# PDF Expert vs Scanner ㅤ

The clearest difference is ads: PDF Expert at none against Scanner ㅤ's shown. PDF Expert also leads on ratings volume (216K vs 96) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Scanner ㅤ's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 46%). On price, rating, 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 ㅤ sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 4.7 for Scanner ㅤ. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Expert has 216K ratings behind it against 96, 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 75% of Scanner ㅤ's.

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, Scanner ㅤ every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Expert | Scanner ㅤ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (216K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-expert-editor-and-reader/id743974925/reviews) | [4.7 (96 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner/id1631852202/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **216K** | 96 |
| Positive reviews | 45.8% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#74** | — |
| Size | 307 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [Rocket Apps GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566586717) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Expert

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

**Currently charting:** #74 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 ㅤ

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scanner/id1631852202)

Easily scan, sign, and share documents with this high-quality PDF scanner. Enhance your scans with filters and keep important files secure in your cloud vault. It offers automatic document detection and supports both single and multi-page documents.

**Highlights:** High-quality PDF scanning, Sign scanned documents, Automatic document detection, Single & multi-page scanning, Scan enhancement filters, iCloud sync

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rocket Apps PRO - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Rocket Apps PRO - Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Rocket Apps PRO Offer | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Expert free?

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

### Is Scanner ㅤ free?

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

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

PDF Expert and Scanner ㅤ are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 216K and 96 ratings respectively.

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

Scanner ㅤ shows ads; PDF Expert does not.

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

PDF Expert ships an update fortnightly, and Scanner ㅤ every 6 weeks. Most recently, PDF Expert was updated on September 28, 2026 and Scanner ㅤ on September 26, 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.*