A document scanner app with no ads and no sign-up
Updated
Scanner app, no ads, no catch: Doc Scanner by Ginowl shows no ads at all: no banners over your pages, no videos before an export, no ad to watch to unlock a feature. Open it, scan, share. That's it.
It's free to download for iPhone and Android, adds no watermarks to your scans and needs no sign-up. The free plan scans, signs and exports searchable PDFs, and the same ad-free camera also reads QR codes.
Scan with your phone camera to get the app
Doc Scanner by Ginowl — iPhone & Android · Free to download
How to scan a document without ads or sign-up
Install Doc Scanner
Get Doc Scanner from the App Store (iPhone, iOS 15.5 or later) or Google Play (Android 7.0 or later).
Start scanning
Tap the scan button and choose Document for one page or Batch for several. No sign-up form stands in the way; signing in with Apple or Google is optional.
Clean up the pages
The edges are detected and the page is captured automatically. Adjust with Crop and Rotate, then pick a filter such as Magic Color or B&W.
Share the PDF
Tap Share, choose PDF or JPG, set the quality and page size, and send it or tap Print. No watermark is added and no ad plays first.
No ads, from the first scan to the export
Ads in a scanner app get in the way at the worst moment: a full-screen video while you're trying to send a signed form, a banner covering the page you're cropping, a countdown before you can save. Doc Scanner has none of that, on the free plan or on Premium.
Every screen is the tool and nothing else:
- Camera: smart edge detection, perspective correction and auto-capture for single pages or a whole multi-page document.
- Editor: six filters (Original, Magic Color, Grayscale, B&W, Lighten, Contrast), crop with corner handles, rotate, highlight and sign.
- Share: PDF or JPG, Low, Medium or High quality, Original, A4 or Letter page size, and the exact pages you want.
- Library: folders, merging and search inside recognised text.
No ads also means no watermark stamped on your pages. If that's what brought you here, see our scanner app without a watermark page.
No sign-up or login either
Many scanners ask for an email address before you can save your first page. Doc Scanner doesn't. The app creates an account for you automatically in the background, so you can start scanning right after the welcome screens. Signing in with Apple or Google is optional.
Your documents are handled on the phone: scanning, image processing and text recognition all happen on the device, and nothing is uploaded for text recognition. If you're checking whether an app is trustworthy before you scan an ID or a tax form with it, read is Doc Scanner safe.
Which free scanners show ads
Here is how some well-known scanner apps describe ads in their free versions, according to their store listings and official help pages, checked on October 1, 2026. Doc Scanner is made by us, Ginowl.
On Google Play, look for the Contains ads label under the app name. On the App Store, ads are noted as Contains Advertising next to the age rating. If you're leaving an ad-supported app, compare the CamScanner alternatives and Tiny Scanner alternatives, or see our best free scanner apps.
| App | Ads in the free version | Sign-up to scan |
|---|---|---|
| Doc Scanner | No ads | No sign-up; Apple or Google sign-in is optional |
| CamScanner | Yes: Google Play shows “Contains ads”; the App Store notes “Contains Advertising” | An account is needed for some online features |
| SwiftScan | Yes: the App Store notes “Contains: Advertising”; its help center lists “No Ads” under paid tiers | No account documented as required to scan |
| Tiny Scanner | Yes: Google Play shows “Contains ads”; the App Store notes “Contains Advertising” | Not required; an account is used for its cloud features |
| Genius Scan | No third-party ads since 2020; the app shows its own in-house banners | No account in the free version |
| Adobe Scan | No “Contains ads” label on Google Play | Sign-in required, for example with an Adobe ID |
What the free plan includes
Doc Scanner is free to download and has a free plan for scanning, signing and exporting PDFs. Without paying, you get:
- Automatic edge detection, perspective correction and auto-capture
- Multi-page scanning into one PDF, with pages you can add, reorder and delete
- All six filters, crop, rotate and rename
- Free signatures: draw once, then place and resize on any page
- A highlighter in four colours
- PDF export with an invisible, searchable text layer, plus JPG export
- Printing, sharing, folders and merging
- QR code scanning
Premium is an optional auto-renewing subscription (weekly, monthly or yearly). It unlocks text extraction (the Extract Text mode and the text screen), Word and TXT conversion, ID card mode, password-protected PDFs with AES-256 encryption and more. Premium is ad-free too, and there are no ads to remove on the free plan in the first place. The free scanner app page covers the plans in detail.
Ad-free QR code scanning inside the same app
Need a QR scanner without ads? It's already in Doc Scanner. Switch the camera to QR Scanner, or open it from the Tools tab, and point the camera at a code. Doc Scanner shows what the code contains, and you can copy the value or tap Open Link to open a web address.
QR scanning is free, needs no sign-up and shows no ads. It's handy when a form, a letter or a menu points you to a link, and you already have the scanner open for the paperwork.
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
Frequently asked questions
Is there a scanner app with no ads?
Yes. Doc Scanner for iPhone and Android shows no ads, on the free plan and on Premium, and adds no watermarks to your scans.
Is Doc Scanner free?
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.
Do I need to sign up to use Doc Scanner?
No. You can scan right away. The app creates an account for you automatically in the background, and signing in with Apple or Google is optional.
Is there a free QR scanner without ads?
Yes. Doc Scanner includes a QR scanner in its camera and Tools tab. It is free, shows no ads, and lets you copy what a code contains or open its link.
How can I tell if a scanner app shows ads before installing it?
On Google Play, apps with ads show a “Contains ads” label under the app name. On the App Store, look for “Contains Advertising” in the age rating details.
Sources
- CamScanner on Google Play (“Contains ads” label) (checked 2026-10-01)
- CamScanner on the App Store (“Contains Advertising”) (checked 2026-10-01)
- CamScanner CS Account terms (account for online features) (checked 2026-10-01)
- SwiftScan on the App Store (“Contains: Advertising”) (checked 2026-10-01)
- SwiftScan Help Center: Premium features (iOS) (checked 2026-10-01)
- SwiftScan Help Center: iOS quick start guide (checked 2026-10-01)
- Tiny Scanner on Google Play (“Contains ads” label) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Tiny Scanner on the App Store (“Contains Advertising”) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Tiny Scanner Terms of Service (use without registering) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Tiny Scanner FAQ: Why should I create an account? (checked 2026-10-01)
- The Grizzly Labs blog: No more third-party ads in Genius Scan (May 6, 2020) (checked 2026-10-01)
- Genius Scan Help: Account management (checked 2026-10-01)
- Adobe Scan on Google Play (checked 2026-10-01)
- Adobe Scan user guide (iOS): sign-in (checked 2026-10-01)
- TechRadar: Adobe Scan review (Adobe ID needed to log in) (checked 2026-10-01)
Doc Scanner is not affiliated with CamScanner, INTSIG, SwiftScan, Maple Media, Scanbot, Tiny Scanner, TinyWork Apps, Genius Scan, The Grizzly Labs, Adobe and Adobe Scan. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Related pages
- 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.
- Free scanner appDoc Scanner is a free scanner app for iPhone and Android: scan, sign and export searchable PDFs on the free plan. No ads, no watermarks, no sign-up.
- 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.
- 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.
- Safe scanner appDoc Scanner is a safe scanner app for iPhone and Android: scans and text recognition are processed on your phone. No ads, no sign-up, AES-256 PDF lock.
- iPhone scanner appDoc Scanner is a scanner app for iPhone that turns paper into searchable PDFs that Spotlight can find. Free to download. No ads, no watermarks, no 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.