Comparison

Cards plus vs Scanem

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

Head to head
About

Cards plus

Securely store digital copies of your important documents like IDs, insurance, and membership cards. Access them offline with strong encryption and no cloud storage. Organize everything with smart features and a user-friendly interface.

Highlights
  • Secure offline storage
  • Strong encryption with PIN/Face ID
  • Intelligent document scanning (OCR)
  • Customizable organization (tags, folders)
  • Apple Watch support
  • Multiple language support
Features
Read full description

Cards+ is your private digital wallet for ID cards, cards, PDFs and important documents. Driver's license, health insurance card, passport, membership card, vehicle documents, notes or multi-page PDFs: everything stays organized in one place and is ready when you need it. Instead of searching through drawers, photo libraries or old messages, you store your most important documents in Cards+: with folders, tags, favorites, search, full-text recognition and secure access with PIN, Face ID or Touch ID. SECURE & PRIVACY-FIRST Cards+ is built for local, private use. Your cards and documents are stored and protected on your device and can be used without an account, forced cloud storage or tracking. - Protection with PIN, Face ID or Touch ID - Local storage for your cards, photos and PDFs - Encrypted backups and restore - No sign-in required - No tracking Apple Wallet export note: To create and sign a Wallet pass, only the Wallet data you choose is processed after your consent. SCAN, IMPORT, ORGANIZE Add cards and documents the way it works best for you: with the camera, photo import or PDF import. Cards+ helps you capture, crop and edit your card images. Folders, smart features, custom tags, favorites and filters keep even large collections clear. Find insurance cards, memberships, IDs, tickets, vehicle documents or family paperwork right when you need them. ADVANCED SEARCH & TEXT RECOGNITION Cards+ can recognize text from card images and documents and make it searchable. Search for names, numbers, addresses, phone numbers, notes, tags, folders or recognized text without opening every document one by one. APPLE WALLET EXPORT With Cards+ Pro, you can export selected cards as Apple Wallet passes. QR codes and barcodes can be detected and carried over into the Wallet pass. You decide which fields are visible, which are treated as sensitive and how the pass is displayed. APPLE WATCH With the Apple Watch app, important cards are available right on your wrist. Ideal for quick moments when your iPhone stays in your pocket. SMART FEATURES - Document scanning and photo import - PDF import and PDF viewing - Advanced full-text search - Automatic OCR field recognition for numbers, phone numbers, addresses and more - Custom folders, tags and favorites - Expiry dates and reminders - Export individual cards or entire folders - Encrypted backups - Apple Wallet export with QR/barcode support - Apple Watch app - Works offline PERFECT FOR - Travelers who need quick access to important documents - Families organizing multiple IDs, cards and documents - Professionals who want memberships, proofs and documents within reach - Anyone who wants a lighter wallet and still be prepared - Everyone who wants to store important copies securely, privately and neatly VERSIONS Free: - Up to 15 cards - Up to 3 folders - Up to 3 PDFs - Photo import, PDF import and search to try out Lite: - Up to 25 cards - Up to 3 folders - Up to 3 PDFs - Advanced filters, favorites, photo import and editing Pro: - Unlimited cards - Unlimited folders and PDFs - Apple Wallet export with QR/barcode support - Advanced full-text search and smart fields - Apple Watch app - Expiry reminders - Encrypted backups and restore - Advanced export features Available in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and more. LEGAL NOTICE Digital copies are for convenience and do not replace original documents required by law. Continue carrying official original documents when legally required.

About

Scanem

Easily scan documents using your phone's camera and enhance their quality. This app allows you to customize, compress, sign, and secure your PDFs without watermarks or paywalls. Share your documents instantly in a private and efficient manner.

Highlights
  • Scan documents with camera
  • Enhance quality and readability
  • Compress PDF file size
  • Sign and markup PDFs
  • Lock PDFs with password
  • One-tap sharing
  • 100% private, on-device storage
Read full description

Scanem is a free PDF document scanner for iPhone. Use your camera to scan receipts, notes, and multi-page documents, then adjust the result before saving or sharing it. ■ FEATURES - Scan one or more pages: Capture paper documents with the built-in document camera, then crop or rotate pages as needed. - Adjust your scan: Choose color, grayscale, or black and white, apply enhancement, and set the PDF quality and dimensions. - Control file size: Use lower quality or smaller dimensions when you need a PDF that takes up less space and is easier to share. - Preview and rename: Review the complete PDF, check its file size, and change its name before exporting. - Mark up the document: Use the built-in PDF preview to add markup and make final edits before saving or sharing. - Save or share: Export the PDF to Files, Mail, and other apps. ■ HOW IT WORKS 1. Scan your document with the camera. 2. Review the pages and adjust the PDF. 3. Save it to Files or share it. ■ PRIVATE AND FREE - Your scanned documents are processed on your iPhone and are not uploaded by Scanem. - Every feature is free to use, with no subscriptions, paywalls, or watermarks. Scanem keeps document scanning simple, from the first page to the finished PDF. Terms of Use: - https://scannerapp.notion.site/scan-terms-of-use

Screenshots

Cards plus4 screens
Scanem3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scanem at none against Cards plus's 3. Scanem also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 85%). Cards plus's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (18.4 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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. Cards plus sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Scanem asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cards plus ships an update weekly, Scanem every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cards plus versus Scanem: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCards plusScanem
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (31 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—31 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOliver LievenLabi, LLC

Customer experience

Cards plus

Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%

Scanem

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Cards plus

One-time3
  • Cards+ Lite$1.99
  • Cards+ Upgrade Lite to Pro$2.99
  • Cards+ Pro$4.99
None

Scanem

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cards plus free?
Cards plus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scanem free?
Scanem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Cards plus or Scanem have ads?
Neither Cards plus nor Scanem shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cards plus or Scanem?
Cards plus ships an update weekly, and Scanem every 5 weeks. Most recently, Cards plus was updated on October 24, 2026 and Scanem on October 24, 2026.

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