Scanner Comparison

ScanLens vs Scanner Pro

Honest comparison: Scanner Pro by Readdle has been on the App Store since 2009 and earned Apple Editors' Choice with a 4.876 average across 329k+ ratings — it's a mature, feature-dense app. ScanLens is newer and narrower: on-device OCR in 14 languages, password-protected PDF export, and a one-time $59.99 lifetime. This page lays out what each is honestly better at, so you can pick.

Quick read: If you need fax, translator, measure tool, automation workflows, or a 15-year-mature ecosystem — Scanner Pro. If you need the lifetime price, on-device privacy guarantees, or 14 OCR languages — ScanLens. Both run on iPhone, work without an account, and integrate with iCloud / Google Drive / Dropbox / OneDrive.

About this comparison

ScanLens and Scanner Pro both scan documents on iPhone, but ScanLens runs OCR on-device in 14 languages with a one-time $59.99 lifetime option, while Scanner Pro is a more mature, feature-dense app from Readdle (fax, translator, measure tool, workflows) that's subscription-led. Facts in this comparison come from the iTunes Lookup API, Readdle's product page at readdle.com/scannerpro, Readdle's support knowledge base, and the App Store listing. Where a fact wasn't verifiable in a primary source we say so. Pricing is point-in-time — Scanner Pro's IAP catalog shows multiple price points (Readdle has historically A/B-tested), so always verify the App Store subscription sheet before buying.

Both apps are good choices for iPhone document scanning. The honest position: Scanner Pro is more mature and has more features; ScanLens is more transparent about privacy and cheaper at the lifetime tier. The right pick depends on which axis matters more for your work.

Quick verdict

Choose Scanner Pro if:

You need fax sending or expense-report exports, the measure tool for room or document dimensions, an object counting mode, or the built-in translator. You value Apple Editors' Choice provenance and a 15-year track record on the App Store. You prefer Readdle's Smart Workflows for one-tap rename + send automation. You're OK with a watermark on free scans until you upgrade to Scanner Pro Plus, and with OCR + full-text search being paywalled. You want broad WebDAV / OneNote export options beyond the standard cloud services.

Choose ScanLens if:

You want on-device OCR explicitly committed (not "files don't leave our servers but third-party AI providers may apply"). You want password-protected PDF export that is applied on the device. You'd rather pay a one-time $59.99 lifetime than carry a subscription. You scan documents in 14 languages and want OCR to support them without a paywall. You don't need fax, measure tools, or object counting — the core scan + OCR + sign + cloud-upload workflow is enough.

Side by side

Feature comparison table

Sourced from the App Store listing, Readdle's product page, and Readdle's support documentation as of May 2026. Treat as point-in-time — subscription terms in particular shift.

	ScanLens	Scanner Pro
Developer	BITFORGE PTE. LTD. (Singapore)	Readdle Technologies Limited
On App Store since	2026	October 2009
Platforms	iPhone	iPhone + iPad + visionOS
App Store rating	No public rating yet	4.876 (329k+ reviews)
Free tier	Scan + export (watermarked)	Scan + export with watermark
OCR languages	14, on-device	27 enumerated, paywalled behind Plus
OCR processing	On-device, explicitly	Not explicitly on-device; Vertex AI named as possible processor
Account required	No	No
PDF export encryption	Password protection applied on device	Not publicly disclosed
Merge PDFs	Yes	Scanner Pro Plus (paid)
Password-protect PDFs	Premium	Scanner Pro Plus (paid)
Export formats (PDF, JPG, PNG)	Available; free exports are branded	Scanner Pro Plus (paid)
E-signature on PDFs	Premium	Free baseline; workflow specifics unverified
Finger drawing	Yes	Yes
Cloud auto-upload	Premium	Scanner Pro Plus (paid)
Cloud integrations	iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive	iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Evernote, OneNote, WebDAV
Fax sending	No	Yes (Fax Pack IAP, $0.99+)
Translator (built in)	No	Yes (20+ languages, iOS 26+)
Measure / counting modes	No	Yes (measure tool + object counting)
Apple Editors' Choice	No	Yes
Lifetime price	$59.99 one-time	$59.99 IAP price point on file; lifetime status ambiguous
Weekly subscription	$4.99 (no trial)	Yes (price varies; A/B tested)
Monthly subscription	$9.99 (7-day trial)	Unverified as a separate tier
Yearly subscription	$29.99 (14-day trial)	Yes (price varies; A/B tested)

Privacy and security

How ScanLens handles your documents

OCR runs locally on the iPhone using Apple's Vision framework. Exports are encrypted when you password-protect a PDF, and that happens on the device like everything else. There is no ScanLens account, no ScanLens server that processes your files, and no third-party AI processor in the path. Documents stored on iCloud Drive sync via Apple's standard mechanism; you control the storage location.

