The best document scanner apps in 2026
Genius Scan, Adobe Scan, and Scanner Pro, plus the free scanners in Notes and Google Drive. Which fits receipts, signed forms, and searchable PDFs.
On this page
Your phone probably already scans to PDF. Notes and Files do it on iPhone. Google Drive does it on Android and iPhone. When that falls short, Genius Scan is the best document scanner app in 2026: no account, on-device processing, and the same app on either phone. Adobe Scan is the pick for free searchable PDFs if you will sign into Adobe. Scanner Pro is the pick for heavy scanners who live on iPhone and want auto-filing.
Quick picks
| Rank | App | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Genius ScanBest overallTop pick | |
| 2 |  Adobe ScanFree scanning with text recognition | |
| 3 |  Scanner ProAuto-filing scans on iPhone and iPad |
How often you scan is the split that sorts these apps. A few pages a year belong in the built-in scanner. Weekly receipts and forms that need OCR, naming rules, or a cloud folder are where a dedicated app earns its keep. Scanner Pro is the only Apple-only pick here. Genius Scan and Adobe Scan run on both phones. We checked vendor pricing pages, US App Store listings, and each maker's own docs in October 2026 for plan limits, where scans are stored, and whether an account is required.
Genius Scan: Best document scanner app overall
Genius Scan is the document scanner we would install first on either phone. It needs no account, handles scans on the device, and runs on iPhone, Android, and Mac. Edge detection, batch capture, and multi-page PDFs are in the free Basic plan, with no watermark and no scan cap. That fits anyone who wants a dedicated scanner without signing up or sending paperwork to a vendor cloud by default.
On thegrizzlylabs.com in October 2026, Basic is free forever and Ultra is $39.99 a year. Ultra adds on-device OCR, searchable PDFs, auto-export to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and other services, document name templates, and Genius Cloud sync across devices. Subscribe on iPhone or Android and the same Ultra covers both. The older Genius Scan+ lifetime purchase is no longer sold to new buyers. Free Basic covers capture and PDF export. OCR and the full cloud export list need Ultra. Pick Adobe Scan if you want free searchable PDFs and already use Acrobat. Pick Scanner Pro if you stay on iPhone and want watermark-free auto-upload workflows.
No account, scans stay on the phone
Genius Scan does not ask for a sign-up before the first scan. The Grizzly Labs says documents are handled and stored on the phone unless you export them. That is the right default for IDs, tax forms, and medical papers. Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode lock, and PDF password encryption, sit behind Ultra.
What Genius Scan costs
Basic is free with unlimited high-resolution scans and no watermark. Ultra is $39.99 a year on thegrizzlylabs.com in October 2026, and the US App Store lists Genius Scan Ultra at $39.99 and $4.99 among its in-app purchases. Teams pricing starts around $40 to $20 per license per year. Check the price sheet for the billing period before you tap.
Who should skip it
Skip Ultra if free OCR matters more than staying off a vendor account: Adobe Scan includes text recognition on its free plan once you sign in. Skip Genius Scan entirely if you only scan a few pages a year. Notes, Files, or Google Drive already handle that. Heavy iPhone scanners who want automatic cloud filing and smart categories should look at Scanner Pro Plus instead.
What we like
- Pro: No account required for basic scanning
- Pro: Free Basic has unlimited scans and no watermark
- Pro: Scans stay on the device until you export
- Pro: iPhone, Android, and Mac. Ultra works on both phones
- Pro: Ultra is $39.99 a year (thegrizzlylabs.com, Oct 2026)
Watch out for
- Con: OCR and full cloud exports need Ultra
- Con: Genius Scan+ lifetime is no longer sold to new buyers
- Con: Free plan has no searchable text layer
- Con: Teams pricing is quote-based, not a fixed public rate
Our pick overall
Genius Scan
Adobe Scan: Best for free scanning with text recognition
Adobe Scan is for people who want searchable PDFs without paying, and who already live in Acrobat. It runs on iPhone and Android, includes OCR on the free plan, and saves every scan to Adobe Document Cloud. You need a free Adobe account before the first scan. That trade fits anyone who wants text they can find later more than files that stay only on the phone.
Adobe lists 5 GB of free Document Cloud storage with a free Adobe account (helpx.adobe.com). The US App Store listing in October 2026 says Premium raises OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages per file and adds combining files, export to Word or Excel, compress, and password protect. Adobe Scan Premium is $9.99 a month in the US App Store. Acrobat Pro, which also includes premium Scan tools, is $19.99 a month billed yearly ($239.88 a year) on adobe.com in October 2026. Scans leave the phone for Adobe's cloud on purpose. Pick Genius Scan if you want no account and on-device storage. Pick the built-in Notes or Drive scanner if you scan a few times a year and do not need OCR in the same app.
What we like
- Pro: Free OCR on iPhone and Android with an Adobe account
- Pro: Scans sync to Acrobat on phone, web, and desktop
- Pro: 5 GB free Document Cloud storage
- Pro: Same app on both phones
Watch out for
- Con: Needs an Adobe account before you can scan
- Con: Scans go to Adobe Document Cloud by default
- Con: Free OCR is capped at 5 pages, Premium at 100, per the App Store
- Con: Combine, export formats, and PDF password need Premium
Scanner Pro: Best for auto-filing scans on iPhone and iPad
Scanner Pro is for people on iPhone or iPad who scan every week and want each PDF named, searchable, and uploaded without another pass through the share sheet. Edge detection, batch scanning, and iCloud sync are free. OCR, watermark-free exports, Auto Upload to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and other services, and Workflows need Scanner Pro Plus. There is no Android version.
