7 Best Free Android Scanner Apps for Scanning Docs, PDFs, and Photos in 2023

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This article focuses on the best Android scanner apps because many people own an Android smartphone. These apps can turn your Android phone into a scanner, and you will be able to scan any paper document, business card, or photo with your phone.

Whether you need to scan a document for work or just want to preserve memories by scanning old photos and documents, this article will show you the best free scanner apps available in the Google Play Store.

Best Free Android Scanner Apps

You don’t have to run after an Internet cafe every single time you get to scan something or invest your hard-earned money on buying a document scanner. You can literally use your Android smartphone to comfortably scan all your documents at home for absolutely free. Yes, you heard me right! The camera on your smartphone can outperform most typical desktop scanners on the market.

There are many applications available for your Android smartphone that do the task. Some of which are feature-rich, while the rest are crappy pieces of software. Well, the real challenge is to pick the right fit for all your mobile scanning needs. Worry not! To help you make the best scanner out of your Smartphone, we have curated the Best Android Scanner Applications list here

Best Android Scanner Apps
Best Android Scanner Apps in 2023

Top Free Android Scanning Apps for 2023

1. Adobe Scan
2. Office Lens (Microsoft Owned)
3. Cam Scanner
4. Fast Scanner
5. Clear Scan
6. Scanbot
7. vFlat Scanner


Please do note that each application that we have cited here is personally tested by putting it through a series of tests to come up with an opinion. Make sure to read to the end of the post to decide which application best suits your needs. Also, do check for an exclusive expert tip at the end of the post.

The first app on our list is Adobe Scan, which is a reliable scanner app that is available only on Android devices. It’s easy to use and has great features like batch scanning, sending scans as PDFs or JPEGs, etc.

The next one is Office Lens, which allows users to capture documents, whiteboards, and business cards with the camera of their smartphone. It provides editing features such as cropping and taking out shadows, etc.

The third one is CamScanner, which also has editing features along with other functions like optical character recognition.

#1. Adobe Scan: OCR PDF and Business Card Scanner

When we think of a document, the first thing that comes to our mind is Adobe. Adobe has been very creative in making a lot of great software tools in many different areas. Adobe PDF Reader, for instance, is one such masterpiece that is being used by millions and millions of people across the globe. With the same kind of innovation, Adobe has come up with a nifty piece of android software called the Adobe Scan which has a whopping download of over 10 million on the play store.

The Adobe Scan app for Android comes with a different setting for each type of document. Be it a whiteboard, business card, form or plain document, Adobe has it all. With the preset, you don’t have to make manual adjustments to your scans. The app does it all for you, provided you let the app know about the type of document that you are going to scan. Cool! Isn’t it? The game doesn’t end here.

It is equipped with an Optical Scanning Recognition (OCR) feature that lets you detect and extract the text from your scans. It comes in handy while scanning documents like business cards that contain important data. Another cool feature is that the scans can be directly saved to Adobe’s cloud storage and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Pros
  • OCR and the cloud storage feature.
  • Well designed user interface.
  • The application is totally free. <3
  • Auto-capture feature.
  • Surprisingly there are no ads for the matter that the app is totally free.
Cons
  • Mandatory sign-in. It isn’t a great deal as it is a onetime process but signing in is a must before you put the app to use.

Adobe Scanner App – Verdict

Not to brag, but the Adobe Scan is a one-stop-solution for all your scanning needs. Apart from the above-mentioned features, there are tons of other cool features. Of which, erasing elements from your scanned document is something I love the most.

#2. Office Lens: Microsoft PDF Scanner

I don’t think I need to introduce you to the Microsoft eco-system as there are many products on the market that speak volumes about it. Microsoft has contributed a lot to the documentation industry with its revolutionary Office suite, which is still the best set of applications for creating and editing documents online.

Even before Android reached the milestone of being the most used operating system in the world, Microsoft had expanded its wings to include Android and developed a whole bunch of tools for the platform. Out of those, Microsoft Office Lens turned out to be the most adored Android scanning application with over 10 million downloads on the Play Store.

