Comparison

Epson DocumentScan vs Simple Scan

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

Head to head
About

Epson DocumentScan

Scan documents directly from your Epson scanner to your Apple device. Preview, edit, and organize scanned pages before sending them via email, to other apps, or to popular cloud storage services. Transfer files to your PC using iTunes.

Highlights
  • Direct scanning to iPhone, iPod touch, iPad
  • Edit scanned pages (rotation, re-ordering)
  • Send files via email
  • Integrate with cloud services (Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive)
  • Send data to PC via iTunes
  • Autosize and auto image type recognition
Read full description

This app is only for Epson scanners. Make sure that your scanner is supported. Scan documents directly to your iPhone®, iPod touch or iPad®. You can preview scanned data and send it to email, directly to other applications or to cloud services like Box®, DropBox™, Evernote®, Google Drive™ and Microsoft® OneDrive. Scanners Supported https://support.epson.net/appinfo/documentscan/en/index.html Key Features - Directly scan to your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad - Edit scanned pages – multi-page rotation or re-ordering - Send scanned files via email - Send saved data to other applications, or to cloud services including Box, DropBox, Evernote, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive*. *Applications must be installed on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. - Send saved data to your PC via iTunes® - Get help with a built-in FAQ section Advanced features - Autosize recognition, auto image type recognition - Multi-page rotation and re-ordering How to Connect Follow your scanner guide to connect your scanner via Wi-Fi® or AP direct connect mode. EPSON and WorkForce are registered trademarks. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

About

Simple Scan

Easily convert paper documents into searchable PDFs or images in seconds. This app offers a streamlined scanning experience without cluttering your existing notes, with options to share directly via email, messages, or other applications. Enjoy private, on-device processing with no ads.

Highlights
  • Scan documents to PDF or JPEG
  • Searchable PDFs with OCR
  • Share scans via email, messages, or system share sheet
  • Custom file destinations
  • File naming suggestions (Apple Intelligence required)
  • On-device processing
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Simple Scan is the quick, easy way to scan paper documents to optimized, searchable PDF documents (or images) and send them almost anywhere. ## FEATURES ## * Same great scanning functionality as Notes, but no need to clutter your notes data with one-off scans * Create high-resolution multi-page PDFs from your paper documents * PDFs are searchable thanks to automatic Optical Character Recognition (OCR) * Built for simplicity. Just scan and send – no document library * Send scans via email or messages. Save to a file, or "Share" use to send to other apps via the system share sheet * Set up message destinations with pre-filled recipients for easy "Email to Myself" and other common uses * Custom file destinations save scans directly to a pre-selected folder without extra taps * File naming suggestions, such as names, dates, pulled from the scanned document (requires Apple Intelligence) * Save scans directly to Photos * Option to output as images (JPEG) instead of PDF * Quality option to control file size * Never any ads. Ever. * Private and on-device. All scan processing is done locally on your device. ## SIMPLE SCAN PRO ## Simple Scan is free to download and try! To continue using Simple Scan, unlock Simple Scan Pro--available as a low-cost, annual subscription or a one-time lifetime unlock purchase. ## SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ## * Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase * Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period * Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were initially charged for the subscription * Subscriptions can be managed or canceled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Have questions? Email support@agiletortoise.com. Terms: https://agiletortoise.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://agiletortoise.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Epson DocumentScan4 screens
Simple Scan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Scan at 87% against Epson DocumentScan's 12%. Simple Scan also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Epson DocumentScan's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price, 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. Simple Scan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Epson DocumentScan asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Scan holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Scan has 660 ratings behind it against 121, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of Epson DocumentScan's written reviews are positive against 87% of Simple Scan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Epson DocumentScan ships an update every 3 months, Simple Scan every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 13, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Epson DocumentScan versus Simple Scan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEpson DocumentScanSimple Scan
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (121 ratings)4.9 (660 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.5% of reviews87.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings121660 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeiko Epson CorporationAgile Tortoise

Customer experience

Epson DocumentScan

All ratings121 ratings
Positive14.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative76.0%
Written reviews165 reviews
Positive11.5%
Neutral8.5%
Negative80.0%

Simple Scan

All ratings660 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive87.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative7.9%

User reviews

Epson DocumentScan

From 121 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✅ Basic scanning functionality works
  • 📱 WiFi connectivity available for mobile scanning
  • 📄 Saves documents as PDF format
  • ⚡ Quick setup process for compatible scanners
  • 🎨 Works well with art canvas scanning

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent WiFi connectivity issues
  • ❌ Poor iOS/iPhone compatibility
  • 🔌 Requires cellular data to be disabled on iOS devices
  • 📤 Difficult file export and sharing functionality
  • ⚙️ Missing advanced features compared to desktop app

Simple Scan

From 660 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great interface
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 No ads or privacy concerns
  • 💡 Customizable workflows
  • 👍 Simple and straightforward

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🔧 Cropping could be improved
  • 🔧 Inability to name scans before saving

Bugs and requests

Epson DocumentScan

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App cannot find scanner even when connected to same network
  • WiFi direct mode fails to establish connection
  • App freezes on scanner search screen
  • Crashes when attempting to save photos to camera roll
  • Crashes when pressing 'scan more' during batch operations
Show 10 more
  • Cellular data interferes with scanner connection on iOS
  • App loses all scanned data after reinstallation
  • Setup completes but scanning fails in WAP mode
  • Long loading times between operations
  • Scanner connection drops randomly during scanning
  • App not compatible with iOS 14 and later versions
  • Incompatible with all-in-one printer/scanner models
  • Specific scanner models not recognized despite being listed
  • Spinning/loading indicator gets stuck indefinitely
  • WiFi connection inconsistent and unreliable

Requested features

16 requests
  • Direct save to Files app and cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive)
  • OCR support for searchable PDFs
  • Bulk export of multiple files at once
  • Higher DPI scanning options (600 DPI or higher)
  • Automatic double-sided page detection
Show 11 more
  • Image editing tools (crop, skew correction, exposure/color adjustment)
  • Batch scanning with automatic document separation
  • Support for all Epson scanner and printer models
  • Ability to save scans to camera roll directly
  • Multiple file format options beyond PDF
  • Network configuration within the app (without EpsonNet Config)
  • Improved file management and organization
  • Automatic document size detection without manual override
  • Ability to scan more than 100 pages per file
  • Dark mode option
  • Better integration with iOS Files app

Simple Scan

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on multi-page scans for some users
  • Issues with importing files from other apps

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to tag scans
  • Favorite file/app destination options
  • More image adjustment tools

In-app purchases

None

Epson DocumentScan

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple Scan

Subscriptions1
  • Pro - Annual$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro - Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is Epson DocumentScan free?
Epson DocumentScan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Scan free?
Simple Scan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Epson DocumentScan or Simple Scan?
Simple Scan is rated higher. Epson DocumentScan averages 1.8 out of 5 from 121 ratings, while Simple Scan averages 4.9 from 660 ratings.
Do Epson DocumentScan or Simple Scan have ads?
Neither Epson DocumentScan nor Simple Scan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Epson DocumentScan or Simple Scan?
Epson DocumentScan ships an update every 3 months, and Simple Scan every 3 weeks. Most recently, Epson DocumentScan was updated on August 13, 2026 and Simple Scan on September 21, 2026.

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