders
- Folders missing
- Failing to upload
- No image/video thumbnails
- EXIF option unreliable
- No SSE-C encryption/decryption support
- Does not support IAM policy roles
- Short-lived keys needed
- App locks up Files app
- Requires reboot
- Issues with S3 Minio
- Update issues with older macOS
Requested features
14 requests- Support for WebDAV servers
- Support for Google OAuth for GCS
- Synchronous feature to backup photos automatically
- Configurable AWS endpoint for non-.com endpoints
- Allow import/export of configuration
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Show number of files in a directory
- Option to clear app cache
- Support for SSE-C encryption/decryption
- Support for IAM policy roles
- Support for S3 buckets with short-lived keys
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Duplicate Settings option for iOS
- Support for public dataset anonymous configuration
Simple Scan
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on multi-page scans for some users
- Issues with importing files from other apps
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to tag scans
- Favorite file/app destination options
- More image adjustment tools
In-app purchases
S3 Client
- S3 Files Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Lifetime S3 Pro$14.99
- Lifetime S3 Pro$17.99
Simple Scan
- Pro - Annual$9.991 Year
- Pro - Lifetime$39.99
Questions
Is S3 Client free?
Is Simple Scan free?
Which has better reviews, S3 Client or Simple Scan?
Do S3 Client or Simple Scan have ads?
Which is updated more often, S3 Client or Simple Scan?
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