The best scanner apps for Android in 2026

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.

1. Doc Scanner

Best for: anyone who wants one app that does the whole job on the phone (scan, clean up, sign, search and share) and works the same on Android and iPhone.

Doc Scanner by Ginowl installs from Google Play on Android 7.0 or later. On Android its automatic edge detection uses Google Play services' document scanner, so pages are found, straightened and captured as soon as you hold the phone over them. Switch the camera to Batch and every page lands in the same PDF; you can add, reorder and delete pages later.

What puts it at the top of our list:

• ID card front and back on one page (Premium). Choose ID Card in the camera, scan both sides and get a single A4-style page, the format banks, landlords and HR teams usually ask for. Google's Drive, Files and Pixel Camera scanners document no such mode.
• Searchable PDFs on the free plan. Every PDF you export gets an invisible text layer, so you can search and copy its words later.
• Free signatures. Draw your signature once, then place and resize it on any page with Sign.
• AI-powered text recognition on the device. Google ML Kit reads the page offline and nothing is uploaded for recognition. Copying text with the Extract Text mode is Premium.
• Word, TXT and PowerPoint on the phone. Tools → Convert turns a scan into Word (.docx) or TXT (both Premium) or PowerPoint (.pptx). Google Drive's own help says converting PDFs and photos to text happens on drive.google.com on a computer.
• Password-protected PDFs with AES-256 encryption (Premium).
• Made for Android sharing. Send photos and PDFs into Doc Scanner with Android's Share or Open with, or use Photos and Import PDF in the Tools tab.
• No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up. Open it and scan; Google sign-in is optional.

Six filters (Original, Magic Color, Grayscale, B&W, Lighten, Contrast), PDF quality and page-size choices, folders, merge and search inside recognised text round out the kit. The interface is available in 21 languages, and the same app runs on iPhone, so a family or team with mixed phones keeps one workflow. Take the full tour on our scanner app for Android page.

2. Google Drive's built-in scanner

Best for: quick scans when everything you own already lives in Google Drive.

Most Android phones already have a good free scanner. In the Google Drive app, tap the camera button at the bottom right, let the blue outline find the page, then crop, rotate, pick a filter or tap Clean to erase stains and fingers. Drive saves the result as a searchable PDF or a JPG in your Drive. Files by Google uses the same scanner behind its Scan button and saves PDFs on the phone, and Pixel phones offer a Scan document prompt right in the Camera app. Since June 2026, Drive on Android can also capture several pages at once and catch duplicate pages on phones with enough memory.

Where it stops: Drive saves scans into your Google Account's storage, which is shared with Gmail and Photos. Google's scanning help documents no ID card mode and no PDF password, Drive and Files mark up PDFs with a freehand pen rather than a saved signature, and turning a scan into editable text happens in Google Docs on a computer. If none of that matters to you, Drive is a solid free choice; our guide shows how to scan with Google Drive step by step.

3. Adobe Scan

Best for: people who already work in Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Scan has Document, Whiteboard, Book, ID card, Business card and Form capture modes, auto-capture with live edge detection, and an ID card mode that places both sides on one page, which Adobe doesn't list among its Premium features. Text recognition is free on shorter scans; longer scans need Premium.

Things to know on Android: Adobe's release notes say the app supports Android 10 and above, reviewers and Adobe's own guides describe signing in with an Adobe, Google, Facebook or Apple account before you scan, and every PDF you save goes to Adobe's online storage. Combining files, password protection and exporting to Office formats are Premium. Doc Scanner, by contrast, runs on Android 7.0 or later, needs no sign-up, keeps your documents on the phone ready to share through Android's share sheet, and merges documents on the free plan.

4. Genius Scan

Best for: a long-running, no-frills scanner with a generous free version.

Genius Scan by The Grizzly Labs scans with automatic document detection, perspective correction and a batch mode. Its free Basic version adds no watermark, shows no third-party ads, needs no account and doesn't cap the number of documents you scan.

