PDF scanner apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac compared (2026)
Scanlio is an alternative to Adobe Scan, CamScanner, Genius Scan, Scanner Pro, Microsoft Lens and the built-in Apple Notes and Files scanner for people who want scanning, OCR, signing and PDF editing in one app without uploading their documents to a cloud.
This page compares seven ways to scan paper into PDFs on Apple devices. It is written by the maker of Scanlio, so read it as a sourced comparison rather than an independent review: every cell below comes from the app's own US App Store listing (fetched 6 September 2026) or Apple's support documentation, and anything we could not confirm is marked not verified rather than guessed. Prices can change at any time.
The comparison table
| App | Price model | Subscription required for full use | OCR | Sign PDFs | Edit PDF (text, white-out) | Watermark on free tier | Cloud / account lock-in | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scanlio | Free download; Pro weekly ($4.99), monthly ($12.99), yearly ($22.99) or one-time Lifetime ($119.99) | No — Lifetime is a one-time purchase; free tier has a shared allowance and saving is never blocked | Yes, multilingual, on-device; unlimited with Pro | Yes, reusable drawn signature | Yes: text boxes, white-out, highlight, freehand, merge, split, extract | No | None: works offline, no account, files stay on device | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Adobe Scan | Free; Premium $9.99/mo (other tiers $3.99–$69.99), Plus $4.99/mo or $19.99/yr | Yes for combining files, extracting pages and higher OCR capacity | Yes; Premium raises OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages | Via the separate Acrobat Reader app | Not in Scan itself (Acrobat Reader for comments, forms) — not verified beyond listing | None mentioned | Scans are saved automatically to Adobe Document Cloud; Adobe ID: not verified from listing | iPhone, iPad |
| CamScanner | Free; Premium $9.99/mo, $59.99/yr (other tiers $4.99–$69.99) | Yes to remove watermark and ads | Yes | Yes, e-signature | Filters and noise removal; text editing not verified | Yes (per reviews quoted on the listing) | Optional upload to Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneDrive | iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon) |
| Genius Scan | Free; Plus $0.99 / $11.99, Ultra $4.99–$49.99 (one-time vs subscription: not verified) | Yes for text extraction and searchable PDFs | Premium feature | Via the companion app Genius Sign | Crop, filters, merge, split; no text editing listed | None mentioned | Local by default; many cloud exports; Genius Cloud sync needs an account and a separate subscription | iPhone, iPad |
| Scanner Pro | Free; Plus $3.99–$59.99, Expense Report $4.99, fax packs | Plus for Auto Name, Smart Filters, Measure Mode, no ads/limits (free limits not verified) | Described as included | Yes (added in v8.36) | Highlight, write, draw; text editing not verified | None mentioned | Local; exports to Dropbox, Drive, Box, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, OneNote, WebDAV | iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision (iOS 18+) |
| Microsoft Lens | Was free | Retired — App Store page returned 404 on 6 Sept 2026 | No longer available / not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Microsoft account for OneDrive (historically) | Retired |
| Apple Notes / Files | Free, built into iOS and iPadOS | No | Live Text makes scanned text selectable; no language control or searchable-PDF export listed | Yes, Markup signature | Markup only (draw, text); no white-out or merge/split listed | No | iCloud sync if iCloud Notes is on; otherwise local | iPhone, iPad (Mac can view/sync) |
How to read the table
Price model is the shape of the deal: a cheap monthly plan can cost more than a one-time purchase over three years. Subscription required asks whether the headline features are reachable without a renewing plan. Sign and Edit distinguish placing a signature from changing what the page says (text boxes, white-out). Cloud lock-in covers automatic upload and whether an account is needed at all.
Scanlio
Scanlio is the newest app here (released June 2026, version 1.0.17 at the time of writing) and the only one that ships scanning, on-device OCR, a signature tool, a PDF editor with white-out and text boxes, page management and PDF-to-Word, image and text conversion in one universal app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its distinguishing decision is architectural: no server, no account, no upload, so it works in airplane mode and your documents exist only on your device and in your own backups. The trade-off is the free tier: every tool shares one free allowance and saving is never blocked, but heavy OCR, editing, signing and exporting need Pro, sold as a weekly, monthly or yearly subscription and as a one-time Lifetime purchase listed on the App Store. The free iOS and iPad version shows non-personalized ads; the Mac version shows none.
Adobe Scan
Adobe Scan is a mature scanner with 1.6 million App Store ratings. It includes OCR on the free tier, but the listing says Premium "increases OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages", and combining files and extracting pages are for paying subscribers. Signing, form filling and commenting happen in the separate Acrobat Reader app, and scans are saved automatically to Adobe Document Cloud: convenient inside Adobe's ecosystem, a drawback if you would rather keep contracts and IDs off third-party servers. No Mac version is listed.
