Overview

Adobe Scan is a free-to-download document scanning app for iOS and Android. It captures pages, detects their boundaries, and can combine multiple pages into a PDF. Optical character recognition (OCR) makes scans searchable and editable, and supports text extraction. A scan can also be saved as a JPEG.

The app connects mobile capture with Adobe Acrobat: saved scans can be opened through Acrobat's desktop, web, and mobile applications. Adobe, the maker identified for the app, is headquartered in San Jose, California, and was founded in 1982.

Key features

Capture and cleanup

Adobe Scan offers different capture modes and automatic boundary detection to help frame a page. Its AI enhancement corrects perspective, sharpens text, and removes glare and shadows. Those corrections are intended to make captured pages easier to read and use as documents.

OCR and document output

OCR turns scans into searchable, editable PDFs and supports extracting text. Scanned files can be exported as PDF, JPEG, or Word documents, and multipage PDF support lets users collect pages in a single file. In-app markup tools allow drawings and shapes to be added to scans.

Organization, sharing, and connected workflows

Files can receive recommended filenames and dates, then be sorted into custom folders. Users can share scans by link or email, upload them to cloud apps, or save them to Adobe storage and connected services such as Dropbox and Google Drive. Adobe Scan files are stored in Adobe Document Cloud and are accessible only to the user unless shared. Files are encrypted in transit and at rest.

Markup changes sync automatically across devices. Acrobat supports related document tasks including forms, signatures, notes, comments, and review with others. The listed capabilities also include audit trails, bulk sending, API access, document templates, SMS authentication, signature order options, PDF tagging, reading-order and alternative-text tools, PDF/UA support, batch processing, annotations, form filling, and text-to-speech. These broader workflow capabilities are associated with the listed platform support and should not be confused with the app's core scanning and capture functions.

Pricing

Adobe Scan is free to download, and users can create scans and share PDFs for free. The listed pricing model is free; no price is provided for the Adobe Scan plan. A free Acrobat Pro trial adds file combining, format conversion, password protection, and advanced editing. The trial is listed without a price.

Platforms

Adobe Scan is available for iOS 15 or later and Android 8.0 or later. An iOS app and an Android app are both listed. Saved scans can also be accessed through Acrobat desktop, web, and mobile applications.

Who it's for

Adobe Scan suits people who need to capture paper pages on a phone, turn them into searchable PDFs, and keep or share them through Adobe and connected cloud services. Its OCR and export options are useful when a scan needs to be searched, edited, or moved into another document workflow. People who need file combining, conversion, password protection, or advanced editing can consider the free Acrobat Pro trial, while recognizing those are trial features rather than part of the core free scanning offer.

Pros and cons

Pros

Scanning and PDF sharing are available for free.
Automatic boundary detection, AI cleanup, OCR, and multipage PDF support cover common capture needs.
PDF, JPEG, and Word export, plus cloud connections, give users several ways to keep and use scans.
Saved files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and are private unless shared.

Cons

The listed mobile requirements are iOS 15 or later and Android 8.0 or later.
File combining, format conversion, password protection, and advanced editing are described as benefits of the Acrobat Pro trial, not the free scanning offer.

Alternatives

For other mobile capture options, browse Mobile Scanning Apps. If accessibility remediation is the priority, options listed in that area include PDFix Desktop, Grackle GO, PDFAccessibility.ai, AccessiblePDF, Fruition PDF Accessibility, and ComplyLoft PDF Accessibility Checker. For related document services, see Adobe PDF Services API or veraPDF. Readers comparing adjacent categories can also visit PDF Accessibility Software, Electronic Signature Software, Document Workflow Software, PDF Form Software, and E-Signature Software.

Verdict

Adobe Scan combines mobile page capture, image cleanup, OCR, and multiple export formats with cloud storage and Acrobat access. Its free scanning and sharing offer is clearly separated from the additional document-editing tools available in the Acrobat Pro trial. It is a practical fit for people whose main need is capturing paper documents on iOS or Android and making the resulting files searchable, organized, and shareable.

	Adobe Scan	SmartScan
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	—	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS	Android
Free plan	Yes	Yes
iOS app	Yes	No
Android app	Yes	Yes
OCR included	Yes	Yes
Searchable PDF	Yes	Yes
Auto capture	Yes	Yes
Multipage PDF	Yes	Yes

Adobe Scan vs SmartScan

Adobe Scan

SmartScan