It offers pretty much everything a typical user looks for in a portable document scanner application. Like the Adobe Scan, the Office Lens has also got a whole bunch of presets for different forms of documents. It also offers various cloud storage options like OneNote and OneDrive. With OCR, scanning and getting information from different kinds of documents is now a breeze.

Pros
  • The fact that this app being free and no ads.
  • OCR and cloud storage options.
  • Decent UI
  • Presets for each document type
Cons
  • Scanning and processing speeds could have been slightly better. However, no complaints for the matter that the app is totally free and being productive

The Microsoft Office Lens Scanner App – Verdict

This scanning app is a totally reliable option with a sleek user interface and adjustable scanning resolutions and document sizes. The best thing about it is the fact that it is offered for free. If you are looking for an app to fulfill your scanning needs, give this a shot.

#3. Cam Scanner-Best Scanner to Scan PDFs & Docs

I bet each one of us has already heard the name Cam Scanner once in our digital journey so far. Cam Scanner is an age-old application that has been on the Play Store right from the start of the Android era. Being a senior player in the industry, it has evolved through a lot of challenges.

It is installed on over 380 million devices in over 200 countries around the world and is featured in many digital magazines. Enough with the boasting! Let us understand its technicalities. The application employs a special image cropping algorithm to precisely detect and crop the scanned images. It also boasts its OCR feature to read and extract text from scanned documents. To use the OCR feature, however, you need a paid subscription to the application.

Scanning, exporting, and printing are made easy. The sync feature enables users to access the documents easily from different platforms. Documents can be protected with passwords to secure them from unauthorized access while sharing them on public platforms.

Pros
  • The interface is easier.
  • Employs file compression to different quality and sizes
  • Presets for various document types and decent edge detection
  • OCR feature
  • The digital signature, document protection, and the cross-platform sync makes it better
Cons
  • The exported pdf document comes with the Cam Scanner watermark. To remove it, you will have to shell out some money and go premium.
  • Premium membership costs you a fortune

Cam Scanner application – Verdict

The Cam Scanner has been in the industry for so long, making it a reliable option. It has got a bunch of exclusive features like digital signature and digital password protection for scanned documents, which most other Android scanner apps don’t provide. However, to access most of these features, you will have to purchase a premium subscription to the application. It is in the user’s interest to decide if they kind of need those features.

#4. Fast Scanner: Free PDF Scan

With over 10 million Android users, Fast Scanner is one of the most popular android scanning applications on the Play store. As the name says, it is fast and super easy to scan a document. Just open the application and point to a document to be scanned. Ta-da! The scanned documents can be exported to an image or pdf format.

There is an option included for uploading the scanned documents to third-party cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive.

Pros
  • The interface is quicker and easier
  • Option to transfer to third party cloud storages
  • The app feels lighter
Cons
  • An add is shown after each scanning task
  • No presets available for different document types

Fast Scanner App – Verdict

This android scanner application is pretty much straight-forward. It does what it says. There are no complex algorithms involved. It scans your documents at a decent quality. You will retain the ability to manually adjust your scans. If you are a rare user or you own a phone with lower RAM, this should work like a charm for you.

#5. Clear Scan: Free PDF & Document Scanner App

Clear Scan is yet another decent scanner application on the Play Store with over 5 million installs. What makes this scanner noteworthy is its ability to scan multiple documents and export options. In spite of being lighter and simpler, it is very productive.

It also offers an OCR feature for easier extraction of text from scanned documents. The filters, editing ability, manual page sizes, and backing up and restoring of app data are a few of the other highlights of the app. All in all, a decent application with a minimalistic user interface.

Pros
  • Minimalistic user interface
  • OCR feature
  • Easier and quicker in scanning multiple documents
Cons
  • Presence of adds. However, you could remove them permanently at a cheaper price.

Clear Scan App – Review

The Clear Scan Android Scanner App is a simple and innovative piece of work that just does the job right. If you are a decent user who only scans something once in a while, this could be the cherry on your cake.

