Comparison

AirScan vs Smart PDF Document Scanner

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

AirScan

Easily digitize paper documents into high-quality PDFs using your mobile device. Recognize text in multiple languages, edit scans, and convert them to various file formats. Securely store important documents like IDs and licenses within the app.

Highlights
  • Scan documents to PDF
  • Text recognition (OCR) in 8 languages
  • Convert to DOCS, XLS, PPT
  • Edit and enhance scans
  • Add digital signatures
  • Email and print scans
  • Securely store IDs and licenses
Features
Read full description

Digitize paper documents from your mobile device with airScan, a free scanner app. From IDs and whiteboards to forms and receipts, scan anything to PDF, get text recognized in 8 languages, extract it, clean up your scans, or convert them into your preferred file format — all within a single app. For advanced options, move your scans to pdfFiller, an all-in-one PDF editor, to easily sign, edit, and manage PDFs online. ***Your most-used documents at your fingertips*** Digitize your most-used documents. Simply scan your ID, passport, or driver's license into a high-quality PDF and securely store it in the app. ***Save scans in your preferred file format*** Transform scans of your most-used documents like contracts, agreements, and business letters into shareable PDFs, DOCS XLS, or PPT file formats — all without having to switch between apps. ***Give your scans a facelift on the go*** With just a few taps, you can adjust the contrast and brightness of your scans or apply black or white filters to make them easier to read. Remove unwanted text and shadows while cropping out distracting backgrounds for a more polished look. ***Sign scanned documents in a flash*** No pens and paper! Draw your signature on a mobile phone screen and place it anywhere on your document with one tap. ***Email scanned documents*** Once you've finished editing your scan, send it via email right from the airScan app. Your recipient can view the crisp PDF file without hassle. ***Print from your phone*** Need a hard copy of a scanned document? With airScan, you can print out your scan from the convenience of your phone in seconds. Add your signature before printing to start the signature collection flow on the fly. ***Make your PDFs fillable and build signature workflows*** Move your PDFs to pdfFiller, an all-in-one document solution that lets you edit, annotate, and sign PDFs, make them fillable, and use them to capture data in minutes. pdfFiller is the only solution you need to get your documents done.

About

Smart PDF Document Scanner

Transform your phone into a powerful document scanner. Capture, enhance, and organize your important papers with tack-sharp scans and a color-coded tagging system. Easily share PDFs for business or personal use.

Highlights
  • Tack-sharp document scanning
  • Automatic edge detection and perspective correction
  • Color, grayscale, and black-and-white scan options
  • FlashAssist for low-light scanning
  • Color-coded tagging system for organization
  • Quickly scan and share PDFs
Features
Read full description

Ditch the bulky office copier! Smart PDF Document Scanner is the ultimate free scanner app that turns your phone or iPad into a portable digitizing tool. Just snap a photo of your document, and get a high-quality pdf scan you can instantly send to your colleagues, clients, or keep for your personal records. TACK SHARP SCANS That processor in your phone is quite a little monster. Smart Scanner uses it fully to make the best possible scans. Even full-page articles come out tack-sharp and easy to read. It automatically detects the page edges and corrects for perspective. Pick full-color scans, grayscale, or black-and-white for maximum legibility. FlashAssist can take perfect scans even in poor lighting conditions. You can even change the correction and enhancement settings after the fact. POWERFUL COLOR-CODED ORGANIZATION Scanning is just half the problem. You need a good way to keep all your documents organized, and easy to find later. Smart Scanner uses a simple tagging system that is much easier and more powerful than the regular folder system. File documents under custom color-coded categories with just a couple taps. Browse and sort files by category with a couple more. It's the way filing should work. FOR ALL YOUR SCANNING NEEDS + Quickly scan and send contracts and forms + Keep scans of important documents in your pocket, separate form the Photo Library + Scan all your travel receipts for easy expense reports + Keep digital copies of your notes and sketches + Scan articles to read later + And more! TIPS AND TRICKS Here are a few tips to get the best scans: + Place your document on a darker surface to improve the edge auto-detection. + You can drag the corners of the blue rectangle to fine tune it after taking a photo. + Make sure there is adequate lighting. Use the flash in low-light conditions. + You can tap on a page to edit its scan settings (including edges) after the fact.

Screenshots

AirScan4 screens
Smart PDF Document Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: AirScan at none against Smart PDF Document Scanner's shown. AirScan also leads on ratings volume (455 vs 10) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). Smart PDF Document Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 73%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for AirScan against 4.4 for Smart PDF Document Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AirScan has 455 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of AirScan's written reviews are positive against 100% of Smart PDF Document Scanner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AirScan ships an update every 2 months, Smart PDF Document Scanner every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
AirScan versus Smart PDF Document Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAirScanSmart PDF Document Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (455 ratings) — better4.4 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews73.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings455 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperairSlate, Inc.Qrayon, LLC

Customer experience

AirScan

All ratings455 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive73.5%
Neutral10.2%
Negative16.3%

Smart PDF Document Scanner

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

AirScan

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Email validation errors preventing app access
  • Cursor placement issues when entering information
  • App freezing on iPhone 6s Plus
  • Incompatibility between app and PDF Filler after updates
  • Email sending failures
Show 2 more
  • Page upload limit of 7 pages maximum
  • Photos disappearing after data entry

Requested features

6 requests
  • Support for multiple document sizes
  • Android version availability
  • Advanced PDF editing features
  • Built-in printing capability
  • Improved photo persistence during editing
Show 1 more
  • Better focus and image quality enhancement

Smart PDF Document Scanner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

AirScan

No in-app purchases

None

Smart PDF Document Scanner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AirScan free?
AirScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart PDF Document Scanner free?
Smart PDF Document Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AirScan or Smart PDF Document Scanner?
AirScan is rated higher. AirScan averages 4.4 out of 5 from 455 ratings, while Smart PDF Document Scanner averages 4.4 from 10 ratings.
Do AirScan or Smart PDF Document Scanner have ads?
Smart PDF Document Scanner shows ads; AirScan does not.
Which is updated more often, AirScan or Smart PDF Document Scanner?
AirScan ships an update every 2 months, and Smart PDF Document Scanner every 6 months. Most recently, AirScan was updated on October 21, 2026 and Smart PDF Document Scanner on October 11, 2026.

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