CamScanner vs Doc Scanner: which scanner app should you use?

Disclosure: Doc Scanner is made by us (Ginowl), so we rank it first. Other apps are described only from their store listings, official sites and the sources listed on this page.

At a glance

Both apps scan paper with your phone camera, find the page edges, correct the perspective and export a PDF. Both can scan many pages into one document, apply filters, put an ID card's two sides on one page and lock a PDF with a password (Premium in Doc Scanner). The differences are in what you put up with to get there: ads, watermarks, accounts, and where your text is recognised.

• Choose Doc Scanner for a clean, ad-free scanner with free signatures, free searchable PDFs and text recognition that stays on your phone.
• Choose CamScanner if you need a computer or browser version, text recognition in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, or its long list of extra tools.

Ads and watermarks

Ads and watermarks are the main reason people compare these two apps. CamScanner's App Store page says 'Contains Advertising' and its Google Play listing carries a 'Contains ads' label. Recent reviews don't sugar-coat it. In September 2026, one App Store reviewer wrote that 'you can't skip the ad' and that the close button 'only opens up another ad'. CamScanner's Premium comparison lists 'No ads or watermarks' as a paid benefit.

Watermarks follow the same pattern. CamScanner's own 2022 blog explains that free scans carry a 'Scanned by CamScanner' watermark, and that US users on iOS and Android were then given a free 'remove watermark' option at export. Text in CamScanner's website code still describes PDF watermark removal as 'a paid function'. What you see may depend on your region and account.

Doc Scanner has neither. There are no ads anywhere in the app: not on the camera, not on export, not in your library. Nothing is stamped on your scans, on the free plan or on Premium. The PDF you send looks exactly like the page you scanned. That matters when the file goes to a landlord, a bank, a university or an HR team. If a clean file is all you need, see our guide to a scanner app with no watermark.

Text recognition: on the phone vs credits

Both apps recognise text, but in different ways.

Doc Scanner's AI-powered text recognition (Google ML Kit) runs on your phone. It works offline, and nothing is uploaded for recognition. Every PDF you export gets an invisible text layer on the free plan, so you can search it and select text in any PDF reader. Our searchable PDF page explains how. Copying text from a scan, the Extract Text camera mode and converting to Word or TXT with Tools → Convert are Premium.

CamScanner documents a cloud OCR. Its 2022 blog said a basic account could try cloud OCR only a few times for free. Current strings on its website talk about daily 'OCR credits' and say 'Upgrade to Premium for more credits.' Its privacy policy (updated July 2026) says that when you use its services to recognise text, it collects the files you choose. CamScanner doesn't say whether some recognition also runs on the phone, so we don't claim either way.

In practice, Doc Scanner is the simpler choice if you want every PDF searchable without counting credits, and want your pages read on the phone. If you need text recognised in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, CamScanner covers far more languages: 41, according to its website.

Signatures and ID cards

Signatures

In Doc Scanner, open a document and tap Sign. Draw your signature once and it is saved, so next time you just pick it from your saved signatures, drag it into place and resize it. That works on any page, on the free plan. While you're there, the highlighter (four colours) marks the lines that matter.

CamScanner's 2022 blog listed 'electronic signature' among its paid services, alongside 'no ads', and its current Premium comparison still has an 'Electronic signature' row. We couldn't confirm how the 2026 app gates signing, so check it before you rely on it. For a step-by-step guide, see how to sign a PDF on your phone.

ID cards

On ID cards the two apps are even. CamScanner has had an ID Card Mode that puts both sides of a card on one page since at least 2019. Doc Scanner's ID Card mode does the same: scan the front, scan the back, and both land on one A4-style page ready to print, e-mail or upload. In Doc Scanner, ID card mode is Premium. Here's how to scan an ID card front and back on one page.

Privacy and accounts

Doc Scanner needs no sign-up. Open it and scan: an account is created for you automatically, and signing in with Apple or Google is optional. Scanning, image processing and text recognition happen on your phone, and you decide where each PDF goes through your phone's share sheet. Before you install any scanner, read its App Store privacy label and Google Play Data safety section. Here are Doc Scanner's App Store page and Google Play page.

CamScanner's terms say a CS Account is needed for some functions, such as keeping documents online. Its Google Play description invites you to 'Sign up to access documents on all your devices.' Its privacy policy says files you choose for text recognition or online storage are collected and processed. EEA users' data is stored in Ireland and US users' data in the United States. CamScanner also holds ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701 certifications.

