Comparison

PDFly vs TightScan

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

Head to head
About

PDFly

This app is a comprehensive PDF toolkit for mobile devices. It allows users to convert images to PDF, scan documents, merge files, compress PDFs, and edit documents with text, signatures, and drawings. It's designed for quick and secure document management.

Highlights
  • Convert images to PDF
  • Scan documents with edge detection
  • Edit PDFs with text and signatures
  • Compress PDF file size
  • Merge multiple PDF files
  • Convert DOCX to PDF
Features
Read full description

PDFly is the complete PDF toolkit for iPhone and iPad. Scan documents, convert images to PDF, edit PDF files, add signatures, merge documents, compress PDFs, and convert Word files all from one easy-to-use app. No subscriptions. No hidden paywalls. Just powerful PDF tools whenever you need them. KEY FEATURES PDF Scanner • Scan receipts, IDs, notes, contracts, books, and documents • Automatic edge detection and scan enhancement • Save scans instantly as PDF files PDF Editor • Add text anywhere in your PDF • Insert signatures and annotations • Draw, highlight, and erase content • Fill forms and review documents quickly Image to PDF Converter • Convert multiple photos into a single PDF • Reorder, crop, rotate, and edit images • Create professional-quality PDF documents Merge PDF Files • Combine multiple PDFs into one document • Rearrange pages before merging Compress PDFs and Images • Reduce file size while maintaining quality • Save storage and share files faster DOCX to PDF • Convert Word documents to PDF • Preserve formatting and layout PDF to JPG • Convert PDF pages into images • Export pages individually or as ZIP files Privacy First • Files stay on your device • No unnecessary uploads to external servers Perfect for students, professionals, teachers, freelancers, remote workers, and businesses. Download PDFly today and manage all your PDF tasks in one place.

About

TightScan

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TightScan is a document scanner built around one number: the size of the PDF you send. Most scanner apps produce 2–5 MB for a single page. TightScan produces the same crisp, scanner-quality page at 35 to 400 KB — and shows you that size before you export, so what you attach is never a surprise. FOUR PRESETS, FOUR REAL SIZES • Email-safe — ~35 KB per page, black & white. Forms and quick sends. • Text — ~50 KB per page, black & white. Crisp documents, minimal size. • Document — ~150 KB per page, color. The default: keeps stamps, signatures and highlights. • Photo — ~400 KB per page, color. When detail is the point. HOW IT SCANS Point the camera at any page. TightScan finds the edges, straightens the page, corrects the lighting channel by channel so white paper comes out white even under warm indoor light, and keeps the color where it matters. Add as many pages as you need, reorder them, export one PDF. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR PHONE All processing happens on the device. No account, no cloud upload, no analytics, no ads, no tracking — and the app works with no network connection at all. Your documents are yours. EXPORT ANYWHERE Share to any app, save to Files, or print with AirPrint. Standard PDFs that open everywhere. FREE AND PRO Free: unlimited scans, all presets, unlimited pages. Free PDFs carry one small "Made with TightScan" line on the last page. TightScan Pro — one purchase, not a subscription — removes it for good. No subscriptions. No ads. No accounts. No data collected. Just tight scans.

Screenshots

PDFly4 screens
TightScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDFly at none against TightScan's 1. PDFly also leads on device support (3 vs 1). TightScan's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and iOS requirement 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. TightScan sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDFly asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
PDFly versus TightScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFlyTightScan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperParas ButaniCIPRIAN ALEXANDRU FRASINESCU

In-app purchases

None

PDFly

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

TightScan

One-time1
  • TightScan Pro$4.99

Questions

Is PDFly free?
PDFly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TightScan free?
TightScan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDFly or TightScan have ads?
PDFly shows ads; TightScan does not.

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