#6. Scanbot – PDF Document Scanner

Scanbot is a free application for Android that scans documents, pictures, and PDF files. Scanbot offers features that many other applications do not. It is one of the best PDF document scanner apps available on the Google Play Store. This is due to its wide range of features and ability to convert documents into multiple formats like.docx, .pptx, .txt, HTML and more.

I’m kind of impressed with the design and user interface of Scanbot. It is a simple yet effective program on the Play Store with over 1 million downloads and has a pretty decent user rating and feedback.

Apart from the basic features that most scanners offer in their lineup, Scanbot is a step ahead by including features like QR Code scanning and Bar Code scanning. It also supports various cloud services, from the most common ones to lesser-known ones.

Pros
  • The minimalistic design and clean user interface
  • Option to scan QR Codes and Bar codes, OCR.
Cons
  • The OCR feature isn’t up to the mark. It is laggy while scanning the text on the documents.

Scanbot Free Android Scanner App – Verdict

Scanbot is pretty decent both in terms of performance and design, and is one of the best scanner apps for Android. The app itself is not so bulky; it feels lighter and runs smoother even on phones with lower configurations. Give it a try if you are in search of a decent application that does the job.

#7. vFlat- Your mobile book scanner

Yet another mobile scanner with a minimalistic design. vFlat makes your scanning super easy. As its name suggests, it is meant to scan large amounts of paper, like books. From my first impression using this application, I felt it was easy to use and faster in scanning, but the scanning and processing quality could have been better.

It is evolving with every update. The developers of this application are trying to make it more interactive and productive. However, give this application a try. You might possibly like it.

Pros
  • Minimal
  • Straight forward operation and does the work right
Cons
  • Need more refinement

vFlat Android Book Scanner app -verdict

With a constant effort being put into this application, it is evolving to be the best. It does the basic scanning work right. The best thing about the application is its ability to organize the scanned documents. Give this a try, chances are that you will like it.

Also Read: Best Negative Scanner in 2023

Expert Tip 1

Most of us have the Google Drive app on our phones, either because it came with our phones or because we downloaded it ourselves. Did you know that Google Drive can be used to scan your documents?

Yes! You can use the Google Drive application to scan your documents at times when you need to quickly scan something.

To scan using the Google Drive Application, open Google Drive and click on the + symbol at the bottom of the screen. You should find a Scan option from the bunch of options. Click on it. Ta-da! You’re good to go.

Expert Tip 2

You can use PhotoScan by Google Photos, which is again a minimal application from Google that lets you scan your old photos or even your ID cards without losing their quality.

Also Read: Best Photo Scanner with Auto Feeder

FAQs: The Best Free Android Mobile Scanners for PDF, Doc, and Photos

Which scanner app is best?

There are a lot of Scanner applications available for android in Play store
Top Best Android Scanner Apps 2023
● Adobe Scan
● Office Lens (Microsoft Owned)
● Cam Scanner
● Fast Scanner
● Clear Scan
● Scanbot
● vFlat Scanner

Can I scan documents with my Android phone?

Yes! You can use your smartphone to scan your documents at home. There are android applications like Adobe Scan, Microsoft Office Lens and Cam Scanner that helps in scanning documents with your smartphone

Are there any free scanner apps?

There are many free scanner apps available for android. Some of them are Adobe Scan, Microsoft Office Lens, Scanbot.

Is there an app to scan papers?

. There are apps like Adobe Scan, Microsoft Office Lens and Cam Scanner that lets you scan your papers easily with your smartphone

Tony Hoffman is a seasoned technology expert with over a decade of experience specializing in printing and scanning technologies. His in-depth knowledge covers everything from troubleshooting common printer issues to the latest innovations in printing technology, making him a trusted source for both consumers and industry professionals. Tony's expertise lies not only in understanding the complex nuances of printing equipment but also in his ability to convey these concepts in an easily understandable and practical manner. His articles provide valuable insights for individuals looking to solve printer issues or explore the best products on the market. Outside of his work as a tech writer, Tony enjoys tinkering with electronics and staying up-to-date with the latest tech trends. He is also an outdoor enthusiast, always ready for the next hiking or camping adventure.

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