2024's Top 5 PDF Scanner Apps for Efficient Scanning

In the last few years, creating and scanning PDF documents has become easier than ever. For instance, with the help of a reliable PDF scanner app, you can simply scan any image or document, and directly convert them to PDF files. While there are plenty of options out there, finding a trusted free PDF scanner app can be tough. That's why I have come up with the 5 best PDF scanner apps that you can readily use in this post.

The Ultimate List of PDF Scanner Apps

App 1: UPDF: Scan and Secure PDF Files [Editor's Pick]

If you are looking for a one-stop solution to scan PDF files, secure them, or manage your documents - then UPDF for iOS should be your first pick. The all-in-one application can directly scan anything from your device and convert them to a PDF document. You can also use it to secure your PDF files and manage your data.

• Intelligent PDF Scanner

UPDF is an intelligent PDF scanner app that would let you directly use the camera of your iPhone or iPad to scan any document, including paperwork and even signatures into PDF. The interface would let you cut its edges and apply different filters for scanning your documents like a pro.

• Create PDF Files

Apart from scanning files from your phone's camera, you can also use UPDF to create documents by uploading an image from the device's storage. You can choose to upload multiple images and let the application merge them to form a single PDF document.

• Manage and Secure your PDF Files

Apart from being a PDF scanner app, there are tons of other things that you can do with UPDF. For instance, the application can be used to add text to your PDF documents. You can also add signatures and annotations to your PDF files via UPDF.

There are also tons of other features to import files, merge PDF documents, or compress them. The iPhone/iPad app also provides an inbuilt vault to secure your PDF documents with Face ID and other security layers.

Pros

• UPDF offers a wide range of PDF creation and management options in one place.
• It offers an excellent PDF scanner feature that is easy to use.
• It is the ultimate file manager to help you rename, move, copy, compress, and print documents.
• There is a security space to help you protect and lock files.
• It can easily edit and annotate PDFs with sort of tools.
• Powerful UPDF cloud storage to save your files.

Watch the video here to learn how to use the PDF scanner.

App 2: CamScanner: PDF Scanner App

If you want to do a PDF scanner app download, then you can also take the assistance of CamScanner. You can use the application to scan ID cards, documents, and all kinds of objects using its smart scanning algorithm. While scanning, you can also use its inbuilt filters to get better results.

Besides that, the PDF scanner app can also be used to import or export documents in different formats like JPG, DOC, PPT, and so on. There are also additional features in CamScanner to sign and annotate PDF files on your iOS devices.

Pros

• CamScanner has an inbuilt feature to sign documents.
• You can also convert documents to other formats like Word.

Cons

• No option to protect or secure your PDF files
• A bit expensive

Pricing: $4.99 per month

App 3: Microsoft Lens: PDF Scanner

Developed by Microsoft, this is a free PDF scanner app that you can use on your iOS devices to scan anything and convert it into a PDF file. The application features a smart lens that would let you scan documents, receipts, and even handwritten notes with ease.

While there are limited features in Microsoft Lens, it will certainly meet your basic requirements of converting images to PDF files by scanning them. One of the best features of Microsoft Lens is its inbuilt OCR tool that can detect written language and convert it into editable text.

Pros

• Seamless integration with other Office applications
• Free and easy to use

Cons

• Overall, Lens has limited PDF creation and editing features

Pricing: Free

App 4: Scanner App: Scan and Sign PDFs

Scanner App is another smart solution that you can use to scan and protect your PDF documents. The application can automatically detect characters in different languages to scan them more efficiently.

You can further improve the quality of your documents using the available filters of the PDF scanner app. There are also additional features to sign your files and share them with others on different platforms.

Pros

• Tons of PDF-related features in one place

Cons

• Only its basic version is freely available (with limited features)
• Quite expensive

Pricing: Starts from $7.99 monthly

App 5: Scanner Mobile: Scan to PDF/JPG

Lastly, if you are looking for a lightweight solution, then you can simply do the PDF scanner app download from 4Hours Soft. Ideally, the application can be used to scan documents and save them as JPG or PDF on your iOS device.

While there aren't many features to edit your PDF files or sign them, it would be an ideal free PDF scanner app to meet your basic needs. If you want, you can also share the scanned PDF files with others via iMessage, WhatsApp, and other apps.

Pros

• Free and user friendly

Cons

• Limited features with no signing or editing options
• You can't protect your PDF files with the app yet

Pricing: Free

Also Read: Top 5 AI PDF Scanners (Tested)

Conclusion

As you can see, there can be so many solutions to scan images or notes and convert them to PDF files on an iOS device. While there are so many paid and free PDF scanner apps, not all of them might need your requirements. That's why I would recommend using UPDF, which is the best PDF scanner app for iPads and iPhones. This smart PDF scanner app is available and is equipped with tons of features to create and protect your PDF files like a pro.