5 Best Mobile Scanning and OCR Software in 2023

By Samarpit Nasa | September 13, 2023 9:07 am

The need to convert physical documents into digital format has become increasingly important in the modern digital world. Whether it’s for business-related documents, IDs, receipts, or even handwritten notes, mobile scanning and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) apps have made this task easier than ever. Integrating these apps with other apps can help you get the best results in the long run. In this comprehensive guide, we explore the top mobile scanning and OCR apps available in 2023, helping you choose the best one for your needs:

What are OCR Mobile Apps?

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) mobile apps are software applications designed for smartphones and tablets that use advanced image processing technology to recognize and convert printed or handwritten text from physical documents, images, or scanned pages into digital, editable text. These apps play a crucial role in digitizing and making text-based content searchable and editable.

OCR mobile apps are particularly valuable for various tasks, such as extracting information from paper documents, translating text, and improving accessibility for visually impaired individuals. They streamline document management and information retrieval processes by transforming text within images into machine-readable text data. These apps have applications in diverse fields, including education, business, research, and personal productivity.

Key Criteria for Selecting the Best Mobile Scanning App

Choosing the right mobile scanning app can significantly impact your productivity and document management. Here are key criteria to consider when selecting a mobile scanning app:

• Scanning Quality: The app should produce high-quality scans with clear text and graphics. Look for apps that offer image enhancement features to improve scan quality.
• OCR Capabilities: If you need to extract text from scanned documents, ensure the app has OCR capabilities. This feature allows you to convert printed or handwritten text into editable digital text.
• User-Friendly Interface: A user-friendly interface is essential for ease of use. The app should offer intuitive controls and a straightforward scanning process.
• Automatic Document Detection: Apps with automatic document detection save time by identifying document boundaries and cropping the image accordingly.
• Multi-Page Scanning: If you often scan multi-page documents, choose an app that supports this feature. It should allow you to scan multiple pages and save them as a single document.
• File Formats: Consider the supported file formats. Most apps offer PDF and image formats, but some may support additional formats like Word or PowerPoint.
• Editing Tools: Look for apps that provide basic editing tools, such as annotation, adding signatures, or applying watermarks to scanned documents.

By evaluating mobile scanning apps based on these criteria, you can choose the one that best suits your specific needs and enhances your document scanning and management workflows.

5 Best Mobile Scanning and OCR Apps

Let’s explore the best mobile scanning and OCR apps available in 2023:

Adobe Scan

Adobe Scan is a versatile app with various scanning modes, making it suitable for different types of documents. It can even detect phone numbers and URLs, making them clickable for quick access. While it may have occasional accuracy hiccups, it’s a solid choice, especially for basic scanning needs.

Pricing: Free, Premium plan is priced at $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year

Key Features of Adobe Scan:

Let’s explore the key features of Adobe Scan:

• Multiple Scanning Modes: One of the standout features of Adobe Scan is its range of scanning modes. It caters to various document types, including books, documents, business cards, ID cards, and even whiteboards. This versatility makes it an all encompassing solution for your scanning needs.
• Automatic Detection: Adobe Scan’s auto-scanning feature simplifies the scanning process. It excels in accurately detecting document boundaries, ensuring that your scans are captured seamlessly. This feature minimizes the time and effort required for scanning.
• OCR with Clickable Links: Adobe Scan goes beyond basic OCR by automatically detecting phone numbers and URLs within your scanned documents. What sets it apart is its ability to make these numbers and links clickable. This feature is exceptionally handy when you need quick access to contact details or websites.
• Accuracy with Some Hiccups: While Adobe Scan offers impressive accuracy in digitizing text, it’s essential to note that, like any OCR software, it may encounter occasional accuracy hiccups. Users may encounter minor errors, particularly when dealing with complex formatting or handwritten text.
• Basic File Management: Adobe Scan provides essential file management features, allowing you to save, share, print, and export digitized files. While it may not have an extensive set of organizational tools, it offers practical functionality for managing your scanned documents.

