Need to scan a document but you’re in a cafe? Or maybe you’re in the office but the rusty copier broke down again. If you have a document scanner app on your smartphone, then there’s nothing to worry about!
Why a Document Scanner App Is Useful
Having a document scanner app means you no longer need to run to your office or a business center to use a traditional scanner. It saves you a lot of time and effort. Just pull your phone out of your pocket and scan away!
Most scanner apps only require you to open the app and snap a photo with your phone’s camera. Scanning documents has never been easier.
Moreover, some document scanner apps have additional features that let you organize and edit your files and save them onto cloud storage. Another feature that you may find very useful is optical character recognition, which converts text on documents and photos into an editable format. Some scanner apps even double as a barcode scanner.
Best Document Scanner Apps for Android and iPhone
With the number of apps available out there, choosing the best document scanner app can be hard. Having trouble researching and deciding on which one you want? Don’t worry. We’ve compiled some of the best scanner apps for you.
Adobe Scan
Adobe Scan works great as both an Android and iPhone document scanner app. It excels at capturing documents. It’s the perfect scanner app if what you’re looking for is readable text, as its text recognition is outstanding. Even wet documents can be scanned with ease.
The only downside this document scanner app has is it can only export your scan as a photo or PDF. However, the app makes up for this by being superior to most other document scanning apps with its simple interface and excellent features. It’s easy to use, works great, and is widely available.
Clear Scan
Clear Scan makes quick work of documents and scans them relatively quickly. Scanned documents can be made into PDF or converted into an image. Although not the most reliable app for text recognition, this document scanner app is good for fast processing.
It allows you to print your documents and provides you with several editing features most other scanner apps don’t have. In addition, it has cloud support for Google Drive, OneDrive, as well as Dropbox. Clear Scan is also free to download, although it does give you ads that are occasionally intrusive. Nonetheless, its fast processing and exporting features earn it a spot on this list.
Fast Scanner
Another excellent document scanner app is Fast Scanner because, well, it’s fast. It lets you scan a document and then export it in no time. You can even add new pages within the file, which is a feature you rarely see on a document scanner app. It also allows you to print your documents using Cloud Print.
Fast Scanner is available on both Android and iOS. The app has a few editing features and has been optimized to run smoothly. Though its interface is a bit old-fashioned, its features are top of the line. Like Clear Scan, this app is free to download and comes with ads every now and then.
FineScanner Pro
FineScanner Pro has a hefty price tag at $60. If you have a lot of scanning in your work or you do scanning a lot, then you will no longer need a new one with FineScanner. This app works great with scanning documents and was designed specifically for scanning books and heavy documents.
This document scanner app automatically scans what your camera sees without you having to even lift a finger. It also has OCR support, and you can even edit the text on the scans. Every scan will be perfect using FineScanner Pro. It’s an investment that’s worth it in the long run.
Google Drive Scanner
You didn’t know that Google Drive had its own scanner, did you? Well, prior to curating this list, neither did we. It’s been right under our noses this whole time.
It doesn’t have as many features as other document scanners do, but it’s worth a shot. After all, if you’re on Android, it’s probably already on your device. To activate it, simply press on the huge “+” icon on the bottom right of the screen. Doing so will let you use your camera to scan the document.
It’s not as fast or reliable as other document scanners, but it is pretty convenient. It has adjustment features like automatic cropping too. If you don’t want to take up more space on your phone, Google Drive Scanner is for you.
Microsoft Office Lens
Microsoft Office Lens is highly praised as one of the best scanner apps on the market. Compatible with Microsoft Office, this app is a great option for anyone who wants a free and reliable document scanner.
Its user interface is simple and is extremely reliable. Although it doesn’t have a lot of features, the ones it does have are excellent. For instance, it has great text recognition that makes any text readable and pleasing to the eye.
You can also use it for Word documents, PDFs, and even PowerPoint slides. Microsoft Office Lens is most likely the best option for you if you use Microsoft Office often. Not to mention it’s available on both Android and iOS.
Notebloc
Don’t want a document scanner app that has a watermark? Or an app that requires you to sign up or log in? Notebloc solves both of these problems. It supports OCR as well as document scanning and is reliable and fast.
