Today, people are more dependent on their smartphones than anything else. All the information needed to do daily tasks is on your mobile phone, and even classes and work meetings are done on your mobile phone. That is why the capabilities of this smart device are increasing day by day, and now it is no longer just a means of calling. Take the phone camera, for example. What can be done with it other than photography? With DSLR Remote Camera apps for Android, Your mobile becomes a camera controller; with the best Camera raw Android apps, you can edit your images professionally and with Document scanner apps, you can scan your printed documents with just one tap.
You no longer need to use expensive scanners to scan part of a book or pamphlet. The following applications do this for free and without spending any time for you and provide you with other features that make you forget that one day there was a device called a scanner! Join TopWonk to get acquainted with these extremely attractive applications.
1. CamScanner: Scanner to scan PDF
If you are looking for a convenient application for scanning documents using your smartphone camera, CamScanner is one of your best options. This app allows users to turn their phone camera into a professional scanner and easily scan book pages and booklets, whiteboards, billboards, posters, and more. Users can take advantage of 500 MB of free cloud space by subscribing to CamScanner and easily access scanned documents in the cloud at any time.
CamScanner has a much faster scanning speed than other competing apps, and its image cropping tool works well. But perhaps the most interesting feature is the ability to separate the text from the image, which gives you the chance to scan parts of the text that are very important to you separately.
Pros
- Convert images to PDF
- Ability to fax scanned documents in 30 countries
- Tools for adjusting the brightness or adding filters to scanned files
- Search among documents stored in the app
- Ability to encrypt files
Cons
- In-app ads
- Many features are only available in the premium version
2. Adobe Scan: PDF Scanner with OCR, PDF Creator
If you are a student, likely, you have at least once photographed your friend’s booklet or the descriptions written on the class board to use in the future. Over time, more professional applications were developed to automatically separate the booklet from the photo after shooting and save it as a standalone image without additional backgrounds (for example, desk). Adobe Scan is one of these programs that can automatically detect your booklets and convert them to PDF automatically and convert English texts inside the photo into editable text.
The app, which has been downloaded more than 50 million times from the Google Play Store, also received an excellent score of 4.7, which shows that it has met the demands of its users.
Pros
- Automatic text recognition system with acceptable performance
- Export in high quality PDF format
- Ability to scan the business card and save it in contacts
Cons
- Import speed on some devices is slow
- Minor bugs in recent updates
3. TapScanner: Scanner App To PDF
Another handy app for scanning, printing, and managing PDF documents is TapScanner. The application, which has more than 50 million users, can scan anything you want with one tap and save it as a PDF file. It also automatically detects paper borders and crops image additions. If the image also needs light and color correction, you can do this in TapScanner with a few simple steps.
Features of this app include the ability to use the cloud space and back up scanned documents. Cloud services such as Google Drive and Dropbox are available through this application. Also, if you log in to your account in this app, you can add other features to the files.
Pros
- Connect to Google Drive and Dropbox cloud space
- QR code scanner
- Export to PDF quality
Cons
- Annoying in-app ads
- Limited features in the free version
4. Simple Scan: Free PDF Scanner App
Simple Scan, as the name implies, makes scanning very simple. Just install the app and then take a photo with it from a book or any other document you want, and that’s it! The scanned file will be saved on your mobile phone in the form of an image or PDF without any additional parts. Of course, you can save files on the cloud or share them with others via email, WhatsApp, or other services.
Another feature of Simple Scan is converting the text inside images or PDF files to editable text through its OCR system. However, we recommend that you use OCR Android Apps to do this.
Pros
- OCR capability to identify editable texts
- Adjust the contrast of the output images
- Encryption on documents
- Scan in color, gray or black and white
Cons
- Annoying in-app ads
- Ability to download scanned files only in the premium version
- There is no document rotation feature
5. Microsoft Lens: PDF Scanner
Microsoft is a leader in almost all areas related to document editing and office work. So, it is not strange to see its name in the list of Document scanner apps. In fact, Microsoft Lens is one of the best apps that turns your phone into a pocket scanner. The app has already been downloaded more than 10 million times from the Google Play Store and has received an acceptable score of 4.7 from its users.
A great feature of Microsoft Lens is that it syncs well with other apps from the company, such as OneNote, so you can directly import and use your scanned file in this program too.