The trade-offs: text recognition, searchable PDFs and TXT export need a paid Plus or Ultra plan, PDF passwords are paid and documented as RC4 with a 128-bit key, and Genius Scan says it doesn't support signing inside the app (it points to its separate Genius Sign app for iOS). Doc Scanner adds a searchable text layer to every PDF on the free plan, includes free reusable signatures, exports to Word (Premium) and PowerPoint, and locks PDFs with AES-256 encryption (Premium).

5. CamScanner

Best for: heavy users who also want versions for computers and browsers.

CamScanner by INTSIG is one of the most feature-packed scanners on Google Play, with an ID Card Mode that puts both sides on one page and a long list of conversion tools. Its free Basic account comes with ads (Google Play labels it 'Contains ads'), PDFs carry a 'Scanned by CamScanner' watermark by default (US users have been able to remove it with a tap since 2022), its cloud text recognition is metered with credits, and some features need a CamScanner account.

If ads and watermarks are why you're shopping around, Doc Scanner has neither. Our CamScanner alternatives page compares the two in detail.

Other Android scanners we checked

iScanner

iScanner by BP Mobile includes a PDF editor, e-signatures and a both-sides ID card mode, and its free version adds no watermark. Its current Android version needs Android 12 or later, its own Free vs Pro table lists text recognition (OCR) as not available in the free version, and free exports are capped per day.

Tiny Scanner

Tiny Scanner by TinyWork Apps works without an account and has a double-sided ID mode, signatures and PDF passwords. Its Google Play listing says it contains ads, and text recognition is on paid plans (Zapier also saw a one-time unlock offered in exchange for watching a video ad).

SwiftScan

SwiftScan (formerly Scanbot, now from Maple Media) scans with automatic edge detection and reads QR codes and barcodes. Its help centre lists 'No Ads' and 'No Watermarks' only for paid tiers, and on Android its text recognition needs SwiftScan VIP.

TurboScan

TurboScan by Piksoft carries no ads label on Google Play and needs no account. On Android, its free version covers a small number of multipage documents before a one-time upgrade, and its listings mention no text recognition and no signing tool.

Android scanner apps compared

Facts come from each app's Google Play listing, official help pages or reputable press, checked on October 1, 2026 (see Sources below). Free versions change often, so check the store page before you decide.

Best free scanner app for Android

If you'd rather not pay anything, three routes stand out:

• Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs, with searchable PDFs, merge, folders and all six filters included and no ads or watermarks. Premium unlocks text extraction, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs and more.
• Google Drive's scanner is free and already on most Android phones, as long as you're happy to save scans in your Google Drive.
• Genius Scan Basic is free with no watermark and no account, but searchable text needs a paid plan.

Our ranking of the best free scanner apps goes through every free version in more detail.

Samsung Galaxy phones and former Microsoft Lens users

Samsung Galaxy phones run Android, so everything on this page applies to them. Doc Scanner installs from Google Play on any Galaxy with Android 7.0 or later and uses Google Play services' edge detection there too, and Google Drive's scanner works on any Galaxy with the Drive app installed.

Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) used to be a popular free pick on Android. Microsoft removed it from Google Play on February 9, 2026 and stopped new scans on March 9, 2026, and now recommends the scanner in the OneDrive app, which needs a Microsoft account and saves scans into OneDrive rather than on the phone. Older 'best scanner app' lists may still recommend Lens; if you relied on it, see our Microsoft Lens alternatives. For a walk-through that works on any Android phone, read how to scan documents on Android.

