Comparison

Scan Things vs Plain AI

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

Head to head
About

Scan Things

Extract objects, people, pets, and artwork from images, URLs, or PDFs. Capture books and documents with searchable, selectable text embedded in PDFs. All processing is done on-device for maximum privacy.

Highlights
  • Extract objects from images
  • Extract text from images and PDFs
  • Save as searchable PDF
  • On-device processing
  • No account required
  • Offline functionality
Read full description

With Scan Things, you can extract objects, people, pets, artwork and just about anything else from any image, image URL, or PDF document.  Scan Things can also capture books and documents with the original images intact and the text extracted and embedded. You can save your scan as a single- or multi-page PDF with all its text fully searchable and selectable. You don't need an account to use Scan Things. You don't need internet access. Your scans never leave your iPhone or iPad as Scan Things does all of its processing on-device. Because your privacy is important (not to mention none of our business), we collect no data whatsoever and we don't use any third-party code. Your privacy is yours, and we think it should stay that way. You can get Scan Things for a one-time purchase and share it with your family at no extra cost. No subscriptions. No adds. No shenanigans. Privacy Policy: https://scanthing.app/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://scanthing.app/terms-of-use/

About

Plain AI

Features
Read full description

Plain AI is a simple, straightforward AI chat app that runs entirely on your device. All conversations are private and processed locally without any internet connection. Key Features • Multiple AI Models: Choose from Llama 3.2 (1B and 3B), Qwen 3.1 1.7B, Gemma 2 2B, or Apple Foundation Models • Complete Privacy: All processing happens on your device - no data is sent to servers • Customizable Parameters: Adjust temperature and top-p settings to control response creativity and diversity • Offline First: Works without internet after initial model download • Clean Interface: Simple, distraction-free chat experience Supported Models • Apple Foundation Models (iOS 26+, no download required) • Llama 3.2 1B (fast and efficient for basic tasks) • Llama 3.2 3B (balanced speed and quality) • Qwen 3.1 1.7B (multilingual support) • Gemma 2 2B (safe and reliable responses) Privacy Your conversations never leave your device. No accounts, no tracking, no data collection. Everything stays private and local. Free Forever Plain AI is completely free with no ads, subscriptions, or in-app purchases. Download a model and start chatting. Requirements • Storage space for downloaded models (approximately 700MB to 2GB per model) • Apple Foundation Models require iOS 26 or later and compatible devices AI responses may occasionally be inaccurate. Please verify important information.

Screenshots

Scan Things1 screens
Plain AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Plain AI at none against Scan Things's 1. Scan Things's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads 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. Scan Things sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Plain AI asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Scan Things versus Plain AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScan ThingsPlain AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size222 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOperates Spaceships LLCJarle Hansen

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Scan Things

One-time1
  • Unlimited Scans$6.99
None

Plain AI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scan Things free?
Scan Things is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plain AI free?
Plain AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Scan Things or Plain AI have ads?
Neither Scan Things nor Plain AI shows ads.

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