# PDF Expert vs PDF Scanner・Document Scanner

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Expert at none against PDF Scanner・Document Scanner's shown. PDF Expert also leads on ratings volume (216K vs 2K) and chart position (#73 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Expert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and PDF Scanner・Document Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for PDF Expert against 4.6 for PDF Scanner・Document Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of PDF Expert's written reviews are positive against 45% of PDF Scanner・Document Scanner's.

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, PDF Scanner・Document Scanner monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | PDF Scanner・Document Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (216K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews)** | [4.6 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scannerdocument-scanner/id1524443123/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **216K** | 2K |
| Positive reviews | **46.0% of reviews** | 44.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#73** | — |
| Size | 307 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Games Wing](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453004090) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

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

**Currently charting:** #73 Top Grossing · Productivity, #203 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 (10)**

| 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 Pro | $79.99 | 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


### PDF Scanner・Document Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scannerdocument-scanner/id1524443123)

Digitize your documents with this powerful scanner app. It offers quick, seamless scanning with auto-cropping and image enhancement. Organize your scans into folders and tags for easy retrieval, and export them in various formats.

**Highlights:** Auto-crop and enhance scans, Shadow and background removal, Organize with folders and tags, Export to PDF or JPEG, Scan documents, ID cards, and books, Edit files after saving

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads Monthly Sub | $8.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads Weekly Subscription | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Remove Ads | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Highly effective
- 💡 Useful tool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Poor scan quality
- 💰 Paid features not worth it
- 📢 Excessive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Difficulty scanning documents properly
- Blurry and unreadable text after scanning

**Requested features**

- Improve scan quality
- Reduce ads for paid users
- Add more advanced features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner・Document Scanner free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PDF Expert or PDF Scanner・Document Scanner?

PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 216K ratings, while PDF Scanner・Document Scanner averages 4.6 from 2K ratings.

### Do PDF Expert or PDF Scanner・Document Scanner have ads?

PDF Scanner・Document Scanner shows ads; PDF Expert does not.

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

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and PDF Scanner・Document Scanner monthly. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on September 25, 2026 and PDF Scanner・Document Scanner on September 24, 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.*