# NannaLife vs a folder of PDF reports

> NannaLife turns the lab reports you already have into one private, source-linked health timeline, with an AI that answers from your own results.

This is the Markdown version of https://nannalife.com/vs/pdf-folders.

## The short answer

A folder of PDFs is free, private, and unsearchable by value. NannaLife reads those same files and does three things a folder cannot: it normalizes marker names and units across labs, it puts every result on one timeline, and it keeps each value linked to the report it came from. If you only ever need to hand a recent report to a doctor, the folder is enough.

## Where a folder wins

- It costs nothing and needs no account or upload.
- The files never leave your device unless you sync them.
- A PDF is the original document the lab issued.
- It holds anything, not just lab work: scans, discharge summaries, prescriptions.

## Where it breaks

- You cannot search by value. "When was my creatinine last above 1.2?" is unanswerable without opening files one by one.
- Every lab lays out a report differently, so visual scanning stops working when you switch labs.
- Naming habits decay.
- Nothing compares the reports, so the change between them stays invisible.
- Getting one report to a doctor from a phone is clumsy.

## Side by side

| What matters | Folder of PDFs | NannaLife |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cost | Free | Free, every feature |
| Search by marker or value | No | Yes |
| Cross-lab normalization | No | Names, units, and ranges |
| Trend across years | No | Per marker |
| Original report retained | Yes | Yes, linked to every value |
| Explains what a marker means | No | Per biomarker |
| Ask questions of your own results | No | With NannaDoc |
| Other document types | Anything | Lab reports |
| Data leaves your device | Only if you sync | Stored to run the app |

## The honest recommendation

**Keep the folder if** you have one or two reports, need to store scans and prescriptions together, or are not comfortable with health data leaving your device.

**Use NannaLife if** you have years of reports, use more than one lab, manage reports for family as well as yourself, or want to ask questions about your own results with sources.

The two are not exclusive. Most people keep their original PDFs and use NannaLife as the layer that makes them searchable.

## Questions

**Can I keep my PDF reports if I use NannaLife?**
Yes. NannaLife stores the original report and keeps every extracted value linked to it.

**Do I need to re-upload old reports?**
Yes, once. NannaLife only sees the reports you upload, so adding older PDFs is what makes trends visible.

**Is a folder of PDFs more private than an app?**
A local folder never leaves your device, which is a real advantage. NannaLife processes reports only to provide the features you request, does not sell health data, and keeps everything behind your own sign-in.

## Links

- [Compare hub](https://nannalife.com/vs/)
- [Homepage](https://nannalife.com/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://nannalife.com/legal/privacy)