Apple Notes

Apple Notes, primarily a note-taking app, offers surprisingly accurate OCR features. It can accurately digitize text, making it a convenient option for iPhone users, especially those who frequently use the Notes app.

Pricing: Free

Key Features of Apple Notes:

Let’s explore the key features of Apple Notes:

• Seamless Integration: Apple Notes comes pre-installed on all Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This seamless integration ensures that you have access to your notes across all your Apple devices, making it convenient for users within the Apple ecosystem.
• Text Scanning: While primarily known as a note-taking app, Apple Notes includes OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities. Users can scan physical documents, including handwritten notes or printed text, using the device’s camera. This feature automatically recognizes the text within the scanned document.
• Accurate OCR: Apple Notes is praised for its accuracy in OCR. It can accurately recognize and digitize printed text and handwritten notes, ensuring that the resulting digital text is highly faithful to the original.
• Scanning Modes: Apple Notes offers two scanning modes: “Scan Documents” and “Scan Text.” The “Scan Documents” mode captures an entire document and places it within a note, while the “Scan Text” mode allows users to select a specific section of text and insert it directly into a note. This flexibility accommodates different scanning needs.
• Acccessibility: Apple Notes is designed with accessibility in mind. It includes features such as VoiceOver compatibility and support for Braille displays, making it accessible to users with visual impairments.

CamScanner

CamScanner excels in detailed scans, providing accurate OCR results and numerous formatting options. Its OCR accuracy and advanced features make it a great choice for those who need precise digitization.

Pricing: Free

Key Features of CamScanner:

Here are the key features of CamScanner:

• High-Quality Scanning: CamScanner offers high-quality scanning capabilities, allowing you to capture clear and detailed images of documents, receipts, business cards, and more. It automatically enhances the image quality to ensure your scans look professional.
• OCR: CamScanner features powerful OCR technology that can accurately recognize and extract text from scanned documents. This feature enables you to convert scanned text into editable and searchable content.
• Multiple Scanning Modes: The app provides various scanning modes, including single-page and multi-page scanning, making it suitable for different types of documents. It also offers batch scanning, allowing you to scan multiple pages at once.
• Editing Tools: CamScanner includes a range of editing tools to enhance your scanned documents. You can crop, rotate, and adjust the brightness and contrast of scanned images. This ensures that your digitized documents look clean and professional.
• Annotation and Mark-Up: The app allows you to annotate scanned documents by adding text, highlighting important sections, and inserting shapes or drawings. This feature is valuable for adding notes or signatures to your scans.

Microsoft Lens

Microsoft Lens offers a straightforward scanning experience and is perfect for those who want to get right into scanning without unnecessary sign-ups. It’s an excellent choice for Microsoft users, with seamless integration into other Microsoft apps.

Pricing: Free

Key Features of Microsoft Lens:

Here is a list of the key features of Microsoft Lens:

• Effortless Scanning: Microsoft Lens provides a straightforward and user-friendly scanning experience. It allows you to quickly capture documents, whiteboards, receipts, and more using your smartphone’s camera.
• Seamless Integration: Microsoft Lens provides a straightforward and user-friendly scanning experience. It allows you to quickly capture documents, whiteboards, receipts, and more using your smartphone’s camera.
• Quick Capture: With Microsoft Lens, there’s no need for manual cropping and adjustments. The app automatically detects document boundaries and enhances the image quality to ensure clarity.
• Multi-Page Scanning: You can scan multiple pages of a document and combine them into a single PDF or Word file, making it convenient for digitizing longer documents or presentations.
• Whiteboard Mode: In addition to standard document scanning, Microsoft Lens includes a Whiteboard mode. This mode is perfect for capturing and enhancing whiteboard content, making it legible and shareable.

iScanner

iScanner stands out with its user-friendly interface and a wide range of features beyond OCR. It’s an excellent choice if you need more than just basic scanning capabilities. The app is designed to transform your smartphone into a powerful document digitization tool. It offers a wide range of features and capabilities to make scanning, digitizing, and managing documents a breeze.

