Comparison

MLC Chat vs DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools

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

Head to head
About

MLC Chat

Engage in conversations with open language models directly on your iPad or iPhone. Once a model is downloaded, all interactions occur locally, ensuring privacy and offline functionality without internet access. This app is designed for non-commercial use, allowing you to run various open-source language models on your device.

Highlights
  • Local AI model chat
  • Offline functionality
  • No internet required
  • Privacy-focused
  • Open-source project integration
  • Downloadable language models
Features
Read full description

MLC Chat lets users chat with open language models locally on ipads and iphones. After a model is downloaded to the app, everything runs locally without server support, and it works without internet connections do not record any information. Because the models run locally, it only works for the devices with sufficient VRAM depending on the models being used. MLC Chat is part of open source project MLC LLM, with allows any language model to be deployed natively on a diverse set of hardware backends and native applications. MLC Chat is a runtime that runs different open model architectures on your phone. The app is intended for non-commercial purposes. It allows you to run open-language models downloaded from the internet. Each model can be subject to its respective licenses.

About

DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools

Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a powerful document scanner, PDF editor, OCR reader, and file organizer. Whether you need to scan receipts, sign contracts, save IDs, convert files, or manage important documents on the go, DocuScan Pro gives you everything you need in one fast, secure, and easy-to-use app. From work and school to home and travel, DocuScan Pro helps you scan smarter, stay organized, and keep every document within reach. KEY FEATURES SMART DOCUMENT SCANNER • Scan documents, receipts, notes, invoices, contracts, business cards, and more • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction • High-quality scans with sharp, clean output • Multi-page scanning for complete documents • Special scan modes for passports and ID cards • Adjust brightness, contrast, and clarity with image enhancement tools OCR TEXT RECOGNITION • Convert scanned pages into editable and searchable text • Search inside scanned documents instantly • Find words across your entire document library • Save time by turning paper into digital, usable content POWERFUL PDF TOOLS • Create PDFs from scans, photos, and files • Merge multiple PDFs into one document • Split PDFs and extract specific pages • Reorder, delete, and manage pages easily • Add custom text watermarks • Insert automatic page numbers • Compress PDFs while maintaining quality • Sign PDFs directly on your iPhone or iPad FILE CONVERSION • Convert PDF to Text • Convert PDF to HTML • Convert PDF to Word • Convert PDF to Excel • Convert PDF to PowerPoint • Export documents in flexible formats for work, study, or sharing SECURE & PRIVATE • Lock the app with Face ID or Touch ID • Password-protect sensitive PDF files • Remove passwords from PDFs you own • 100% on-device processing for privacy-first document handling • Your files stay under your control SMART ORGANIZATION • Organize files with folders and tags • Search by file name or document content • Use iOS Spotlight to find documents from your Home Screen • Access recent files and quick actions with widgets • Import files directly from Mail, Safari, Files, or Photos using the Share Sheet PERFECT FOR • Work: contracts, invoices, expense receipts, forms, reports • School: lecture notes, whiteboards, assignments, study material • Personal: IDs, passports, insurance papers, tax documents, family records FREE FEATURES • Scan documents • View and manage PDFs • Organize with folders and tags • Includes limited OCR usage per day Upgrade to DocuScan Pro Premium for unlimited OCR, advanced PDF tools, file conversion, compression, watermarks, signatures, and more. WHY DOCUSCAN PRO DocuScan Pro combines the power of a PDF scanner, OCR scanner, PDF editor, document organizer, signature tool, and file converter into one simple app. No clutter. No complicated workflow. Just everything you need to scan, edit, protect, and share documents faster. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS – DocuScan Pro offers an auto-renewing subscription for unlimited access to all premium features. – Subscription plans are available on a monthly or annual basis. – Payment is charged to your Apple ID account upon purchase confirmation. – Your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current billing period ends. – Renewal charges are applied within 24 hours of the period end date at your chosen plan rate. – You can view, manage, or cancel your subscription anytime via App Store Account Settings. – Any remaining free trial time is forfeited once a paid subscription is activated. Privacy Policy: https://docuscan.imobiledesigns.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://docuscan.imobiledesigns.com/terms Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MLC Chat2 screens
DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MLC Chat at none against DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools's 3. DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, 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. DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. MLC Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MLC Chat versus DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMLC ChatDocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (78 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings78 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB16 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperTianqi ChenIMMERSIVE MOBILE DESIGNS PRIVATE LIMITED

Bugs and requests

MLC Chat

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Phi model crashes on iOS 26.0.1 17 Pro Max
  • App crashes on iPad Pro 4th Gen, iPadOs 17.7
  • RedPajama model crashes app on initialization
  • Update is extremely slow
  • Download model button disabled in new version
Show 12 more
  • RedPajama model crashes, custom model download removed
  • App closes when hitting send on iPhone 13
  • Conversation resets when app is backgrounded
  • Vicuna and Mistral 7B models cause crashes
  • Some 7b q4f16/q4f32 models crash on iPhone 15 Pro
  • App crashes on iPhone 13 mini
  • Cannot load other models from URL
  • Crash on iPhone 12
  • Severe heating and frequency reduction on A15
  • Low VRAM failed initialization on 3GB LP DDR4X phone
  • Cannot run 4bit model on iPhone 15 with 8GB RAM
  • Loading models from HF MLC official Repo causes crashes

Requested features

14 requests
  • Ability to import custom models (from URL/Hugging Face)
  • Support for more specific models (DeepSeek, Phi-2, Gemma 2B/7B, MoE Mixtral 8x7B, LLaVA)
  • History of conversations
  • iOS shortcuts support
  • Ability to export entire responses
Show 9 more
  • Information on VRAM requirements per phone/model
  • Ability to change system message/create custom profiles
  • Ability to edit responses and system prompt
  • Add coffee support
  • Delete downloaded models
  • Change settings per model (repetition penalties, temperature)
  • How-to guide for importing/recompiling LLMs
  • Estimate model compatibility before download
  • Support for CN and ZH languages

DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MLC Chat

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$17.991 Year

Questions

Is MLC Chat free?
MLC Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools free?
DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MLC Chat or DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools have ads?
Neither MLC Chat nor DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MLC Chat or DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools?
MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools every 11 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on October 14, 2026 and DocuScan PDF Scanner & Tools on September 27, 2026.

Other comparisons