Comparison

PDF Reader vs PDF Scanner

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

Head to head
About

PDF Reader

Easily scan, read, edit, and manage PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Convert images to PDF, extract text with OCR, and sign your documents. Organize files with merging, splitting, and password protection.

Highlights
  • Scan documents with camera
  • Convert photos to PDF
  • Extract text with OCR
  • Edit and annotate PDFs
  • Sign documents
  • Merge and split PDFs
  • Password protection
Features
Read full description

PDF Reader is your all-in-one app to read, scan, edit, and manage PDF documents on iPhone and iPad. SCAN & CREATE • Scan paper documents with your camera and save them as crisp PDFs • Convert photos and images into PDF files • Extract text from scans and PDFs with OCR READ & VIEW • Smooth, fast PDF viewer with page thumbnails and search • Open PDFs from Files, email, and other apps EDIT & ANNOTATE • Highlight, draw, and add text to any PDF • Add your signature to sign documents • Rotate, delete, and reorder pages ORGANIZE YOUR TOOLS • Merge multiple PDFs into one • Split a PDF into separate files • Lock and unlock PDFs with a password • Manage files with search and a recycle bin PDF READER PREMIUM Upgrade to Premium to remove ads and unlock the full toolset: • OCR text recognition • Edit & sign without limits • Unlimited access to all PDF tools • An ad-free experience Subscription details: • PDF Reader Premium is a weekly auto-renewable subscription. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy Policy: https://goldenboat.io/policy

About

PDF Scanner

Transform your device into a powerful AI scanner. Effortlessly capture documents, extract text with OCR, summarize content, and get answers from your files. Stay organized and productive whether for work, study, or personal use.

Highlights
  • AI Document Scanning
  • High-Quality PDF Creation
  • OCR Text Recognition
  • AI Document Summarization
  • AI Chat with Files
  • Key Information Extraction
  • Export and Share Scans
Features
Read full description

Need to scan a document, receipt, or ID into a PDF? PDF Scanner turns your iPhone and iPad into a fast document scanner with OCR. Capture paperwork in seconds, get a share-ready PDF, extract text, export to Word or Excel, and ask AI about your files. Key Features • Document & PDF scanner Automatic edge detection for documents, receipts, notes, contracts, IDs, and more. • OCR text recognition Extract editable text from scans and photos instantly. • Export to PDF, Word & Excel Share a clear PDF first, or save as Word and Excel when you need to edit. • AI summary & chat Summarize long documents and ask questions about your files. • Find key information Names, dates, totals, addresses, emails, and phone numbers. • Organize & backup Keep documents in folders on your device, with cloud backup on Premium. Perfect for scanning Documents · Receipts · ID cards · Passports · Contracts · Notes · Business cards · Invoices Premium Unlock unlimited scans, OCR, AI chat, AI summaries, high-quality PDF export, Word and Excel export, document organization, cloud sync, and an ad-free experience. Premium is available as Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime plans (where offered). Payment is charged to your Apple ID after purchase confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Lifetime purchase does not auto-renew. Privacy Policy https://trynova-ai.com/scanner_privacy.html Terms of Use https://trynova-ai.com/scanner_terms.html

Screenshots

PDF Reader4 screens
PDF Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Scanner at 5.0 against PDF Reader's 3.5. PDF Scanner also leads on ads (none vs shown). PDF Reader's advantage is ratings volume (13 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. PDF Reader sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per 7 days and PDF Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PDF Scanner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDF Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, PDF Scanner every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PDF Reader versus PDF Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDF ReaderPDF Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (13 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.016
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuc Duong Tran浩浩 李

Customer experience

PDF Reader

All ratings13 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

PDF Scanner

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PDF Reader

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Weekly$14.997 Days
3 purchases

PDF Scanner

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$29.99

Questions

Is PDF Reader free?
PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Scanner free?
PDF Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDF Scanner?
PDF Scanner is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 3.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while PDF Scanner averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PDF Reader or PDF Scanner have ads?
PDF Reader shows ads; PDF Scanner does not.
Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDF Scanner?
PDF Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and PDF Scanner every 2 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 18, 2026 and PDF Scanner on September 30, 2026.

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