Its OCR support works with up to 18 different languages. You can even scan multiple pages and then compile them all into one. Moreover, the app allows you to change the size of the document at will. It’s also completely free but comes with intrusive and occasionally annoying ads. Other than that, Notebloc is a solid choice.
Scanbot
Scanbot is a popular choice among document scanner apps. Its features are similar to Microsoft Office Lens and Adobe Scan, but it offers more features than these. Scanbot has high-speed scanning capabilities and clear text recognition. You also have the option of saving your document in PDF or JPEG.
The best part about Scanbot is that it is also a barcode and QR code scanner app. It also supports cloud storage since you can upload your scans to Google Drive, One Drive, and Dropbox. There are also a couple of other cloud storage options that it supports.
Scanner for Me
If you want a fast option with plenty of features then Scanner for Me is for you. It is one of the fastest document scanner apps along with Fast Scanner.
Although it works really fast, Scanner for Me does have some problems. For example, its scans are not a hundred percent accurate. Other times, it just completely fails to scan. It also costs $7, which some think is too high a price. But putting aside these problems, Scanner for Me is a viable option for speed scanning.
ScanPro
ScanPro is an all-in-one scanner. It has a bunch of extra features other than scanning and even has sharing options. It’s versatile, reliable, and above all easy to use. This document scanner app gives you folders to place your scanned documents in for organization and supports cloud storage.
If that wasn’t enough, ScanPro can even perform OCR scans in different languages. The app is accurate to a tee and the results are always top-notch. However, it’s not free and it doesn’t have a set price, either. ScanPro works on a subscription basis.
Smart Doc Scanner
Smart Doc Scanner offers you everything you need for scanning. It supports OCR for over 40 languages and does spelling checks as well. Unlike other scanner apps, this one provides you with tools to change the page size and scan multiple documents. Upon scanning multiple documents, you can put them into one page for easier viewing.
This document scanner app supports every image format, whether it be JPEG or PNG. It also comes with cloud storage options. These options include support for Google Drive, Dropbox, and One Drive. The scanner app is also completely free, but instead of ads, it has in-app purchases to unlock features instead.
Tiny Scanner
Similar to most free document scanners, Tiny Scanner is sustained by ads and in-app purchases. It’s a reliable document scanner app that doesn’t require you to have an account. Things like documents and reports are like child’s play to Tiny Scanner.
Tiny Scanner supports cloud storage services such as Google Drive, One Drive, as well as Dropbox. It even supports things like Evernote. The app even allows for printing so you can have all your scanned documents on paper.
It even has auto edge detection that stops your scanned documents from becoming distorted. You can also scan in color, grayscale, or black and white. Tiny Scanner is definitely a solid option for anybody who wants a good and free document scanner.
TurboScan
TurboScan is an almighty and powerful app that gives you all the features you’d want out of a document scanner. It’s light on your phone storage and doesn’t take much space and yet it does so much. This app gives you the ability to scan multiple pages and put them into one single space.
Additionally, TurboScan allows for sharp and clear scans for even the most cryptic of writing. You can also use it to organize your receipts and reports and put them on a single page. Like any good document scanner app, it supports cloud storage. It’s also free and has ads, but has a premium version.
vFlat
vFlat is unlike most other document scanners. It has a timer that allows you to take photos every three seconds. This way, you won’t have to go through the trouble of pressing the shutter button every time you want a scan done. This feature helps in scanning long documents like research papers and books.
If you want, you can even put multiple pages in one with vFlat. It also comes with OCR support but has limitations set for it. You can also export your PDFs relatively easily. It’s a great app for scanning documents quickly and efficiently.
Final Thoughts
Every document scanner app is unique in its own right. Not all scanners are created equal. Some are better than others, and some have more features than others. There are document scanners with limited features but have great capabilities.
If you want to buy a document scanner app, there is a need for careful decision making. Then again, if you’re only looking for a free document scanner with good features, you can always try new ones. Now that we’ve done our part and given you the information you need, it’s up to you to make your choice.
