Comparison

PDF AI vs Scanly

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

Head to head
About

PDF AI

This application offers a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools for managing PDF documents. Users can edit text and images, generate AI summaries, convert files to various formats, and securely sign documents. It prioritizes speed and privacy with local processing and encryption.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF text and images
  • AI-powered summaries and highlights
  • Annotate and collaborate on documents
  • Fill and e-sign forms
  • Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, Images, TXT
  • Secure offline scanning and organization
Features
Read full description

AI-powered PDF toolkit built for speed, security, and clarity. Chat with PDFs, summarize long documents, generate slides, create podcast-style audio, scan, edit, convert, sign, and collaborate—without friction. What you can do • Chat with PDFs: Ask questions and get instant answers from documents. • Summarize smarter: Turn long PDFs, reports, papers, and books into clear key points. • Generate with AI: Create slides, podcast-style audio, visual digests, and insight cards from documents. • Edit PDFs: Modify text, images, and layout with precision. • Read smarter: AI summaries, highlights, bookmarks, day/night/Sepia. • Annotate & collaborate: Highlight, underline, notes, sketches, comments, and share. • Fill & sign: Complete interactive forms and e‑sign on the go. • Convert fast: PDF ⇄ Word/Excel/PPT/Images/TXT with high fidelity. • Scan & organize: Scan documents, extract text with OCR, search, manage, and work offline securely. Why it’s better • AI tools for reading, understanding, presenting, and listening to documents. • Lightning-fast viewer for large PDFs. • Privacy-first: local processing and strong encryption. • Professional output, zero watermarks for subscribers. • Continuous updates with new AI capabilities. VIP (auto‑renewable subscriptions) • Monthly or yearly plans available. • Unlock premium tools: advanced editing, full‑text search, batch processing, high‑quality exports, AI summaries, AI chat, AI slides, podcast-style audio, visual digests, OCR, conversion tools, and more. Policies • Privacy: https://sophoninc.com/privacy.html • Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Terms of Service: https://sophoninc.com/terms.html Contact • Email: feedback@sophoninc.com

About

Scanly

Features
Read full description

Scanly is a fast and easy-to-use document scanner designed for people who want to get things done without unnecessary complexity. Turn paper documents, receipts, notes, contracts, IDs, and forms into high-quality PDFs in seconds. Scanly automatically detects document edges, enhances scans for better readability, and lets you export and share PDFs instantly. Features: • Fast document scanning • Automatic edge detection and cropping • High-quality PDF generation • Multi-page document support • Easy PDF sharing and export • Clean, distraction-free interface • Lightweight and fast performance • Dark mode support Whether you're a student, professional, freelancer, or business owner, Scanly helps you digitize your documents quickly and efficiently. No clutter. No complicated workflows. Just scan, create PDFs, and move on with your day.

Screenshots

PDF AI4 screens
Scanly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scanly at none against PDF AI's 5. Scanly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). PDF AI's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.2). On price and device support 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. PDF AI sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Scanly asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF AI ships an update every 3 weeks, Scanly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PDF AI versus Scanly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF AIScanly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (163 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings163 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYang YangVishwajith Shettigar

In-app purchases

5 purchases

PDF AI

Subscriptions5
  • Weekly VIP$7.997 Days
  • Weekly VIP$9.997 Days
  • Weekly VIP3 Days trial$9.997 Days
Show 2 more
  • Monthly VIP3 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Yearly VIP3 Days trial$59.991 Year
None

Scanly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDF AI free?
PDF AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scanly free?
Scanly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PDF AI or Scanly have ads?
PDF AI shows ads; Scanly does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF AI or Scanly?
PDF AI ships an update every 3 weeks, and Scanly every 2 days. Most recently, PDF AI was updated on October 30, 2026 and Scanly on October 31, 2026.

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