The document scanner for iPhone that lets you save

How to scan documents on iPhone with Scanfone

1. Install Scanfone from the App Store and open it. No account is needed.
2. Tap Scan and hold your iPhone over the document.
3. Capture each page; edges and perspective are corrected automatically.
4. Tap Save, choose a filter and fix page order if needed.
5. File the PDF in a folder, or share, print or save it to Files.

Doesn't the iPhone already scan documents?

It does, sort of. Apple Notes and the Files app have a document scanner tucked away in their menus, and it is free. It is a fine camera. What it does not give you is a place built for documents: no folders of its own, no OCR search workflow across everything you have scanned, no ID card or passport modes, no signing, merging or compressing in the same place.

Scanfone uses the same kind of tech for the capture, Apple's document camera finds edges and fixes perspective, and then builds a proper document app around it. If you are curious about the details, we wrote a fair side-by-side on Notes scanner vs Scanfone.

Everything in one place

• Scan documents into multi-page PDFs, unlimited
• Filters: Original, Color, Gray and Black & white
• Rotate, reorder and delete pages
• Import photos and existing PDFs
• On-device text recognition (OCR) for searchable PDFs and copyable text
• Search across all documents, including the text inside them
• Folders to keep it all organised
• Share, print and save to Files
• Scan modes for ID cards, passports and QR codes
• A Safe folder locked with a PIN and Face ID

Built for the documents in your life

Most scanning on a phone is not glamorous. It is a receipt for an expense report, a signed rental agreement, a school permission slip, a doctor's letter, a utility bill you need as proof of address. Scanfone is designed for exactly that: quick capture, a readable PDF and a way to find it again in six months.

For ID cards, Scanfone scans the front and the back and puts both sides on one page, which is what most forms ask for. Read how on how to scan an ID card. There is also a passport mode and a QR code reader.

Find any document by what it says

Text recognition runs on your iPhone, so every scan becomes a searchable PDF. In Scanfone you search across all your documents at once, and the search looks inside the pages. Type "invoice", a reference number or a company name and the right document comes up, even if you saved it as "Scan 47". More on OCR text recognition.

Edit tools included, no upgrade screen

After scanning, you can sign a PDF on iPhone with a signature you draw once and reuse, add text, a watermark, page numbers or footer text, redact areas, and merge, split or compress PDFs. You can convert PDF to JPG, PDF to text and photos to PDF, all free. Word and PowerPoint export are part of Pro.

Your documents stay on your iPhone

Scanning and OCR happen on the phone. There is no account, and nothing is uploaded unless you switch on Pro sync. No ads, no tracking, no analytics. The app is available in 32 languages. Read the details in our privacy policy.

Free, with an optional Pro

The document scanner is free and unlimited. Free PDFs have a small "Scanned free with Scanfone" line under each page, never across your content. Scanfone Pro removes it and adds sync between your phones, 1 TB cloud backup on EU servers and Word/PowerPoint export: $2.99 the first year, then $19.99 a year. No weekly plans. Other phones join with a one-time code instead of an email and password. See pricing.

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