Pricing: Free trial, USD 9.99 monthly for 10Gb Cloud space, USD 10.99 monthly for 100Gb Cloud spaceFree trial, USD 9.99 monthly for 10Gb Cloud space, USD 10.99 monthly for 100Gb Cloud space

Key Features of iScanner:

Below are the key features of the iScanner app:

• Intuitive Interfacce: iScanner boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users of all levels to navigate and use the app effectively.
• Multiple Scanning Modes: The app supports various scanning modes, allowing you to capture different types of documents, including text, images, IDs, and receipts. Whether you need to digitize a business card or a multipage document, iScanner has you covered.
• Helpful Tutorials: The app supports various scanning modes, allowing you to capture different types of documents, including text, images, IDs, and receipts. Whether you need to digitize a business card or a multipage document, iScanner has you covered.
• Editing Tools: The app offers a range of editing tools, allowing you to enhance and customize your scanned documents. You can add signatures, annotations, watermarks, and more to your digitized files.
• Math Solver: iScanner goes beyond basic scanning by including a math solver feature. You can use the app to solve math problems by simply scanning handwritten or printed equations. It’s a useful tool for students and professionals alike.

Tiny Scanner

Tiny Scanner is known for its remarkable OCR accuracy, making it a reliable choice for digitizing documents with minimal errors. While its OCR features come with a subscription, the accuracy is worth the investment. With its user-friendly interface and a range of powerful features, Tiny Scanner simplifies the process of digitizing documents.

Pricing: Free, Pro plans start from USD 4.99

Key Features of Tiny Scanner:

Here are the key features of the Tiny Scanner app:

• Mobile Scanning: Tiny Scanner leverages your smartphone’s camera to capture documents. You can scan various types of documents, including invoices, contracts, certificates, and handwritten notes, using your device.
• Automatic Document Detection: The app features automatic document detection, which identifies the borders of the document being scanned. This eliminates the need for manual cropping, ensuring that you capture the entire document accurately.
• High-Quality Scans: Tiny Scanner is known for producing high-quality scans. It enhances the clarity and legibility of documents, making text and graphics sharp and clear.
• Multi-Page Scanning: You can scan multiple pages of a document and save them as a single PDF file. This feature is valuable for creating multipage documents or digitizing entire books.
• File Formats: The app supports different file formats, including PDF and JPG, giving you flexibility in choosing the format that suits your needs.

Google Lens

Google Lens shines with its integration into Google services, offering a wide range of features beyond OCR. It’s perfect for users who rely on Google’s ecosystem and need quick access to web search and translation capabilities.

Pricing: Free

Key Features of Google Lens:

Here are the key features of Google Lens:

• Image Recognition: Google Lens excels at recognizing objects, landmarks, and even animals in photos. You can simply point your smartphone’s camera at an object, and Google Lens will provide information about it. For example, you can use it to identify plant species, famous landmarks, or art pieces in museums.
• Text Translation: Google Lens offers text translation capabilities, allowing you to translate text from one language to another. This feature is particularly useful when travelling or when you encounter text in a language you don’t understand. You can point your camera at the text, and Lens will provide a translation on the spot.
• Barcode and QR Code Scanning: Google Lens can scan barcodes and QR codes quickly. This feature is handy for checking product information, comparing prices, or accessing website links encoded in QR codes. It simplifies tasks like adding contacts from business cards encoded as QR codes.
• Handwriting to Text: Beyond traditional OCR, Google Lens can convert handwritten text into digital text. This feature is useful for digitizing handwritten notes or documents, making them editable and searchable. It can be beneficial for students, researchers, or anyone who prefers writing by hand.

Conclusion

The best mobile scanning and OCR app for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Whether you prioritize accuracy, extra features, or seamless integration with specific platforms, there’s an app on this list that will meet your requirements. Make sure to choose the one that aligns best with your scanning and digitization needs, and enjoy the convenience of turning physical documents into editable digital text with ease.