Today scanning a document doesn’t have to involve that large printer-size machine. All you need is your Android device and a good scanner app. Thanks to some really effective apps that you can find for free on Google Play, scanning a document has never been easier.
With the following Android apps, you’ll be able to scan your document by simply taking a picture. Not only that, but you can turn your scanned document into a PDF and easily share it with colleagues and friends.
Do you prefer a hardware scanner? Try one of these portable scanners.
1. Google Drive
Price: Free
Google Drive comes pre-installed on most Android devices these days, making the app our first choice on the list of best scanning apps for Android, as you won’t have to install any additional apps to do the work.
Getting started is quite straightforward. Simply tap the “+” button in the right lower part of the display, then select Scan. Next, you’ll simply need to take a photo of the page(s) you wish to scan. The app will automatically save the results as PDFs and save them in Drive for you, from where you can share them with others or save them on your computer.
2. Adobe Scan
Price: Free / $11.99
Adobe Scan is another great document scanner app for Android. You can scan documents and receipts, as well as whiteboards. The app lets you apply color presets to make the text more eligible and gives you the option to add more pages to a single PDF, as needed.
Once you’re happy with the results, you can send the document via email or a link or save it for further use via Google Drive or OneDrive. You can also back it up in the cloud or save the pages as .JPG.
More features are hidden behind a paywall, for example, like the ability to export the PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
3. FineReader PDF
Price: Free / $4.99
If you want to go a bit deeper with your document scanning, then this offering is one of the best out there. It’s capable of detecting documents that you’ve taken photos of on your device, which you can then edit and send from the app itself.
With FineReader, you can save your scans to either PDF of JPG, then add a few professional document finishes with filters that include greyscale, black-and-white and color. You can also use tags and other searchable options to keep things neatly organized.
Multi-page documents aren’t a problem either, as the app allows you to include up to 100 pages per file you scan. Additionally, it does a fairly good job at straightening out documents that you snap from awkward angles.
The app offers a Premium version which brings accurate text recognition in 193 languages, allowing users to output it to 12 of the most popular text formats like docx, txt, xls, and more.
4. Microsoft Lens
Price: Free
Microsoft Lens is one of the most popular scanner apps you can find on the Google Play Store. The app enhances, trims and creates pictures of documents and whiteboards that are readable and then turns them into PDF, PowerPoint, or Word files.
Tap on the “Scanner” icon on the top-right and select what type of document you want to scan, whether it’s a book or a document, a whiteboard, or a business card. Don’t worry about scanning the document incorrectly, as the app will guide you and allow you to edit the after capture.
Interestingly enough, Microsoft Lens also includes a Read aloud option, which basically reads out the texts you’ve just captured.
5. CamScanner
Price: Free / $4.99 and up
CamScanner brings you all the tools you need for quickly scanning your documents efficiently. By using the phone’s camera, you can scan invoices, receipts, notes, business cards, certifications and other documents. There’s even a book mode allowing you to scan books more easily.
Quickly find a specific scan with the search feature simply by entering a keyword to save some valuable time. Once you’ve located the document, you can share the PDF/JPG though social media or an email attachment.
The app also includes an interesting Signature tool which scans your signature from a document, then easily adds it to your current scan. You can then customize its size and color. The feature is available through the Premium or Gold subscriptions which unlock additional options including sharing with watermark, collage images and converting the scans to Word documents.
6. Tiny Scanner
Price: Free / $4.99
Tiny Scanner converts your Android device into a portable scanner. Scan any document you come across and either save them as a picture or PDF file. The app also offers the possibility of saving your file through the most popular cloud services, such as Dropbox, Evernote, Drive or OneDrive.
Your documents can either be scanned in grayscale, color, or black & white. There’s also a Batch mode for when you have to scan multiple files and the option to add a Signature. (It’s a free feature here.) Additionally, you can keep curious eyes away from your files by adding a passcode to protect them.
Tiny Scanner is quite a simple app compared to the others on the list, but it does the job and that’s all that matters. A Premium plan can be unlocked, which brings document cloud print and AI-powered OCR.
7. Fast Scanner
Price: Free / $4.99
With millions of downloads in the Play Store, Fast Scanner is an app that covers your document scanning needs. Scan all sorts of documents, including business cards and other paper text. You can add more than one page to a scan, save them as PDF/JPG, and then export it with services like Gmail, Google Drive, OneDrive and more.
The app also allows you to edit your scans in order to make them easier to read by applying various filters such as gray, color, black & white and more. With Fast Scanner, you can also sign your scanned files without having to buy the app. You can place the signature anywhere on your document and even enlarge it.
Wrapping Up
Android devices can be used as many things. You can use them as your all-around communication device, camera, and even your scanner, thanks to these apps. Alternatively, you might want to learn how you can use your Android phone as a mouse on Windows or on a Mac.
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