Comparison

Scanlet vs Dear Diary

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

Head to head
About

Scanlet

Transform paper documents into searchable digital files with advanced scanning and OCR capabilities. Easily capture, edit, sign, and share PDFs, organizing your important papers efficiently. Offers cloud sync and quick access features for seamless document management.

Highlights
  • Scan documents, receipts, and IDs
  • Automatic edge detection and straightening
  • Image to text (OCR) recognition
  • Fill and sign PDFs
  • Export in PDF, JPG, PNG, or text
  • Organize with folders and subfolders
  • iCloud sync for iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Scanlet turns paper into clean, searchable PDFs in seconds. Point the camera at a page and tap the shutter: Scanlet finds the edges, straightens the page, removes shadows and reads the text, so you can find any scan later by the words on it. SCAN ANYTHING • Documents, contracts, letters, forms, handwritten notes and homework • Receipts and invoices for expenses and taxes • ID cards: a card-shaped guide, front then back, both sides on one page at real size, ready to print or send • As many pages as you like in one PDF; review every page and retake any of them before you save • Capture when you tap the shutter, or let Scanlet take the photo as soon as the page holds still • Import photos and pictures from your library, and PDFs or images from Files; the page is found and cropped automatically CLEAN, READABLE PAGES • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction • Enhance (off, low, medium, high): white paper, no shadows, dark readable text, even in low light • Color, grayscale or black & white • Crop with corner handles, rotate, reorder, delete or add pages any time; every edit can be undone IMAGE TO TEXT (OCR) • Printed and handwritten text is recognized on your iPhone right after you scan • Search your whole library by the words inside your documents • Search inside a document and see the words highlighted on the page • Choose the recognition language, or let Scanlet detect it • Read the text as paragraphs or line by line, then copy, share or translate it • Export searchable PDFs that you can search and copy from on any computer SIGN AND SEND • Fill and sign: draw your signature once and place it on any page • Export as PDF, JPG, PNG or text • Compress PDFs: small files for email and forms, or 300 dpi print quality • Paper size: fit to image, A4, US Letter or US Legal • Save to Files, share to any app, or print • Export favorites: save a format, size and destination once, then export in one tap ORGANIZED AND PRIVATE • Folders and subfolders, favorites, sorting, grid or list • Merge documents, extract pages and duplicate files • Every tool one tap away in the Tools tab • Recently Deleted keeps removed documents for 7, 30 or 90 days • Sync through your private iCloud to your iPhone and iPad, or keep scans on this device only. No account needed • Start a scan from Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Control Center, Siri, the Shortcuts app or a long press on the app icon • Find any scan from iPhone Search by the words inside it SCANLET PRO Scanlet is free to use with ads. Scanlet Pro removes all ads and adds: • Face ID lock for single documents or the whole app • Signatures on any page • Password-protected PDFs • AI summaries and questions about your documents, processed on device (on devices that support Apple Intelligence) Scanlet Pro is available as an auto-renewing weekly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel them anytime in your Apple Account settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.documentscannerapp.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://www.documentscannerapp.com/privacy/

About

Dear Diary

A private and simple digital journal for recording daily thoughts, emotions, and memories. Express yourself freely with an easy-to-use interface designed for personal reflection and saving meaningful moments.

Highlights
  • Daily diary entries
  • Record thoughts and feelings
  • Save important memories
  • Private writing space
  • Simple and clean design
  • Easy journaling experience
Features
Read full description

Dear Diary is a simple and private space to record your life, thoughts, and memories. Whether you want to write about your day, keep personal notes, record emotions, or save meaningful moments, Dear Diary helps you express yourself freely. Features: • Write daily diary entries easily • Clean and simple design • Record thoughts, feelings, and experiences • Save important memories anytime • Private and personal writing space • Easy-to-use journal experience • Don’t need to write it, just record it Life moves fast, but memories matter. Start writing your story today with Dear Diary.

Screenshots

Scanlet4 screens
Dear Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dear Diary at none against Scanlet's 3. Dear Diary also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 14 months). On price, rating 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. Scanlet sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Dear Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Scanlet against 5.0 for Dear Diary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dear Diary has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scanlet ships an update every 14 months, Dear Diary every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 3 level
Scanlet versus Dear Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScanletDear Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings)
Number of ratings17 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB28 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDavid KrejciMichael Ramsey

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Scanlet

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-time purchase$69.99
None

Dear Diary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scanlet free?
Scanlet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dear Diary free?
Dear Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scanlet or Dear Diary?
Scanlet and Dear Diary are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 7 ratings respectively.
Do Scanlet or Dear Diary have ads?
Scanlet shows ads; Dear Diary does not.
Which is updated more often, Scanlet or Dear Diary?
Scanlet ships an update every 14 months, and Dear Diary every 6 weeks. Most recently, Scanlet was updated on November 5, 2026 and Dear Diary on October 31, 2026.

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