Comparison

Document Scanner vs PDFz

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

Head to head
About

Document Scanner

This app allows you to scan documents, receipts, and IDs into PDF or JPG formats. It offers OCR in 14 languages, batch processing, and secure offline functionality. A one-time purchase unlocks all features permanently, with no subscriptions or ads.

Highlights
  • One-time purchase, no subscriptions
  • OCR in 14 languages
  • 5 scan modes (Documents, Business Cards, ID, Receipts, QR)
  • PDF compression and merging
  • Export to PDF, JPG, TXT
  • Batch operations
  • Sign, protect, and watermark documents
Features
Read full description

THE LAST SCANNER APP YOU'LL EVER BUY Stop paying monthly for basic features. One simple purchase unlocks everything forever. No monthly fees, no hidden costs, no expiration. NO SUBSCRIPTION. EVER. Pay once. Own forever. While competitors charge monthly subscriptions, Scaniva is a one-time purchase. 100% PRIVATE & SECURE Your documents never leave your device. No cloud uploads required. No account sign-up. No tracking. What you scan stays on YOUR iPhone and iPad. 14 LANGUAGES INCLUDED OCR text recognition in 14 languages: English • Spanish • French • German • Italian • Portuguese • Russian • Ukrainian • Japanese • Chinese (Simplified & Traditional) • Korean • Arabic • Turkish PROFESSIONAL FEATURES • 5 scan modes: Documents, Business Cards, ID Cards, Receipts, QR Codes • PDF tools: Compress (80%) and merge multiple documents • Export formats: PDF, JPG, TXT • Batch operations: Process multiple documents at once • Open in Scaniva from any app · Siri Shortcuts • Offline mode: Works without internet - 100% functional SIGN, PROTECT, WATERMARK • Sign documents: draw your signature once, place it on any page, reuse saved signatures • Password-protect your PDF exports • Watermark exports: CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT or your own text NO WATERMARKS. NO ADS. NO TRACKING. TRY FREE, UPGRADE WHEN READY Free to start: • 10 free scans • 10 OCR pages • 3 merges • All 5 scan modes included • Store up to 10 documents One-Time Purchase: • Unlimited scans, OCR & merges • Unlimited storage • Professional exports (no footer) • PDF compression • Lifetime updates • All future features • No recurring charges WHY CHOOSE SCANIVA? Most scanner apps charge monthly subscriptions. • CamScanner: Subscription model • Adobe Scan: Subscription, requires account, cloud storage • iScanner: Monthly fees • Genius Scan: Paid OCR features Scaniva: One simple payment. Forever. TRUSTED & SECURE • Developed by Essex Software (Charlotte, NC) • 22 years in business • A+ BBB Rating • GDPR Compliant DOWNLOAD FREE TODAY Start with 10 free scans, 10 OCR pages and 3 merges. One purchase unlocks unlimited scans, OCR and merges - forever, no subscription. Your documents. Your device. Your privacy.

About

PDFz

Easily scan documents, convert images to PDFs, and merge or split files. Secure your sensitive information with passwords and watermarks. Organize pages, optimize file sizes, and share securely.

Highlights
  • High-quality document scanning
  • Convert images to PDF
  • Merge and split PDFs
  • Password protection
  • Add watermarks and signatures
  • Organize pages
  • Secure sharing
Features
Read full description

PDFz turns your iPhone into a complete PDF office: scan, edit, sign, fill forms, convert and share — in English and Arabic, side by side. SCAN ANYTHING • Point the camera. The page is found, straightened and cleaned before you lift your thumb. • Filters for shadows, handwriting and colour. Multi-page in one go. • ID cards: front and back on a single page. Passport and visa photos in official sizes. • Long receipts stitched from several shots. Books split into left and right pages. EDIT IT LIKE A DOCUMENT, NOT A PICTURE • Edit the text that is already on the page. Move and resize images. Add, reorder and rotate pages. • Text, markup and signatures are live layers you can move — not pixels you have to redo. • Watermark, page numbers, permanent redaction, full undo history. SIGN AND FILL • Draw your signature, type it, or lift it from paper. It stays saved on the device. • Fill real PDF forms: tick boxes, dropdowns, required fields — and it stays a form. • Start from a blank page and build your own form. CONVERT • PDF to Word, Excel and PowerPoint with layout, tables and bilingual text kept in reading order. Processed on the PDFz server and deleted the moment it finishes. • Images to PDF, PDF to images, one long image, print. ORGANISE AND FIND • Search the words inside every document — OCR included. • Merge, split, extract pages. Compress with the new size shown before you commit. • Password-protect any PDF. Lock folders with Face ID. • Share over Wi-Fi to any browser on your network. No cloud account. TRANSLATE • Translate a whole document on the page and save it, or translate live through the camera. MADE FOR ARABIC AND ENGLISH Right-to-left layout, bilingual pages that stay side by side, Arabic and English OCR. Available in 49 languages. PRIVACY No account. Scanning, editing, signing and OCR run on the device. Conversion files are deleted from the server as soon as your download is ready. PDFz PLUS Some features need PDFz Plus — weekly, monthly or yearly, with a free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Document Scanner4 screens
PDFz4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDFz at none against Document Scanner's 2. Document Scanner's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Document Scanner sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. PDFz 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 Document Scanner against 5.0 for PDFz. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Document Scanner ships an update weekly, PDFz every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Document Scanner versus PDFz: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDocument ScannerPDFz
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEssex SoftwareKhaled Khalifa

Customer experience

Document Scanner

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PDFz

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Document Scanner

One-time2
  • Scaniva — Full Version (Offer)$7.99
  • Scaniva — Full Version$12.99
None

PDFz

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Document Scanner free?
Document Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDFz free?
PDFz is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Document Scanner or PDFz?
Document Scanner and PDFz are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Document Scanner or PDFz have ads?
Neither Document Scanner nor PDFz shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Document Scanner or PDFz?
Document Scanner ships an update weekly, and PDFz every 10 days. Most recently, Document Scanner was updated on October 30, 2026 and PDFz on October 13, 2026.

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