Comparison

Scanner App vs PaperScan

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Scanner App

This app transforms your mobile device into a powerful document scanner. It automatically detects, crops, and enhances paper documents, allowing you to export them as multi-page PDFs. Organize, secure, and share your scanned files with advanced features.

Highlights
  • Smart document detection and cropping
  • Batch scanning for multiple pages
  • PDF creation and editing
  • OCR text recognition
  • On-device security features
  • Cloud backup and sync
Features
Read full description

Genius Scan is a document scanner app in your pocket. Quickly scan your paper documents on the go and export them as multi-page PDF files. *** Apple App of the Week *** 20+ million users *** 1000s of small businesses *** Place any document in front of your device’s camera: our scanner app automatically recognizes the paper against the background, crops it, and cleans up the result. You obtain a crisp, legible scan. Batch scanning lets you scan dozens of pages in a matter of seconds. Powerful tools help you organize, share, or archive your documents. “Next time you plan to hit the road, don’t forget to download Genius Scan to make life easier for yourself and your accounting department.” - AppPicker.com “Camera apps aren’t designed for close-up text scanning, but Genius Scan is.” - The Guardian == KEY FEATURES == Smart Scanning: - Document detection & background removal - Distortion correction - Shadow removal and defect cleanup - Filters (black & white, whiteboard, photo) - Batch scanning PDF Creation & Editing: - Document merging & splitting - Multiple page PDF creation - Photos and PDF import Security & Privacy: - On-device document processing + Face ID locking + PDF password encryption Document Organization: - Document tagging - Metadata and content search + Smart document renaming (custom templates, …) + Backup and multi-device sync with Genius Cloud (separate subscription) Export: - Email + Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Expensify, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, OneNote, FTP, SugarSync, WebDAV. + Any WebDAV compatible service such as Citrix ShareFile, NextCloud, ownCloud, Synology, Yandex. + Automatic background auto-export OCR (Text Recognition): + Text extraction + Searchable PDF creation + Business card scanning & contact creation The features denoted with [+] are available as part of a premium plan. == ABOUT US == It’s in the heart of Paris, France that The Grizzly Labs develops Genius Scan. We take pride in crafting apps that help millions of users throughout the world and hold ourselves to the highest standards in terms of quality and privacy. Get in touch with us @thegrizzlylabs if you have any questions. == PRICING & LEGAL == Genius Scan is free to use for as long as you want. Should you choose to, you can subscribe to the Genius Scan Plus plan for more features. You can subscribe to Genius Cloud for backup & synchronization. In that case, Genius Scan’s store displays the duration and price of each subscription, updated at the time of purchase. Payment will be charged to iTunes account when the order is confirmed. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off no later than 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions, disable auto-renewal in the iTunes account settings. Download the best free mobile scanner and scan your documents in a snap. https://www.thegrizzlylabs.com/genius-scan/cloud/terms

About

PaperScan

Easily digitize various paper documents like invoices, receipts, and recipes. Automatically crop, straighten, and enhance scans for outstanding quality. Upload to cloud storage or share via email and print.

Highlights
  • Automatic document recognition and capture
  • Automatic cropping and straightening
  • Scans various document types
  • High scan quality in any lighting
  • Creates PDF files
  • Batch upload to cloud storage
  • Share via email, print, and AirDrop
Read full description

Scan invoices, business cards, tickets, cookbook recipes and all other kinds of paper documents with PaperScan. Upload them to Dropbox, GoogleDrive or DocuWare and share with others. PaperScan helps you to overcome your daily paper flood. And the best thing is - the app is both free and ad-free. Features: - Automatically recognizes documents and triggers image capture - Automatically crops and straightens the captured document - Scans all kinds of documents: big ones, small ones, invoices, receipts, tickets - you name it - Outstanding scan quality in any lighting conditions - Creates PDF - Upload to Dropbox, GoogleDrive and DocuWare in batch mode - Email, print and AirDrop for single documents - Simple and intuitive

Screenshots

Scanner App4 screens
PaperScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PaperScan at none against Scanner App's 12. PaperScan also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Scanner App's advantage is ratings volume (1.4M vs 747) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Scanner App sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. PaperScan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Scanner App against 4.8 for PaperScan. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scanner App has 1.4M ratings behind it against 747, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Scanner App's written reviews are positive against 71% of PaperScan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scanner App ships an update every 3 weeks, PaperScan every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Scanner App versus PaperScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScanner AppPaperScan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.4M ratings) — better4.8 (747 ratings)
Positive reviews90.2% of reviews — better70.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.4M — better747
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#30 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Grizzly LabsDocuWare GmbH

Customer experience

Scanner App

All ratings1,363,085 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews3,563 reviews
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.3%

PaperScan

All ratings747 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative20.4%

User reviews

Scanner App

From 1.4M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient scanning
  • 🔒 Secure document handling
  • 📤 Convenient export options
  • 🖼️ High-quality scans

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with cropping and alignment
  • 🔍 OCR accuracy could be improved
  • 💰 Premium features locked behind paywall
  • 🔄 Sync issues with cloud storage
  • 🤔 Confusing workflow changes in recent updates

PaperScan

From 747 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 📄 Automatic edge detection and document alignment
  • 🚀 Fast scanning and processing
  • 💾 Multiple export options (PDF, email, Dropbox, DocuWare)
  • ✨ High-quality document capture

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent edge detection accuracy
  • ⚠️ Forced flash usage in good lighting
  • 🖼️ Automatic brightness adjustment issues
  • 🎨 Unattractive UI/skin design
  • ⏱️ Slow autoscan feature

Bugs and requests

Scanner App

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezing on login screen
  • Inconsistent behavior when exporting documents

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to edit scanned text
  • Improved folder organization and search
  • Automatic upload to multiple cloud services
  • Customizable file naming and tagging

PaperScan

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Image disappears after scanning instead of displaying
  • App freezes and requires multiple restarts to show scans
  • Edge detection fails 50% of the time
  • DocuWare integration not transferring documents properly
  • Autoscan unreliable and inconsistent
Show 1 more
  • Boundary re-registration issues after outline detection

Requested features

5 requests
  • Direct save to Photos app instead of Files only
  • Improved edge detection algorithm
  • Better autoscan reliability and speed
  • Manual brightness control options
  • UI/design improvements

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Scanner App

Subscriptions7
  • Genius Scan Plus$0.991 Month
  • Genius Scan Ultra$4.991 Month
  • Genius Scan Plus$11.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • Genius Scan Ultra2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Genius Scan Ultra7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Genius Scan Ultra$49.991 Year
  • Genius Scan Ultra7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Generous Tip$2.99
  • Genius Scan+$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Super Large Tip$9.99
None

PaperScan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scanner App free?
Scanner App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PaperScan free?
PaperScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scanner App or PaperScan?
Scanner App is rated higher. Scanner App averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.4M ratings, while PaperScan averages 4.8 from 747 ratings.
Do Scanner App or PaperScan have ads?
Neither Scanner App nor PaperScan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scanner App or PaperScan?
Scanner App ships an update every 3 weeks, and PaperScan every 4 months. Most recently, Scanner App was updated on September 24, 2026 and PaperScan on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons