# PDF Expert vs Cloud Scanner

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Expert at 4.7 against Cloud Scanner's 4.0. PDF Expert also leads on ratings volume (217K vs 18) and chart position (#80 vs unranked). Cloud Scanner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Expert sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Cloud Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 217K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | Cloud Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (217K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews)** | [4.0 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cloud-scanner-scan-pdf-and-docs/id1496707793/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **217K** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | — |
| Size | 301 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [kishore papineni](https://appshunter.io/developer/1362516079) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925)

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Grossing · Productivity, #195 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app allows you to edit, annotate, fill out forms, and convert PDF documents. It offers AI-powered summarization and analysis, along with tools to merge, sign, and protect your files. Work seamlessly across Apple devices with a user-friendly interface.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text and images, Annotate and highlight PDFs, Fill out PDF forms, Convert files to and from PDF, AI-powered summarization and analysis, Merge and combine PDF files, Sign documents with e-signatures

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Expert Premium Trial | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Expert Premium No Trial | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Expert for Education | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Premium New | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Premium Existing | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert – Premium Editing | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Mac & iOS | $79.99 | per year |
| PDF Expert Basic | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Powerful annotation and editing tools
- 🔒 Seamless cloud integration
- 📚 Excellent for reading and organizing PDFs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Subscription model for advanced features
- 🔒 Inconsistent pricing and feature changes
- 🔍 Cluttered and confusing UI in latest update
- 🔍 Reduced customization options for annotations

**Reported bugs**

- Corrupted PDFs after editing
- Sync issues with cloud storage providers
- Unexpected loss of annotations and edits
- Unreliable performance on older iPad models

**Requested features**

- Improved palm rejection for Apple Pencil
- Customizable toolbar and annotation presets
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More flexible file management and organization
- Ability to create fillable PDF forms


### Cloud Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cloud-scanner-scan-pdf-and-docs/id1496707793)

Effortlessly scan and store receipts, documents, and photos. Scans are automatically cropped and can be saved locally or synced across devices via the cloud. Share your documents easily as PDF or ZIP files.

**Highlights:** Scan documents, receipts, and photos, Cloud storage and cross-device sync, Automatic image cropping, Share scans as PDF or ZIP, Multi-page document creation

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

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

### Is Cloud Scanner free?

Cloud Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Expert or Cloud Scanner?

PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 217K ratings, while Cloud Scanner averages 4.0 from 18 ratings.

### Do PDF Expert or Cloud Scanner have ads?

Neither PDF Expert nor Cloud Scanner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Expert or Cloud Scanner?

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and Cloud Scanner fortnightly. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on November 6, 2026 and Cloud Scanner on November 3, 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.*