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Compare scanner apps for iPhone
Scanner apps look alike on the App Store. The differences show up later: when you tap Save, when a trial ends, or when you try to search an old scan. Here is a plain side-by-side of the popular options, including Scanfone.
What to compare before you install
Across the category, App Store reviews keep raising the same problems: a paywall at the save or export step, ads, weekly plans and trial traps, subscriptions that are hard to cancel, free tiers that shrink, watermarks, crashes on long scans and lost documents. So the questions that matter are simple.
- Can you save and share for free, or only scan?
- Are there ads?
- Do you need an account just to scan?
- Is text recognition (OCR) free, so PDFs are searchable?
- Is there a weekly plan behind the trial button?
- What does it cost per year if you do pay?
Scanner apps side by side
Based on US App Store listings, developer pages and recent reviews, at the time of writing (November 2026). Prices and free tiers change, so check the App Store before you subscribe. "Not confirmed" means our research could not verify it.
| App | Price at the time of writing | Saving free? | Ads | Account needed | Free OCR | Weekly plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scanfone | Free; Pro $2.99 first year, then $19.99/year | Yes, unlimited | No | No | Yes, on device | No |
| Apple Notes / Files | Free, built in | Yes | No | Apple ID for iCloud | Search in Notes | No |
| Adobe Scan | Plus $19.99/year; Premium higher | Yes; combining scans into one file is paid | No ad network seen; promo prompts reported | Yes, Adobe sign-in | Limited on the free tier | None seen |
| CamScanner | $49.99–$59.99/year | Export limits reported | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes, around $9.99/week |
| Genius Scan | Ultra $39.99/year | Scanning free; email is the free export on iOS | No | No | No, paid | No |
| iScanner | Weekly and yearly plans | Limited; export caps reported | Yes, per the listing | No | Part of the paid plan | Yes, $4.99/week |
| Scanner Pro | Yearly from $19.99 | Yes, watermarked | No | No | No, Plus | Yes, 1-week plan |
| Tiny Scanner | $19.99/year and up | About one page, per reviews | Android version | Not confirmed | No, Premium | Yes, from $4.99/week |
| TurboScan | Pro $12.99 one-time | A few documents in the free app | No | No | Not listed | No |
Where Scanfone fits, honestly
We make Scanfone, so read this part with that in mind. Scanning, saving, sharing, printing, on-device OCR, signing, merging, splitting, compressing and converting to JPG or text are free, with no ads, no account and no limit. ID card, passport and QR modes are free too, and so is the Safe, a folder locked with PIN and Face ID.
The catch: free PDFs get one small line under each page, "Scanned free with Scanfone". It never covers your content. Scanfone Pro removes it and adds sync between your phones, a 1 TB cloud backup on EU servers, and Word and PowerPoint export, for $2.99 the first year, then $19.99 a year. No weekly plans, cancel in one tap. See pricing.
Other apps have real strengths. Apple's built-in scanner is free and already on your phone. TurboScan Pro is a one-time purchase. Adobe Scan connects to the Adobe ecosystem. If one of those fits you better, use it.
Detailed comparisons
CamScanner alternative
Scanfone vs CamScanner: price, ads, saving, OCR and weekly plans side by side.
Adobe Scan alternative
Scanfone vs Adobe Scan: sign-in, OCR limits, cloud upload and price compared.
Genius Scan alternative
Scanfone vs Genius Scan: what is free, what is paid and what it costs.
iScanner alternative
Scanfone vs iScanner: weekly plans, ads, saving limits and OCR compared.
Scanner Pro alternative
Scanner Pro vs Scanfone: price, watermark, OCR and weekly plans side by side.
Tiny Scanner alternative
Tiny Scanner vs Scanfone: free pages, weekly plans, OCR and price compared.
TurboScan alternative
TurboScan vs Scanfone: one-time price, free limits, OCR and editing tools compared.
Notes scanner vs Scanfone
The built-in iPhone scanner in Notes and Files compared with Scanfone, honestly.
Best free scanner app
A fair checklist and comparison table for choosing a truly free iPhone scanner app.
Trademarks
Adobe Scan, CamScanner, Genius Scan, iScanner, Scanner Pro, Tiny Scanner, TurboScan, Apple Notes and Files are trademarks of their respective owners. Scanfone is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Comparisons reflect public listings and reviews at the time of writing.