# PDF Reader vs PDF Scanner

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Scanner at 100% against PDF Reader's 43%. PDF Scanner also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and ads (none vs shown). PDF Reader's advantage is ratings volume (492 vs 2) and chart position (#86 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and PDF Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Scanner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 492 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of PDF Scanner's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 10 days, PDF Scanner weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (492 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-ocr-scan-edit/id6754001880/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-scan-sign-and-edit/id6757586969/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **492** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#86** | — |
| Size | 72 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fuzhou Jiange Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1821346905) | [Yehor Yurchenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1864947095) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-ocr-scan-edit/id6754001880)

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This mobile app acts as a PDF office assistant, offering features for editing, scanning, and optical character recognition. It allows for easy document management, page manipulation, and conversion of images and paper documents into editable digital files.

**Highlights:** PDF Editing, Image to PDF conversion, Import PDF files, OCR Text Recognition, Add, delete, rearrange pages, Filters, highlights, annotations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Reader Ad-Free | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Reader Ad-Free | $29.99 | per year |


### PDF Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-scan-sign-and-edit/id6757586969)

Transform your phone into a powerful document scanner. Easily capture, organize, and convert documents into searchable PDFs using OCR technology. Search and edit text within your scanned files, and share them instantly.

**Highlights:** Scan documents with camera, Create searchable PDFs with OCR, Instant text search within PDFs, Organize files with folders, Recover deleted files, Share PDFs anywhere

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EN | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| EN | $5.99 | per month |
| EN | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Scanner free?

PDF Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDF Scanner?

PDF Scanner is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 492 ratings, while PDF Scanner averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or PDF Scanner have ads?

PDF Reader shows ads; PDF Scanner does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDF Scanner?

PDF Reader ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Scanner weekly. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on October 25, 2026 and PDF Scanner on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*