# Clear Scan vs PDF Scanner App

Clear Scan and PDF Scanner App both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Clear Scan's written reviews are positive against 37% of PDF Scanner App's. PDF Scanner App's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Clear Scan sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and PDF Scanner App sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Clear Scan against 4.7 for PDF Scanner App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 27K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Clear Scan's written reviews are positive against 37% of PDF Scanner App's.

Clear Scan ships an update every 3 months, PDF Scanner App fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clear Scan | PDF Scanner App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clear-scan-doc-scanner-app/id684155862/reviews)** | [4.7 (27K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-app-tapscanner/id1382564905/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 18K | **27K** |
| Positive reviews | **93.8% of reviews** | 36.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#72** |
| Size | 105 MB | 190 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [INDY MOBILE APP COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/681191329) | [SMART MEDIA INTERNET MARKETING LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/718353904) |

## What reviewers say

### Clear Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clear-scan-doc-scanner-app/id684155862)

Transform your phone into a powerful, free document scanner. Easily capture and digitize documents, receipts, photos, and more with advanced image enhancement and OCR capabilities. Save, print, or share your scanned files effortlessly.

**Highlights:** Scan documents, receipts, photos, Convert images to text (OCR), Enhance image readability, Save as PDF, Share via cloud services, Organize with folders, No watermarks

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ClearScanner Pro Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| ClearScanner Pro Yearly | $5.99 | per year |
| ClearScanner Pro | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient scanning
- 🚀 High-quality scans
- 👍 Helpful features
- 👍 Great value

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or issues
- 🔋 Ads can be intrusive
- 🐛 Trouble with emailing or sharing scans

**Reported bugs**

- Compatibility issues with newer devices
- Trouble connecting to Google account

**Requested features**

- Integration with cloud storage services
- Ability to reverse crop scans
- Handwriting recognition


### PDF Scanner App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-app-tapscanner/id1382564905)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

Transform your mobile device into a powerful scanner. Easily capture documents, receipts, and more, convert them to PDF, and edit them with advanced tools. Secure your files with passwords and share them effortlessly.

**Highlights:** Scan documents to PDF, Edit scans with OCR, Add e-signatures, Enhance scans with filters, Split and merge PDFs, Convert between PDF and JPG/Word, Compress PDF files, Password protect PDFs

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scanner App to PDF PRO Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Access - Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited access | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Scan to PDF App PRO Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited access | $19.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $39.99 | per year |
| Document Scanner App Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Unlimited access | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Scanner App Pro | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Convenient scanning
- 👍 Great features
- 👍 Intuitive navigation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 🐛 Unreliable scanning
- 🐛 Mixes up pages

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes during scanning
- Subscription issues
- Unable to save scans properly
- Compatibility problems with new devices

**Requested features**

- Option to reorder pages
- Ability to cancel subscription easily
- Support for older devices
- Improved customer service


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Clear Scan free?

Clear Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Scanner App free?

PDF Scanner App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Clear Scan or PDF Scanner App?

Clear Scan is rated higher. Clear Scan averages 4.8 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while PDF Scanner App averages 4.7 from 27K ratings.

### Do Clear Scan or PDF Scanner App have ads?

Clear Scan shows ads; PDF Scanner App does not.

### Which is updated more often, Clear Scan or PDF Scanner App?

Clear Scan ships an update every 3 months, and PDF Scanner App fortnightly. Most recently, Clear Scan was updated on October 31, 2026 and PDF Scanner App on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*