Two dated events still come up in searches. In August 2019, Kaspersky found a malicious module in a third-party ad library inside some Android versions of CamScanner. CamScanner removed the uncertified ad SDKs, said it had found no evidence of document data leaking, and returned to Google Play in September 2019. Separately, India has blocked CamScanner since June 2020 under Section 69A of its IT Act. Want to know how we handle your documents? Read is Doc Scanner safe?

Where CamScanner is stronger

A fair comparison has to say this part out loud. CamScanner is the better fit if you need:

• Computers and a browser. CamScanner offers Windows, macOS and browser versions as well as phone apps. Doc Scanner is an iPhone and Android app only.
• More languages. CamScanner's App Store listing has 58 interface languages, and its website lists text recognition in 41 languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
• More conversions. Its PDF tools convert to and from Word, spreadsheet and presentation formats.
• Online storage and sharing. Documents stored online with an account, plus shared links with comments.
• Extra tools. Background removal, page flattening, AI question answering and more.
• Scale. Google Play shows 500M+ downloads and an Editors' Choice badge.

If those matter more to you than ads and watermarks, CamScanner is a reasonable pick.

Which one to pick

Pick Doc Scanner if you want:

• a scanner with no ads and no watermarks, on the free plan and on Premium
• to start scanning without signing up
• searchable PDFs and saved signatures on the free plan
• text recognition that runs on your phone and works offline
• both sides of an ID card on one page (Premium)
• the same app on iPhone and Android, including older phones (iOS 15.5, Android 7.0)

Pick CamScanner if you need a computer or browser version, text recognition in many non-Latin languages, or online storage with collaboration features, and you're fine with ads or a subscription.

Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs. Premium unlocks text extraction, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs and more. Still comparing? See all CamScanner alternatives.

Scan your first document in seconds

Doc Scanner is free to download for iPhone and Android. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up required.

Scan with your phone camera to get the app

Sources

1. CamScanner on the US App Store (ads label, languages, reviews, iOS requirement) (checked 2026-10-01)
2. CamScanner on Google Play (Contains ads, downloads, Editors' Choice, description) (checked 2026-10-01)
3. CamScanner blog: watermark, cloud OCR and paid services (22 November 2022) (checked 2026-10-01)
4. camscanner.com website code: watermark removal, OCR credits and Premium comparison strings (checked 2026-10-01)
5. CamScanner privacy policy (updated 20 July 2026) (checked 2026-10-01)
6. CamScanner CS Account terms (checked 2026-10-01)
7. CamScanner official site (OCR languages, PDF tools, AI-enhanced scans) (checked 2026-10-01)
8. CamScanner downloads (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and browser versions) (checked 2026-10-01)
9. CamScanner Security & Compliance Center (ISO/IEC certifications) (checked 2026-10-01)
10. CamScanner on X: ID Card Mode (14 March 2019) (checked 2026-10-01)
11. Kaspersky Securelist: dropper in Google Play (27 August 2019) (checked 2026-10-01)
12. XDA Developers: CamScanner statement and return to Google Play (updated 17 September 2019) (checked 2026-10-01)
13. Government of India press release: 59 apps blocked (29 June 2020) (checked 2026-10-01)
14. Doc Scanner on the App Store (checked 2026-10-01)
15. Doc Scanner on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)

Doc Scanner is not affiliated with CamScanner and INTSIG. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Related pages

• CamScanner alternativesThe best CamScanner alternative for iPhone and Android: Doc Scanner has no ads, no watermarks and no sign-up, plus free searchable PDFs and signatures.
• No watermarkDoc Scanner is a scanner app with no watermark on PDFs or JPGs, free plan included. No ads, no sign-up, searchable PDFs. For iPhone and Android.
• No adsDoc Scanner is a scanner app with no ads, no watermarks and no sign-up, for iPhone and Android. Scan, sign and export searchable PDFs on the free plan.
• Best scanner appsThe best scanner apps for iPhone and Android in 2026, compared on ads, watermarks, sign-up and free searchable PDFs. Every competitor fact is sourced.
• Scan ID cardsScan both sides of an ID card onto one page with Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android. Front and back on one A4-style PDF or JPG, ready to print or share.
• Sign PDFsSign a PDF on your phone for free: draw your signature once in Doc Scanner, reuse it on any page, export with no watermark. For iPhone and Android.
• Searchable PDFMake a PDF searchable for free on iPhone or Android. Doc Scanner adds an invisible text layer to every PDF it exports, offline, with no upload needed.
• Is Doc Scanner safe?Is Doc Scanner safe? Who makes it (Ginowl, Türkiye), what happens to your scans, its permissions, and how to find the right iPhone or Android app.