iScanner is one of the most popular scanner apps on the App Store, with more than 1.4 million ratings in the US alone. It does a lot, from PDF editing to a math solver and even fax. But it's built around a weekly subscription, and its App Store listing mentions ads and tracking. If you're looking for an iScanner alternative on iPhone that is free, has no ads and keeps your documents on your device, here's how QuickScan compares.
The facts about both apps come from their App Store listings and from iScanner's own FAQ, privacy policy and terms, checked in September 2026. Prices are for the US App Store.
QuickScan vs iScanner at a glance
| QuickScan | iScanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for personal use (optional donations). Businesses: QuickScan Enterprise, one-time purchase | Free download with limits. Subscription for full access, for example $4.99 a week after a free trial, or $20.99 a year |
| Ads | None | Yes ("Contains: Advertising") |
| App Store privacy label | "Data Not Collected" | Includes "Data Used to Track You" (purchases, location, identifiers, usage data, diagnostics, other data) |
| Where your documents go | They stay on your device. No server, works offline | Stored on your device, or in iScanner's cloud if you sign in. Some features send files to other companies |
| Text recognition (OCR) | Yes: on-device, searchable PDFs, more than 25 languages | Subscription only |
| Export formats | PDF (searchable), JPG, TXT, Excel, CSV | PDF, JPG, PowerPoint. Word, Excel and TXT with a subscription |
| Cloud destinations | iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, WebDAV, SMB/NAS, Nextcloud, pCloud, Paperless-ngx, email, automatically after each scan if you want | Its own cloud (200 MB free, 10 or 100 GB with a subscription). Other apps through the share sheet |
| Signatures | Yes (finger, Apple Pencil or imported) | Yes |
| Protection | Face ID / Touch ID app lock, password-protected PDFs | PIN, Face ID / Touch ID, password-protected PDFs, decoy password |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad | iPhone, iPad, Android and web |
Privacy: the biggest difference
QuickScan works entirely on your iPhone or iPad. Scanning, text recognition and file processing happen on the device, with no server, no account and no internet connection needed. Its App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected".
iScanner's App Store privacy label lists data used to track you: purchases, location, identifiers, usage data, diagnostics and other data. Its privacy policy names the analytics and advertising companies that receive data from the app, including Adjust, AppsFlyer, Amplitude, Firebase and Meta.
Some features also send your documents to other companies. According to the same policy, AI Chat and automatic file naming send the content of your files to OpenAI, which may keep it for up to 30 days, and file conversions go through a service called ConvertAPI.
QuickScan names your scans automatically too, but it does so on your device. Your scans are often the most private files you own: contracts, invoices, medical records, ID documents. That's why QuickScan never sends your documents anywhere unless you decide to export them.
Is iScanner safe?
In October 2020, the Digital Advertising Accountability Program of BBB National Programs, the advertising industry's own watchdog, published its review of iScanner for iOS. Its testers saw at least one third-party advertising company collect the phone's precise location through the app, accurate to about 22 meters, without any consent prompt. BPMobile, iScanner's developer, stopped that collection after the inquiry, and the case was closed as "practices voluntarily corrected".
It's a good reminder that advertising code runs inside the apps that handle your documents. QuickScan has no ads and collects no data, so the question doesn't come up.
Price: free vs weekly subscription
QuickScan is free for personal use, with every feature included: no ads, no subscription, no limits. Optional donations support its development. Businesses use QuickScan Enterprise, a one-time purchase ($79.99) available through Apple Business Manager.
iScanner is free to download, but the free version is limited. According to iScanner's FAQ, it exports up to 5 documents a day, and text recognition, conversion to Word, Excel or TXT, and AI Chat require a subscription. The App Store listing offers a plan at $4.99 a week after a free trial, or $20.99 a year. On the weekly plan, that's more than $250 a year.
As with any App Store subscription, the free trial turns into a paid plan unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before it ends, and iScanner's terms point out that deleting the app does not cancel it. With QuickScan, there's no trial to remember and nothing to cancel.
Where QuickScan stands out
1. Everything is included
Text recognition, searchable PDFs, signatures, Excel and CSV export, automation: every feature works without a subscription, a trial or a daily export limit. You don't need an account either.
2. Automation
QuickScan can name your scans automatically (date, title, issuer and more) and export them the moment you finish scanning. With Export Favorites, each destination keeps its own settings: format, colors, file name. Start a scan from a Home Screen or Lock Screen widget, Control Center, the Action button or Siri, and your document is filed in seconds.
3. Your documents go to your own storage
iScanner syncs your files to its own cloud. QuickScan sends them straight to yours: iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, WebDAV, SMB network shares and NAS, Nextcloud, pCloud or Paperless-ngx. Self-hosted setups work out of the box.
4. Searchable PDFs and spreadsheets
The recognized text is embedded in your PDFs, so you can search, select and copy it. QuickScan can also turn printed tables into Excel or CSV files, entirely on your device.
Where iScanner is the better choice
iScanner remains a capable app. It may suit you better if:
- You also use an Android phone or want your scans in a web browser. QuickScan is built for iPhone and iPad only.
- You need a full PDF editor to fill in forms, annotate, redact, merge or split files.
- You need to save scans as Word or PowerPoint documents.
- You want its extra tools: a math solver, object counting, measuring, ID card and passport modes, or sending a fax.
How to switch from iScanner to QuickScan
- Download QuickScan for free from the App Store
- In iScanner, export the documents you want to keep as PDF files, to the Files app or a cloud folder. The free version exports up to 5 documents a day
- In QuickScan, import those PDFs. QuickScan can run text recognition on existing PDFs, so they become searchable
- Create an Export Favorite for your usual destination, so your next scans are filed automatically
- If you subscribed to iScanner, cancel the subscription in Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Deleting the app doesn't cancel it
Conclusion
iScanner has more tools and runs on more platforms, but it comes with a weekly subscription, ads and tracking, and some of its features send your files to other companies. If you use an iPhone or iPad and want a scanner that's free, respects your privacy and keeps everything on your device, QuickScan is the iScanner alternative to try.
QuickScan is rated 4.9/5 with over 32,000 ratings on the App Store and has been featured by Apple multiple times.
Continue reading:
- QuickScan vs Adobe Scan: Which Document Scanner Should You Use on iPhone?
- QuickScan vs CamScanner: Which Document Scanner Should You Use on iPhone?
Sources: iScanner on the App Store, iScanner's FAQ, privacy policy and terms, and QuickScan on the App Store (checked September 2026); BBB National Programs, Digital Advertising Accountability Program, case 120-2020, October 2020.
