Comparison

Document Scanner vs ScanWow

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, business cards, and receipts into PDF or JPG formats. It offers OCR text recognition in multiple languages and advanced PDF tools, with a focus on privacy and a one-time purchase model.

Highlights
  • Scan documents, business cards, receipts, and QR codes
  • OCR text recognition in 15 languages
  • Export to PDF, JPG, and TXT
  • PDF compression and merging
  • Batch processing
  • Offline mode
  • One-time purchase, no subscriptions
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 Free users: Choose ANY 2 languages One-Time Purchase: All 14 languages forever 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 • Offline mode: Works without internet - 100% functional NO WATERMARKS. NO ADS. NO TRACKING. TRY FREE, UPGRADE WHEN READY Free Forever: • 5 scans per month • 10 OCR pages (2 languages of your choice) • All 5 scan modes included • Store up to 10 documents One-Time Purchase: • Unlimited scans & OCR • All 14 languages • 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 • Zero data collection DOWNLOAD FREE TODAY Try all features free. Upgrade to unlimited anytime with a one-time purchase. Your documents. Your device. Your privacy.

About

ScanWow

Transform your device into an intelligent document scanner. Enhance images, extract text with AI, and create professional PDFs. Offers on-device processing for privacy and a secure API for developers.

Highlights
  • AI-powered document enhancement
  • Text extraction with OCR
  • PDF creation and sharing
  • On-device scanning for privacy
  • Secure API export
  • Auto edge detection
Read full description

ScanWow turns your iPhone into an AI-powered document scanner. Download free, scan 3 documents on the house, and see why it's the simplest way to scan, search, and back up your documents. AI-POWERED SCANNING Magic Cloud uses Google Gemini AI to automatically enhance your scans, straighten text, boost contrast, and extract text with incredible accuracy. KEY FEATURES Scan Anything - Point your camera at any document, receipt, business card, or whiteboard - Auto edge detection finds the document corners instantly - Color, black and white, and text-only enhancement modes AI-Powered OCR - Extract text from any scan in 17 languages - Automatic detection of prices, dates, emails, and phone numbers - Copy text to clipboard or share instantly Search Inside Your Scans - Find any document by the words inside it, not just its name - ScanWow reads and indexes your scans so a quick search surfaces the exact receipt, contract, or note - No more scrolling through folders PDF Export - Create multi-page PDF documents - Professional quality output - Share to any app, email, or cloud storage Automatic iCloud Backup (Pro) - Your scans back up automatically to your OWN iCloud - Pick up on any of your Apple devices - Private by design - backups live in your iCloud, never on our servers Siri & Shortcuts - Start a scan hands-free with Siri - Automate your scanning workflow in the Shortcuts app Privacy First - All on-device scans stay on YOUR device - No account required - No data collection - Magic Cloud scans are processed and immediately deleted PRICING Free to download. 3 free scans included. Unlock Pro for $4.99 to get unlimited scanning and 1,000 AI-powered Magic Cloud scans. No subscriptions. No monthly fees. Ever. FOR DEVELOPERS ScanWow includes a Secure API Export feature. Automatically send scans to your own server or workflow via HTTPS with Bearer token authentication. PERFECT FOR - Scanning receipts and expense tracking - Digitizing business cards - Capturing meeting notes and whiteboards - Archiving important documents - Students scanning notes and homework - Small businesses going paperless

Screenshots

Document Scanner4 screens
ScanWow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Document Scanner at 5.0 against ScanWow's 4.4. Document Scanner also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 83%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 1 one-off in-app purchase and ScanWow sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Document Scanner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Document Scanner's written reviews are positive against 83% of ScanWow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Document Scanner ships an update every 5 days, ScanWow every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Document Scanner versus ScanWow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDocument ScannerScanWow
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better4.4 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings79 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEssex SoftwareCaptain Intelligence LLC

Customer experience

Document Scanner

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ScanWow

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Document Scanner

One-time1
  • Scaniva — Full Version$9.99
2 purchases

ScanWow

One-time2
  • Magic Cloud Credits (1000)$4.99
  • ScanWow Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Document Scanner free?
Document Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ScanWow free?
ScanWow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Document Scanner or ScanWow?
Document Scanner is rated higher. Document Scanner averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while ScanWow averages 4.4 from 9 ratings.
Do Document Scanner or ScanWow have ads?
Neither Document Scanner nor ScanWow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Document Scanner or ScanWow?
Document Scanner ships an update every 5 days, and ScanWow every 4 days. Most recently, Document Scanner was updated on September 13, 2026 and ScanWow on September 6, 2026.

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