ExplainThisDoc vs xPlainly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
ExplainThisDoc
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A letter from an authority. An invoice. A contract. A cancellation notice. A form. Documents mean work. What does this mean for me? Do I need to do something? By when? Do I need to pay, reply, or sign? And when I need the document again later β where was it? ExplainThisDoc is your digital document archive with a built-in assistant. It brings paper documents and PDFs together in one place, explains what they mean, identifies deadlines, tasks, and next steps, and helps you take action. No more piles of paper or PDFs scattered across different apps. Reading, understanding, organizing, and finding documents becomes easier: scan or import them, see what matters, edit and sign when needed β and quickly find them again later. Everything digital. Everything at hand. With an assistant that helps you understand what matters and get things done. UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS Long letters, complicated wording, important information buried in paragraphs: ExplainThisDoc turns documents into a clear, easy-to-understand overview. Depending on the document, the analysis can identify: β’ Summaries and key points β’ Tasks and next steps β’ Deadlines and appointments β’ Amounts and payment information β’ Obligations, risks, and important conditions β’ Potential cost traps β’ Addresses, locations, and contacts β’ Reference and case numbers β’ Open questions and important details See at a glance what a document is about, what affects you, and whether you need to take action. DONβT JUST UNDERSTAND. TAKE ACTION. Add recognized appointments to your calendar. Open addresses for directions and navigation. Use contact details for follow-up questions. Need to edit or sign a form or contract? Open the original and take care of it directly in the app. Deadlines, payments, and tasks are highlighted so important information doesnβt get overlooked. FROM PAPER TO A DIGITAL ARCHIVE Scan paper documents with your camera or import PDFs and other documents from Files, Mail, Downloads, and other apps. You can also add images and text from the clipboard. Review multi-page scans, add pages, or rescan individual pages. Text recognition is performed directly on your device. THE ORIGINAL STAYS WITH YOU The analysis and original document stay connected. Open the document in the built-in reader, search the recognized text, and check the exact wording at any time. Mark up or add content, edit the document, and sign it directly in the app. FIND ANYTHING QUICKLY Where was that invoice? Which letter contained the deadline? Search by content, titles, and recognized information, and filter by document type, date range, and other criteria. You donβt need to remember a filename or where you saved it. You can also link related documents such as a contract and invoice, a notice and reply, or a booking and ticket. YOU CHOOSE HOW TO ANALYZE Scan Only: Digitize and archive β without AI analysis. On-Device Analysis: Analyze document text directly on your device without sending it to an external AI provider. Available on supported devices. Pro Analysis: For more detailed explanations. You choose whether Mistral in the EU or OpenAI in the USA is used. PROTECTED AND AD-FREE Protect your archive with Face ID. Export and import let you back up and transfer your document collection. ExplainThisDoc contains no ads and no trackers. Original documents, PDFs, photos, and scans are not sent to Mistral or OpenAI for AI analysis. With Pro Analysis, only the extracted text is sent to your selected AI provider. With On-Device Analysis, the text stays on your device. AI-generated results may contain errors. Always verify important deadlines, amounts, obligations, and conditions against the original document. ExplainThisDoc takes the work out of documents: digitize, understand, act, archive, and find β all in one place.
xPlainly
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xPlainly - Read any letter. In your language. Official mail shouldn't be stressful. Snap a photo, and xPlainly gives you a clear, plain-language explanation in seconds - in your language. What xPlainly does: Instant Analysis - Understand any official letter immediately. Key facts, deadlines and action items highlighted automatically. Personal Assistant - Ask questions about your documents, generate professional replies, get specific advice. Your AI knows your entire letter history. Cases - Related letters are automatically grouped. Track deadlines, amounts and status across multiple documents at a glance. Deadline Tracking - Never miss a due date. Export deadlines directly to your calendar. Pay Now - Pay bills directly from the app where supported. Privacy first: - Saved letters are encrypted on your device - only you can open them - Recovery key: set one up once, it unlocks your letters on a new device - Letters are stored and analysed on EU servers in Frankfurt - GDPR compliant - Powered by Claude AI - your letters are never used for training Simple pricing: Your first letter is free. After that you buy credit - 5 or 20 letters, one payment. No subscription, credit never expires, and a failed scan never costs you anything. 26 languages supported. More on request. Built in Germany by an engineer who knows what it's like to deal with official paperwork in a foreign language. Stop guessing. Start knowing. Privacy Policy: https://xplainly.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
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Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: ExplainThisDoc at every 3 days against xPlainly's every 2 months. xPlainly's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. ExplainThisDoc sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and xPlainly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ExplainThisDoc ships an update every 3 days, xPlainly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ExplainThisDoc | xPlainly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days β better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Julian Heger | Martin Hesse |
In-app purchases
ExplainThisDoc
- 5 Credits$2.99
- 50 Credits$24.99
- 200 Credits$69.99
xPlainly
- xPlainly Premium$3.991 Month
- Personal Plan (Yearly)$24.991 Year
Questions
Is ExplainThisDoc free?
Is xPlainly free?
Do ExplainThisDoc or xPlainly have ads?
Which is updated more often, ExplainThisDoc or xPlainly?
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