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 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

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 and iPad into a fast document scanner. Scan, search inside every scan, and keep it all private. Try 3 documents free, then unlock unlimited scanning for a one-time $4.99. No subscription, ever. MADE IN AMERICA. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS. ScanWow is designed and built in Birmingham, Alabama. - No account and no sign-up - Text recognition runs on your device - Your scans are not stored on our servers - No ads and no tracking - Backups go to your own iCloud, not ours (Pro) SEARCH INSIDE EVERY SCAN Find any receipt, contract, or note by a word inside it, not just its file name. SCAN ANYTHING - Receipts, documents, business cards, whiteboards, notes - Automatic edge detection and cropping - Color, grayscale, and black and white modes - Multi-page PDFs: add pages, then export one clean PDF READS TEXT IN UP TO 17 LANGUAGES Copy or share the text from any scan. RECEIPTS AND TAX TIME Snap receipts as you go. Find them later by store, item, or total. SIRI AND SHORTCUTS Say "Scan a document with ScanWow" or add scanning to your own shortcuts. OPTIONAL MAGIC ENHANCE Tap Magic Enhance on any page for AI clean-up and formatting. Only the pages you choose are sent to Google Gemini for processing, and they are not stored on our servers. Pages you don't choose are not sent to us or to Google. Magic Enhance uses credits, and extra credit refills are an optional separate purchase. PRICING - Free: 3 documents to try everything. A 10-page contract counts as one. - ScanWow Pro: $4.99 one-time purchase. Unlimited scans, automatic iCloud backup, and 1,000 Magic Enhance credits. No subscription. Questions? Visit scanwow.io/support

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 — 9 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 weekly, ScanWow every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Document Scanner versus ScanWow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDocument ScannerScanWow
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings) — better4.4 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings99
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 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
Size6 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEssex SoftwareCaptain Intelligence LLC

Customer experience

Document Scanner

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 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 9 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 weekly, and ScanWow every 5 days. Most recently, Document Scanner was updated on October 17, 2026 and ScanWow on October 25, 2026.

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