Pros
- Integration with other Microsoft apps
- Text recognition system
- Identify handwriting and convert it to editable text
- Completely free and without in-app ads
Cons
- Minor bugs on some devices
6. Tiny Scanner: PDF Scanner App
Tiny Scanner is another document scanning app that works well over its competitors. With more than 10 million installs from the Google Play Store and a 4.7 rating from its users, this app is one of the great options you can consider using. The PDFs that this app generates for you are very high quality, and you can easily share them with others.
Scanning is easy with Tiny Scanner and can be in color, black and white, or gray. The remarkable thing is that this application with artificial intelligence can distinguish your writings from texts and provide them to you in the form of editable texts. Apart from English, several other languages are supported for this purpose. The free version of this application gives you limited possibilities, and to buy the premium version, and you have to pay $ 4 per month or about $ 20 per year.
Pros
- OCR with multi-language support
- Advanced document search
- Encryption for more file security
- Add signatures to scanned documents
Cons
- Limited features in the free version
7. Fast Scanner: Free PDF Scan
Unlike other apps on this list, you do not need to pay a monthly membership fee to use Fast Scanner features. But once you buy it, you can always get new updates to the program and scan the file indefinitely. With Fast Scanner, you can scan your manuscripts or pamphlets, convert a book or magazine to PDF, convert the text on the product packaging into a photo, and export the editable text.
If you do not want to save your scanned files in PDF format, you can export them as photos and apply the desired changes to them using the photo editing tools available in this application. Of course, we suggest you see the list of Best Camera apps for Android for professional image editings, such as exposure or contrast.
Pros
- With one purchase, you can use the program’s features indefinitely
- You can print through cloud printing
- Scanning is done with this app at high speed
Cons
- In-app ads in the free version
8. PDF Scanner App: Scan Documents with iScanner
iScanner is a smart and full-featured handheld scanner for Android released by BPMobile for $ 4.99. This software turns the phone’s camera into a quality scanner and enables them to scan all kinds of documents or notes anywhere.
The image that iScanner takes of the documents is cropped, meaning the app itself intelligently separates the margins of the image and does not print the extra part. This operation, which is also done very quickly, can be repeated several times and scanned from several pages, and uploaded to the cloud. IScanner output is in PDF and JPEG formats. The quality of the images, as well as their colors can be modified for the user and is easily possible.
Pros
- Special modes for scanning passports and identity cards
- Synchronized with cloud storage systems
- Encrypt files for extra security
Cons
- Crash when scanning high numbers on some devices
9. Document Scanner: (Made in India) PDF Creator
Document Scanner, a product of an Indian company, not only provides excellent services to its users but also publishes regular updates. With more than 10 million active installs from the Google Play Store, this application has received a score of 4.5 out of 5. We see in the user comments section that it answers customers’ problems carefully and considerably.
Pros
- Improve the quality of scans automatically
- Smart trimming of extra image parts
- Black, white and dark color fashion for PDFs
- Print and fax directly from the app
Cons
- Many in-app ads
- Crash on some devices
10. Fast Scan: Free Document Scanner HD, PDF Scanning
The latest application that is introduced in this list is also among the 10 million. Fast Scan can quickly convert the photos you take from printed documents to a PDF file and make the text editable in most cases. The scan quality of this application is HD, and it arranges the output files in the related folders for you to be comfortable while using them.
Fast Scan scanned images can be saved in JPG, PDF, and TXT formats and shared with others.
Pros
- High quality output
- Backup and sync system with cloud storage spaces
- Convert photos to text with artificial intelligence
- Add digital signature
Cons
- Annoying in-app ads
Conclusion
Almost all document scanning applications introduced in this list have the same features and functionality. Since most of them have in-app ads in the free version, this is the only annoying thing. Otherwise, they all do well in scanning your documents and are among the best in this field. After reading the descriptions of each of these apps, we suggest that you download and install a few and see for yourself which one is more satisfied with the user interface or which one is more useful to you.
FAQs
How do document scanner apps work?
Using these applications, you can take a photo of your printed document and convert it to PDF. Some of these applications can use the OCR feature to detect text inside the image and convert it to editable text. Using these applications is very simple, and after downloading and installing, just run them and take a photo of the book or manuscript you want.
Are these document scanning apps free?
Most of the apps that we introduce in this article provide you with their main features for free. But features such as photo-to-text conversion, cloud sharing, or image editing may be among the premium features that require you to purchase the app or pay a monthly or annual membership fee.
Is it possible to scan documents with a selfie camera?
All applications listed in this list work with the phone’s main camera. But some best selfie apps for android may offer this feature.
