$12.99 once·4.9★ (297,265)·Updated Apr 14, 2026
Verdict
TurboScan is a focused document scanner, not a full PDF editor. Reviewers praise its simple scan-to-PDF workflow and organization, with no complaints about ads or nagging.
Best for
Someone who scans receipts and paperwork on an iPhone or iPad and wants a fast, no-frills capture tool rather than a PDF annotation suite.
One-time purchaseScans paperMulti-page PDFs
$6.99 once·4.7★ (13,808)·Updated Oct 1, 2026
Verdict
GoodReader has been around a long time and most reviewers say it's fast to use and handles heavy PDF annotation well, but a real slice of users report that some features (like cloud sync) are pushed behind an extra subscription and that imports can crash or corrupt files.
Best for
Someone who already has a system of local PDF files and wants a fast one-time-purchase annotator on their iPad, not someone who needs seamless iCloud or Google Drive sync built in.
The catch
Several reviewers say that despite the one-time purchase, syncing (iCloud, Google Drive) and some other features are gated behind an additional subscription or 'Pro' tier, and importing large batches of files can cause crashes or file corruption.
One-time purchaseAnnotatesFile manager
$6.99 once·4.9★ (30,281)·Updated Dec 18, 2020
Verdict
JotNot is a straightforward document scanner with a lot of export options, praised for ease of use, though a handful of reviewers report crashes when scanning longer batches of pages.
Best for
Someone who wants to scan paper documents to PDF on their iPhone or iPad without paying for a scanning subscription like Adobe Scan.
The catch
A few reviewers report the app crashing or becoming unusable when scanning more than a handful of pages at once.
One-time purchaseScans paperCheapest scanner
$199.99 once·4.8★ (2,942)·Updated Apr 19, 2026
Verdict
Reviewers consistently call it easy to use for scanning and filing documents, and several say the upgrade paid for itself. But a smaller group reports crashes, freezing, and iCloud sync that just won't cooperate, plus complaints about reaching customer service when something breaks.
Best for
Someone who scans paper documents and handwritten notes into PDFs regularly and mainly needs a simple, reliable capture tool rather than deep cloud sync.
The catch
A recurring group of reviews describes crashes, freezing during scans, and iCloud sync that repeatedly fails to save files, with little help from customer support when it happens.
One-time purchaseScans paperOCR and redaction
