However, with the recent order from the Indian government last night (June 29), wherein it states banning a total of 59 Chinese apps from being used in India since these apps have “engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of Indian, defense of India, the security of the state and public order” – as per a release from Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), CamScanner users in India can no longer avail the service, and therefore, need to look for an alternative for the same. So to simplify this equation and make it easier to find another document scanning app, here are some of our picks for the best CamScanner alternatives.
Best CamScanner Alternatives (Android and iOS)
1. Adobe Scan
The name is pretty much a giveaway here. Adobe Scan comes from Adobe, the American software conglomerate behind popular apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Reader, and more. It is available for free and comes with the usual set of features. Moreover, it also provides in-app purchases, which add a few more functionalities to the mix. The app features OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which makes automatic text recognition easier. So you can use it to convert pretty much anything from photos, business cards, receipts, notes, etc, into an Adobe PDF, which can then be reused as and when required.
Features: i. Use advanced image technology to automatically detect borders and sharpen scanned content for better clarity. ii. Edit scanned documents — crop, rotate, adjust color. iii. Save scanned documents to Adobe Document Cloud for instant access and sharing from anywhere. iv. Save business cards to contacts. Plan: Free, Paid (in-app purchase) Download Adobe Scan: Android | iOS
2. Microsoft Office Lens
Office Lens is a popular document scanner and alternative to CamScanner, which comes from another tech giant, Microsoft. The app is available on both Android and iOS for absolutely free, and in a nutshell, it allows you to digitize various types of documents, such as business cards, images, posters, receipts, etc., into a form that is easily shareable and accessible anywhere. Moreover, you can also choose to convert images to Word, Powerpoint, or PDF files and can automatically save them to your OneDrive account.
Features: i. Trim and enhance the captured scans to make them more readable. ii. Use Whiteboard mode to clear glare and shadow, and use Document mode to set the correct colors in the image. iii. Use Business Card mode to extract contact information and save it to the address book or OneDrive. Plan: Free Download Microsoft Office Lens: Android | iOS
3. Notebloc
Notebloc is a growing brand of paper notebooks with a huge collection of different kinds of notebooks. Although besides paper notebooks, the company also offers a document scanning app that helps you digitize various documents, from notes to images to sketches, and share them and retain access from anywhere. Moreover, if you happen to use their notebooks, you get even better results with scanned documents because of the background of the sheet, which improves clarity. The app is available for free on both AppStore and Play Store, but it does include ads on Android. As a reason, it has an in-app purchase option on Android for users to get rid of the annoying ads in the app.
Features: i. Automatic correction of perspective to fit the photos perfectly aligned and remove lens aberrations. ii. Classify documents by aspects like date of creation or edition. iii. Choose PDF size for notes. iv. Add and copy pages within a document. Plan: Free, Paid (in-app purchase) Download Notebloc: Android | iOS
4. ScanPro
One of the best alternatives to CamScanner on the list is ScanPro (erstwhile Scanbot). The app is available for both Android and iOS and gives you the option to scan QR codes, in addition to different types of documents. You can use it to create quick, high-quality scanned PDF or JPG scans and upload them to any of your preferred cloud storage services, such as iCloud, Drive, Box, Dropbox, and the likes. ScanPro is available for free but also offers a paid plan via in-app purchase that adds pro features and opens up new functionalities. Some of the pro features it offers to include a PDF converter, password protection, cloud integration, access to FTP, sFTP, and FTPs, and more.
Features: i. Edit scanned documents by cropping or adding filters. ii. Add multiple shots/pages to the capture. iii. Share via Email or other apps. Plan: Free, Paid (in-app purchase) Download ScanPro: Android | iOS
5. Evernote Scannable
Evernote Scannable is an iOS-only document scanning app. It comes from the popular note-taking and reminders app, Evernote, and is available for absolutely free. It is a good alternative to CamScanner for iOS users, with the ability to scan receipts, business cards, and other documents by simply pointing the camera at the subject. Furthermore, if you also use Evernote and have an account, you can use the same to sign in to Scannable and sync all your scanned documents to Evernote for unified access to your notes and scans.
Features: i. Automatic image tweaking (rotate, crop, etc.) for better clarity and readability. ii. Export scanned documents as PDF and JPG files to various apps. iii. Share scanned documents over email or other apps. Plan: Free Download Evernote Scannable: iOS
6. Scanner Mini – Scan PDF and Fax
Another iOS-only app for scanning documents on the iPhone comes from Readdle — a popular app mobile application development company that offers productivity apps like Spark, Documents, Calendar 5, PDF Expert, and the like. Called Scanner Mini, the app is available for free, with in-app purchases to add more functionalities. You can use it to scan different types of documents, and it will automatically crop and process the document by getting rid of distortions and shadows to make the documents professional and easy to comprehend. Moreover, it also includes a built-in OCR, which gives you the ability to scan a document and convert it into text and copy that text.
Features: i. Save articles and pages for later. ii. Edit scanned documents to your liking. iii. Upload scanned documents on iCloud and sync them with other devices. iv. Sign and scan a document. Plan: Free, Paid (in-app purchase) Download Scanner Mini – Scan PDF and Fax: iOS
7. Google Drive
Google Drive, which is one of the most preferred cloud storage solutions out there, also offers document scanning ability on the app. However, despite being available on both Android and iOS, it is only the Android app that gets the scan functionality. So if you use an Android device, you can use the built-in utility to scan documents and have them saved to your Drive for access from anywhere across any device. For unlike some of the other offerings in the list or even CamScanner, the scan functionality on Google Drive is not as feature-rich and is rather meant as a quick capture-and-drop functionality.
Features: i. Make changes to scanned documents, such as paper orientation, image quality, and paper size. ii. Enhance images using different filters. iii. Add multiple scans. Plan: Free, Paid (in-app purchase) Download Google Drive: Android That’s all for the listicle! Those are some of our recommendations for the best document-scanning apps and CamScanner alternatives you can use on your Android and iOS device, especially now with CamScanner is banned in India. Not to mention, unlike CamScanner, these apps have not been found guilty of infringing user privacy. So you can use them without worrying about compromising your privacy and security. Moreover, if you happen to be an iOS user, you can also use the built-in document scanning utility in the Notes app. The utility gives you a few different options to edit and make the captured documents look more comprehensible. So, if you do not wish to install a third-party app on your device, you can also use Notes to scan documents.
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