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. Google Drive Help: Scan documents (Android) (checked 2026-10-01)
2. Google Workspace Updates: scan multiple pages in Google Drive on Android (June 2026) (checked 2026-10-01)
3. Files by Google Help: Scan documents (checked 2026-10-01)
4. Pixel Camera Help: Scan documents (checked 2026-10-01)
5. Google Drive Help: Convert PDF and photo files to text (checked 2026-10-01)
6. Google Drive Help: Annotate PDFs on Android (checked 2026-10-01)
7. Google One Help: How storage works (checked 2026-10-01)
8. Google Drive on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
9. Adobe Scan on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
10. Adobe Scan for Android: release notes (checked 2026-10-01)
11. Adobe Scan for Android: user guide (checked 2026-10-01)
12. Adobe Scan for Android: scanning and saving (checked 2026-10-01)
13. Adobe Scan for Android: managing subscriptions (checked 2026-10-01)
14. Adobe Scan for Android: settings (OCR) (checked 2026-10-01)
15. TechRadar: Adobe Scan review (2025) (checked 2026-10-01)
16. Genius Scan on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
17. Genius Scan pricing and plans (checked 2026-10-01)
18. Genius Scan Help: Quick start guide (checked 2026-10-01)
19. Genius Scan Help: Text recognition (OCR) (checked 2026-10-01)
20. Genius Scan Help: Document protection (checked 2026-10-01)
21. Genius Scan Help: Sign and annotate your scans (checked 2026-10-01)
22. Genius Scan Help: Account management (checked 2026-10-01)
23. The Grizzly Labs blog: No more ads (2020) (checked 2026-10-01)
24. CamScanner on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
25. CamScanner blog: watermark removal for US users (2022) (checked 2026-10-01)
26. CamScanner download page (platforms) (checked 2026-10-01)
27. CamScanner CS Account terms (checked 2026-10-01)
28. CamScanner on X: ID Card Mode (2019) (checked 2026-10-01)
29. iScanner on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
30. iScanner support: Free version vs Pro version (checked 2026-10-01)
31. iScanner blog: both sides of an ID card on one page (checked 2026-10-01)
32. Tiny Scanner on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
33. Tiny Scanner terms of service (checked 2026-10-01)
34. Tiny Scanner blog: scan an ID card or passport (checked 2026-10-01)
35. Zapier: The best mobile scanning and OCR apps (checked 2026-10-01)
36. SwiftScan on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
37. SwiftScan Help: Pro features by account type (Android) (checked 2026-10-01)
38. SwiftScan Help: SwiftScan Plus OCR (checked 2026-10-01)
39. TurboScan on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
40. Microsoft Support: Retirement of Microsoft Lens (checked 2026-10-01)
41. Microsoft Support: Use OneDrive on Android (checked 2026-10-01)

Doc Scanner is not affiliated with Google, Google Drive, Files by Google, Pixel, Samsung, Adobe, Adobe Scan, CamScanner, INTSIG, Genius Scan, The Grizzly Labs, iScanner, BP Mobile, SwiftScan, Maple Media, Scanbot, Tiny Scanner, TinyWork Apps, TurboScan, Piksoft, Microsoft, Microsoft Lens, OneDrive and Zapier. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Related pages

• 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.
• Best for iPhoneThe best scanner app for iPhone in 2026: Doc Scanner, Genius Scan, Scanner Pro, Adobe Scan and more, ranked against the built-in Notes scanner.
• Best free scannersThe best free scanner apps for iPhone and Android, ranked by what each free version includes: ads, watermarks, searchable PDFs, signatures and sign-up.
• Android scanner appDoc Scanner is a scanner app for Android phones, Samsung Galaxy included: searchable PDFs, free signatures, offline text recognition. No ads, no sign-up.
• Scan on AndroidStep-by-step: scan a document on an Android phone with Google Drive, Files by Google or Doc Scanner, save it as a PDF or JPG and share it.
• Microsoft Lens alternativesMicrosoft Lens was retired in 2026. Compare the best Microsoft Lens alternatives for iPhone and Android, from OneDrive's scanner to Doc Scanner.
• 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.
• Adobe Scan alternativesThe Adobe Scan alternative with no sign-up: Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android makes searchable PDFs with on-device OCR, plus free merge and signatures.