CamScanner
CamScanner has the broadest feature list on paper: OCR, e-signature, cloud upload to Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote and OneDrive, exports to DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, PPT/PPTX and TXT, and a Mac app for Apple silicon. The free tier is where complaints concentrate: the listing shows advertising, and reviews quoted on it describe a watermark on free scans. Premium is $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year at the time of writing. If you need Excel or PowerPoint exports, look at it; if you want clean PDFs without a watermark or a renewing plan, it is the app people most often try to leave.
Genius Scan
Genius Scan (The Grizzly Labs) is known for careful capture and exports to more destinations than anyone else here (Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Expensify, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, OneNote, FTP, WebDAV). Its limits are after the scan: text extraction and searchable PDFs are premium, signing is delegated to the companion app Genius Sign, and there is no text editing or white-out. Multi-device sync is a separate Genius Cloud subscription with an account. Whether any Plus or Ultra tier is still a one-time purchase is not verified.
Scanner Pro
Readdle's Scanner Pro is a long-standing iOS scanner with OCR, an in-app signature feature (added in version 8.36) and annotation. Plus adds Auto Name, Smart Filters, Measure Mode and removes ads and limits; the free-tier limits are not stated on the listing, so they are marked not verified. Two constraints: it requires iOS 18 or later, and there is no Mac app on the listing (Apple Vision is supported instead). An Expense Report add-on points at its core audience of people scanning receipts for work.
Microsoft Lens
Microsoft Lens was the free, no-frills option for years, especially for OneDrive and OneNote users. Microsoft announced its retirement in 2025, and on 6 September 2026 its US App Store page returned a 404 error. It is listed because many comparison articles still recommend it; do not plan a workflow around it.
Apple Notes and Files
Every iPhone and iPad can already scan: in Notes, tap the camera icon and choose Scan Documents; in Files, use the more menu and choose Scan Documents. Live Text makes the words selectable and Markup lets you sign with a saved signature. This is free, local unless iCloud Notes sync is on, and fine for a one-page permission slip. What it lacks is what a dedicated app adds: language-aware OCR producing a searchable PDF, white-out and text boxes, merge and split, an ID and passport mode, and conversion to Word or text. If you never miss those, use Notes.
Which one to pick
- Keep everything on-device and pay once: Scanlio (Lifetime purchase) or Apple Notes (free, fewer tools).
- Already on Adobe Document Cloud and Acrobat: Adobe Scan.
- Need Excel and PowerPoint exports: CamScanner, accepting the watermark until you pay.
- Want the widest cloud export list: Genius Scan.
- Scan receipts for expense reports on iOS 18: Scanner Pro.
- Need a Mac app from the same developer: Scanlio or CamScanner.
Frequently asked questions
Which PDF scanner apps work on iPhone, iPad and Mac with one purchase?
Of the apps compared here, Scanlio and CamScanner list Mac versions on the App Store alongside iPhone and iPad. Adobe Scan, Genius Scan and Scanner Pro list iPhone and iPad only on their App Store pages as of September 2026.
Which scanner apps include OCR without paying?
Adobe Scan includes limited OCR on its free tier (its Premium plan raises OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages). Scanner Pro describes OCR as included. Genius Scan lists text extraction as a premium feature. Scanlio gives every tool, including OCR, a shared free allowance and never blocks saving; Pro makes OCR unlimited. Apple Notes uses Live Text to make scanned text selectable at no cost.
Which PDF scanner apps put a watermark on free scans?
CamScanner's free tier adds a watermark according to user reviews quoted on its App Store listing. None of Adobe Scan, Genius Scan, Scanner Pro or Scanlio mention a watermark in their listings; Scanlio does not add one.
Is there a scanner app that does not upload documents to the cloud?
Scanlio works entirely offline and keeps documents on the device with no account. Adobe Scan saves scans automatically to Adobe Document Cloud. Genius Scan and Scanner Pro store files locally but offer cloud export; CamScanner offers cloud upload. Apple Notes syncs through iCloud if iCloud Notes is enabled.
Is Microsoft Lens still available?
Microsoft announced the retirement of Microsoft Lens in 2025, and its US App Store page returned a 404 error when checked on 6 September 2026. Treat it as no longer available for new installs.
Download Scanlio free on the App Store
Related guides
Sources: US App Store listings fetched 6 September 2026 for Scanlio (v1.0.17), Adobe Scan, CamScanner, Genius Scan, Scanner Pro and Microsoft Lens (404); Apple Support: Scan text and documents. Prices are those listed on the US App Store on 6 September 2026 and can change.