The app is free to download. Readdle's support pages say free scans carry a watermark. Plus removes it and adds OCR, full-text search, Auto Upload, password protection, Merge, and Workflows. The US App Store in October 2026 lists Scanner Pro Plus at $59.99 among yearly in-app purchases, with other Plus prices such as $3.99 and $29.99 on the same sheet, so check the billing period before you buy. A 7-day trial is commonly listed with Plus. Basic scanning does not require a Readdle account. Cloud services you connect do. Android users should use Genius Scan. Anyone who scans a few times a year should stay with Notes or Files.
What we like
- Pro: Auto Upload and Workflows file scans to cloud folders
- Pro: On-device OCR and full-text search with Plus
- Pro: Batch scanning and iCloud sync on iPhone and iPad
- Pro: Editors' Choice on the US App Store
Watch out for
- Con: iPhone and iPad only. No Android app
- Con: Free exports include a Scanner Pro watermark
- Con: Plus is $59.99 a year in the US App Store (Oct 2026)
- Con: OCR and Auto Upload need the Plus subscription
Other options
Good apps for a narrower job. Each one says which.
How we picked
Prices are from thegrizzlylabs.com, adobe.com, helpx.adobe.com, readdle.com, support.readdle.com, and the US App Store in October 2026, in US dollars before tax. App Store in-app purchase sheets list several Plus and Premium prices with different billing periods, so we use the yearly figure the vendor or store listing makes clear and note when the sheet is unclear.
We checked Microsoft's own Lens retirement page for store-removal and scanning end dates, Kaspersky's 2019 CamScanner report, and the current US App Store privacy label and Google Play data safety section for CamScanner. We left out CamScanner as a ranked pick, desktop-only OCR tools, and single-platform tools that do not scan on both phones.
Questions
Does your phone have a built-in document scanner?
Yes. On iPhone, open Notes, tap the paperclip, then Scan Documents, or open Files, tap the More button, then Scan Documents. Both save a multi-page PDF. Notes keeps it inside the note, Files saves it to a folder you choose in iCloud Drive or On My iPhone. On Android and iPhone, open Google Drive, tap the camera or New action, then Scan. Drive offers crop, filters, a Clean cleanup pass, multi-page capture, and title suggestions, and the PDF lands in Drive. Some Pixel and Samsung phones also show a document scan shortcut in Camera or Files. Built-in scanners lack naming templates and auto-upload to non-Apple or non-Google services.
What's the best free scanner app?
Start with the scanner already on the phone. Notes and Files on iPhone, and Google Drive on either phone, cost nothing and need no extra download. Adobe Scan is the best free dedicated app when you want OCR: text recognition comes with a free Adobe account, with 5 GB of Document Cloud storage. Genius Scan Basic is free with unlimited scans and no watermark, but searchable text needs Ultra. Scanner Pro's free tier scans and shares, and free exports carry a watermark.
What's the best scanner app for Android?
Genius Scan is the best scanner app for Android. Basic needs no account, keeps scans on the device, and Ultra at $39.99 a year adds OCR and cloud auto-export that also works on iPhone. Adobe Scan is the free OCR pick on Android if you will use an Adobe account and Document Cloud. Google Drive covers occasional scans that should live in Drive. Scanner Pro has no Android version.
What's the best scanner app for iPhone?
Genius Scan is still the overall pick on iPhone when you want the same app on an Android phone later, or when you refuse a vendor account. Scanner Pro is the stronger iPhone-only choice for weekly scanning with Auto Upload, Workflows, and on-device OCR under Plus. Adobe Scan wins when free searchable PDFs matter more than keeping files only on the phone. For a few pages a month, Notes or Files is enough and already installed.
Genius Scan or Scanner Pro: which is better?
Genius Scan is better if you need Android, no sign-up, or a free tier without watermarks. Ultra is $39.99 a year and adds OCR plus cloud exports on both phones. Scanner Pro is better if every device you own is Apple and you want Auto Upload and Workflows that file each scan into a cloud folder. Scanner Pro Plus is $59.99 a year in the US App Store in October 2026, and free Scanner Pro exports include a watermark. Both apps were still getting updates in autumn 2026.
What replaced Microsoft Lens?
Microsoft retired Microsoft Lens on iOS and Android. Per Microsoft's support page, the app was removed from the App Store and Google Play on February 9, 2026, and new scans stopped on March 9, 2026. Microsoft points users to the scanner inside the OneDrive app, which saves to OneDrive and cannot keep scans only on the device. For a standalone scanner, use Genius Scan on either phone, Adobe Scan for free OCR with an Adobe account, or Scanner Pro on iPhone.
Is CamScanner safe?
In 2019, Kaspersky reported a malicious advertising module in an Android build of CamScanner. Google removed the app from Play, and the developer shipped a build without that module. That incident alone does not describe the current releases. The US App Store privacy label for CamScanner in October 2026 lists identifiers and usage data used to track you, plus contact info, user content, identifiers, usage data, and diagnostics collected. Google Play's data safety section says the app may share device or other IDs with third parties and may collect personal info, financial info, and other types, with data encrypted in transit and a deletion request path. For a no-account scanner, use Genius Scan instead.
Verdict
What's the best document scanner app?
Install Genius Scan if you want one scanner on iPhone and Android with no account and scans that stay on the phone by default. Use Adobe Scan if free searchable PDFs matter and you already use Acrobat. Install Scanner Pro if you are on iPhone or iPad and scan often enough to pay for Auto Upload and Workflows.
For a few pages a year, use Notes or Files on iPhone, or Google Drive on either phone. Match the scanner to how often you scan and where the PDF has to live.
Our pick overall
Genius Scan