# PDF Expert vs Scanner App

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Scanner App at 100% against PDF Expert's 46%. PDF Expert's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Expert sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Scanner App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Expert holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of PDF Expert's written reviews are positive against 100% of Scanner App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, Scanner App every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | Scanner App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (216K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews)** | [4.3 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-app-pdf-reader-pro/id1561322720/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **216K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 46.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#73** | — |
| Size | 307 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Tam Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/898637894) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

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

**Currently charting:** #73 Top Grossing · 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


### Scanner App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner-app-pdf-reader-pro/id1561322720)

Transform your smartphone into a powerful document scanner. Easily convert paper documents to PDF with high-resolution scans and advanced OCR technology. Enhance document quality with image filters and share your files effortlessly.

**Highlights:** High-resolution document scanning, OCR technology for text recognition, Multi-page PDF creation, Page modification and deletion, Image enhancement filters, Easy file sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Scan Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Half Year Scan Pro | $9.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Scan Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

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

### Is Scanner App free?

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

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

PDF Expert is rated higher. PDF Expert averages 4.7 out of 5 from 216K ratings, while Scanner App averages 4.3 from 7 ratings.

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

Scanner App shows ads; PDF Expert does not.

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

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and Scanner App every 2 weeks. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on September 26, 2026 and Scanner App on June 4, 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.*