Comparison

PDFScan Go vs ScanMate

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

Head to head
About

PDFScan Go

Features
Read full description

pdfScan Go: Your Secure & High-Quality Document Scanner Experience a powerful, reliable, and private way to digitize your documents. pdfScan Go is designed for users who prioritize security and efficiency, offering a seamless scanning experience without the need for accounts or cloud uploads. PRIVACY FIRST: 100% ON-DEVICE PROCESSING Your sensitive data stays where it belongs — on your iPhone or iPad. Offline Processing: All document scanning and text recognition (OCR) happen locally on your device. No Cloud Uploads: We do not store or transmit your documents to external servers. No Account Required: Start scanning immediately. No email, no registration, and no personal data collection. Works Offline: Perfect for secure environments or areas without internet access. UNLIMITED SCANNING FEATURES Enjoy full access to essential scanning tools with no page limits and no watermarks on your exports. Smart Auto-Detection: Automatically identifies document borders and crops images for a professional look. Multi-Format Export: Save your scans as high-quality PDF, Image (JPG), or Text (TXT) files. On-Device OCR: Extract text from your scans using advanced built-in recognition technology. Multi-Page Support: Combine multiple pages into a single PDF or export them individually. Enhancement Tools: Use filters to brighten, sharpen, or convert scans to grayscale for maximum readability. Files App Integration: Easily save directly to the iOS Files app or share via AirPlay, Email, and messaging platforms. VERSATILE FOR EVERY NEED Business: Scan contracts, receipts, and business cards on the go. Education: Digitize lecture notes, textbooks, and whiteboards. Personal: Securely store IDs, medical records, and handwritten notes. Simple. Secure. Powerful. Transform your device into a professional-grade scanner today with pdfScan Go.

About

ScanMate

Features
Read full description

ScanMate turns your iPhone into a fast, private document scanner — without the ads, watermarks, and subscription traps you're tired of. FREE, AND STAYING FREE • Unlimited scans — no daily limits • No watermark on any export • No ads, anywhere • Automatic edge detection, manual crop with a magnifier • Multi-page and batch scanning • Enhancement filters: Auto, Grayscale, B&W, Color • Sign pages, reuse saved signatures, drop in a date stamp • Expiry reminders for passports, IDs, insurance, and contracts • Export to PDF, JPG, or PNG; share or save to Files • Folders, tags, search, favorites, and Trash • Face ID app lock • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Control Center button, Siri and Shortcuts • Find any scan straight from Spotlight SCANMATE PRO • Offline OCR in more than 15 languages • Search inside your documents • AI naming and document classification • Receipt, invoice, and business-card extraction — save cards to Contacts • Receipt ledger with monthly totals and CSV export • Smart cleanup and background removal • PDF tools: merge, split, reorder, compress • Export to Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive • Unlimited private folders PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything runs on your iPhone. Scans and text recognition never touch our servers. Documents sync through your own iCloud account — we never see them. Locked documents and private folders never appear in widgets or Spotlight. HONEST PRICING A genuinely useful free tier that stays free. One fair yearly plan, or buy Pro once with Lifetime. No fake countdowns, no surprise trial charges, no dark patterns. Cancel anytime in Settings. Built for students, small businesses, freelancers, accountants, lawyers, real estate agents, teachers, and parents. Scan a receipt, a contract, a whiteboard, or a stack of notes — and get a clean, professional PDF in seconds. — Questions? support@scanmate.app — a real person answers. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://jigsawlab.com/scanmate/privacy.html

Screenshots

PDFScan Go4 screens
ScanMate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDFScan Go at none against ScanMate's 3. PDFScan Go also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). ScanMate's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. ScanMate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. PDFScan Go asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDFScan Go ships an update every 5 days, ScanMate every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences Ā· 1 level
PDFScan Go versus ScanMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDFScan GoScanMate
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuong Nguyen HuuiComet

In-app purchases

None

PDFScan Go

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ScanMate

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Scan Mate Membership$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Scan Mate Membership$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Membership Scan Mate$59.99

Questions

Is PDFScan Go free?
PDFScan Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScanMate free?
ScanMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PDFScan Go or ScanMate have ads?
PDFScan Go shows ads; ScanMate does not.
Which is updated more often, PDFScan Go or ScanMate?
PDFScan Go ships an update every 5 days, and ScanMate every 2 weeks. Most recently, PDFScan Go was updated on September 21, 2026 and ScanMate on September 25, 2026.

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