Comparison

PDF Scanner vs DocScan AI

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

Head to head
About

PDF Scanner

Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a private PDF scanner for receipts, IDs, contracts, notes and everyday paperwork. Scanner captures clean documents, builds searchable PDFs with OCR, and organizes your files with on-device AI. No account, no cloud AI, no ads and no watermarks. SCAN FAST - Capture single or multi-page documents - Auto-detect edges and clean up scans - Import from Photos or Files - Reorder, rotate, merge and split pages FIND ANYTHING - Search scanned text with OCR - Auto-classify receipts, IDs, contracts, medical records, invoices and notes - Use smart folders, tags and categories EDIT AND SHARE - Add signatures, text, drawings, images and emoji annotations - Export searchable PDFs - Share through Mail, AirDrop, Files or any iOS app - Batch export as ZIP when you need a full backup PRIVATE BY DESIGN - On-device AI processing - iCloud sync through your Apple ID - Face ID or Touch ID app lock - No third-party servers for document intelligence PREMIUM Scanner Premium unlocks unlimited pages, multiple signatures, annotations, merge/split, batch export and more. Try free for 7 days, then $19.99/year or $2.99/month. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled in App Store settings. Questions or feedback: info@pixelforty.com Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://pixelforty.com/scanner/privacy/

About

DocScan AI

This app intelligently scans documents directly on your device, ensuring complete privacy. It offers AI-powered organization, OCR, and flexible export options. Sync seamlessly between your iPhone and Mac.

Highlights
  • On-device AI processing for privacy
  • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction
  • AI-powered document classification
  • Full-text OCR with offline support
  • Customizable folders and tags
  • Export to PDF, JPEG, PNG, or text
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

DocScan AI is the intelligent document scanner that keeps your data completely private. All AI processing happens on your device — no cloud, no servers, no compromises. SCAN SMART • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction • Multi-page document capture in a single session • Batch scanning — scan multiple documents back-to-back (Pro) • Five image filters: Original, Enhanced, Grayscale, B&W, High Contrast AI-POWERED ORGANIZATION • Automatic document classification into 9 categories: Invoice, Receipt, Contract, Letter, Form, Report, ID, Business Card, and Document • AI-suggested titles, summaries, and key insights (Pro) • Smart field extraction: dates, amounts, VAT numbers, IBANs, company names, phone numbers, emails, and more (Pro) • Confidence scores so you always know how accurate the AI is • AI classification and field extraction require iOS 26 and an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone — all other features work on iOS 17 and later POWERFUL OCR • Full-text recognition powered by Apple Vision — works offline • Automatic language detection • Searchable PDF export with invisible text layer • Find any word across all your documents instantly ORGANIZE YOUR WAY • Custom folders with icons and colors • Tags with color coding — assign multiple per document • Favorites for quick access • Category-based browsing • Full-text search across titles, OCR text, and extracted fields EXPORT & SHARE • PDF (OCR-searchable), JPEG, PNG, or plain text • System share sheet: AirDrop, Mail, Messages, and more • Bulk export — combine or export individually CLOUD BACKUP (Pro) • Back up to Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive • Auto-upload new scans to your own cloud accounts • Organized folder structure by category • Retry logic and sync status per document SYNC ACROSS DEVICES • iCloud sync between iPhone and Mac (optional) • Companion macOS app for desktop document management • Edit on Mac, see changes on iPhone — and vice versa PRIVACY FIRST • 100% on-device AI — documents never leave your phone • No analytics, no tracking, no third-party data collection • Camera used only for scanning — nothing else • Cloud backup is opt-in to YOUR accounts only • No account required to use the app FREE TIER • 5 scans per month with full OCR • Folders, favorites, search, and export included PRO (Lifetime Purchase) • Unlimited scanning • AI classification, summaries, and field extraction • Cloud backup and auto-upload • Batch scanning • One purchase, yours forever — no subscription DocScan AI is built with SwiftUI and Apple's latest frameworks. It requires no internet connection to scan, classify, and organize your documents.

Screenshots

PDF Scanner4 screens
DocScan AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Scanner at none against DocScan AI's 1. PDF Scanner also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). DocScan AI's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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. DocScan AI sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Scanner ships an update every 2 days, DocScan AI every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
PDF Scanner versus DocScan AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ScannerDocScan AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPixel Forty Inc.AppConsult

In-app purchases

None

PDF Scanner

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

DocScan AI

One-time1
  • DocScan AI Pro (Lifetime)$2.99

Questions

Is PDF Scanner free?
PDF Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DocScan AI free?
DocScan AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDF Scanner or DocScan AI have ads?
Neither PDF Scanner nor DocScan AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDF Scanner or DocScan AI?
PDF Scanner ships an update every 2 days, and DocScan AI every 5 days. Most recently, PDF Scanner was updated on October 25, 2026 and DocScan AI on October 28, 2026.

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