Comparison

Scanem vs QR Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Scanem

Easily scan documents using your phone's camera and enhance their quality. This app allows you to customize, compress, sign, and secure your PDFs without watermarks or paywalls. Share your documents instantly in a private and efficient manner.

Highlights
  • Scan documents with camera
  • Enhance quality and readability
  • Compress PDF file size
  • Sign and markup PDFs
  • Lock PDFs with password
  • One-tap sharing
  • 100% private, on-device storage
Read full description

Scanem is a free PDF document scanner for iPhone. Use your camera to scan receipts, notes, and multi-page documents, then adjust the result before saving or sharing it. ■ FEATURES - Scan one or more pages: Capture paper documents with the built-in document camera, then crop or rotate pages as needed. - Adjust your scan: Choose color, grayscale, or black and white, apply enhancement, and set the PDF quality and dimensions. - Control file size: Use lower quality or smaller dimensions when you need a PDF that takes up less space and is easier to share. - Preview and rename: Review the complete PDF, check its file size, and change its name before exporting. - Mark up the document: Use the built-in PDF preview to add markup and make final edits before saving or sharing. - Save or share: Export the PDF to Files, Mail, and other apps. ■ HOW IT WORKS 1. Scan your document with the camera. 2. Review the pages and adjust the PDF. 3. Save it to Files or share it. ■ PRIVATE AND FREE - Your scanned documents are processed on your iPhone and are not uploaded by Scanem. - Every feature is free to use, with no subscriptions, paywalls, or watermarks. Scanem keeps document scanning simple, from the first page to the finished PDF. Terms of Use: - https://scannerapp.notion.site/scan-terms-of-use

About

QR Viewer

Features
Read full description

QR Viewer is a lean scanner for QR codes and barcodes that doesn't catch you off guard: everything you scan is shown first. Links and other actions only start once you turn them on and confirm. That way you see beforehand where a code really leads. SCANNING • QR codes, barcodes (EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Codabar, ITF-14), Data Matrix, PDF417 and Aztec • Choose the scan type right in the title or recognize all codes at once • Rear camera zoom levels as in the Camera app, e.g. 0.5× · 1× · 2× · 5× • Flashlight and a short vibration on detection • Also read codes from photos and screenshots (can be turned on in the settings) UNDERSTANDING CONTENT • Contacts (vCard, MECARD), events, Wi-Fi access, email, phone, SMS, locations, links, bank transfers (GiroCode), one-time passwords (2FA), bookmarks, Matter setup codes (smart home), JSON, product numbers (EAN, ISBN, ISSN) and Deutsche Post matrix codes are shown clearly as a card with labeled fields • Every field can be copied on its own • An info button explains in plain words what data the code contains and what happens when you tap an action • VDV eTickets such as the Deutschlandticket become readable: ticket number, product, validity and signature check • German federal medication plan: patient, practice and all medicines with dosage, note and reason become readable; the PZN can be copied. The plan is never stored in the history • Amazon anti-counterfeiting codes (Transparency) with serial number • Binary codes appear as a hex view with a text column ACTIONS – OPTIONAL, ALWAYS WITH CONFIRMATION • Off by default: QR Viewer then only shows the content. Turn on the actions in the menu under "Settings" • Open links; known tracking parameters are removed first • Write an email, call, send an SMS, show a place on the map • Add contacts and events, hand 2FA keys to your authenticator app • Look up products and books online, track shipments COPY, SHARE, SHOW • Copy and share content • Show the scanned code as an image – in its original format or as a QR code HISTORY • Reopen, search, swipe away or export the last 25 scans as CSV or JSON • 2FA keys are not stored • The history is stored encrypted (AES-256); the key stays in your device's Keychain Light and dark mode, available in 13 languages. PRIVACY QR Viewer needs no account, contains no ads and collects no data. Codes are analyzed only on your device. When scanning photos, the app only gets the picture you choose – without access to your other photos. The history stays on your device and can be deleted at any time.

Screenshots

Scanem3 screens
QR Viewer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: QR Viewer at every 2 days against Scanem's every 5 weeks. QR Viewer also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scanem ships an update every 5 weeks, QR Viewer every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Scanem versus QR Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScanemQR Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (33 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLabi, LLCThorsten Ludewig

In-app purchases

None

Scanem

No in-app purchases

None

QR Viewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scanem free?
Scanem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is QR Viewer free?
QR Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Scanem or QR Viewer have ads?
Neither Scanem nor QR Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scanem or QR Viewer?
Scanem ships an update every 5 weeks, and QR Viewer every 2 days. Most recently, Scanem was updated on November 9, 2026 and QR Viewer on October 31, 2026.

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