How Scanner Pro handles your documents

Readdle's privacy FAQ says files are stored locally or in your iCloud — they don't keep server-side copies. That's the strong claim. The full privacy policy at readdle.com/scannerpro/legal/privacy is broader: it names Vertex AI (Google) as a third-party AI provider for some features, lists Facebook SDK events including "scanning activity," and discloses identifiers used for tracking on the App Store privacy label. Telemetry is substantial.

What this means in practice

If your scans are mundane (receipts, lecture notes, registration forms), both apps are fine and the difference doesn't matter day to day. If your scans include sensitive material — medical records, contracts under NDA, government IDs, financial statements — ScanLens's stricter on-device commitment is the safer default. Scanner Pro's privacy claims are honest about the third-party AI path, which means you should read their privacy policy and decide whether the analytics + Vertex AI path crosses any of your lines.

Pricing breakdown

ScanLens pricing

Free to download. Premium tiers: Weekly $4.99 (no trial), Monthly $9.99 (7-day trial), Yearly $29.99 (14-day trial, 75% cheaper than monthly), or a one-time $59.99 Lifetime option for the current Premium entitlement. The free tier scans and exports PDFs with a ScanLens watermark. OCR, cloud sync, e-signatures, password protection, and advanced PDF tools are in Premium.

Scanner Pro pricing

Free to download with a watermark on exported scans. Scanner Pro Plus is a subscription with multiple price points active on the App Store: weekly + yearly tiers per Readdle's support docs. The App Store IAP catalog shows price tiers at $3.99, $6.99, $7.99, $9.99, $19.99, $29.99, and $59.99 — Readdle A/B-tests prices, so what you see depends on cohort. Separate IAPs exist for Fax Pack ($0.99) and Expense Report ($4.99). The $59.99 price point on file may be a lifetime option, but Readdle's public copy describes only weekly and yearly subscriptions for new users; confirm at purchase.

The lifetime question

ScanLens publishes a clear $59.99 one-time Lifetime price with no recurring renewal. Scanner Pro's lifetime status is ambiguous in Readdle's public copy. If you specifically want a current one-time option, ScanLens is clearer about that billing choice; always verify the purchase screen and the features you need before paying.

Strengths and weaknesses

What Scanner Pro does better than ScanLens

Scanner Pro has 15 years of polish and 329k+ ratings averaging 4.876 — that's social proof ScanLens can't match yet. It has fax sending (paid), a measure tool, an object counting mode, a translator, Smart Workflows (one-tap rename + send + upload chains), and a wider list of cloud destinations including WebDAV, Evernote, and OneNote. visionOS support is listed. Apple Editors' Choice provenance is real signal for buyers who weigh editorial endorsement.

What ScanLens does better than Scanner Pro

OCR runs on-device and is included in Premium without a separate paywall (Scanner Pro paywalls OCR + full-text search behind Plus, which is a recurring user complaint in reviews). 14 languages vs. 27 enumerated. No third-party AI processor in the pipeline. One-time $59.99 lifetime is published clearly; Scanner Pro's lifetime status isn't. Premium covers merging, splitting, password-protecting, watermarking, and form-filling without separate IAPs the way Scanner Pro does with Fax Pack and Expense Report.

Frequently asked questions

Is Scanner Pro free?

The base app is free, and you can scan and export PDFs without paying. But the free tier adds a watermark to exports, locks OCR and full-text search behind Scanner Pro Plus, and gates merging, format conversion, password protection, and cloud auto-upload to paid. ScanLens has a free tier that covers basic scan-to-PDF (free-tier exports carry a watermark), while OCR and the heavier PDF tools are in Premium.

Which app has more OCR languages?

Scanner Pro's App Store listing markets "25+ languages" and enumerates 27 in its description. ScanLens advertises 14 languages with on-device processing. If the specific language matters more than the count, check the language list — both apps support the major European, East Asian, and Cyrillic scripts.

Does Scanner Pro process scans on-device?

Readdle's privacy FAQ states files are not uploaded to their servers: scans live locally or in your iCloud. The privacy policy keeps a door open for third-party AI processors (Vertex AI is named) for some AI features. Scanner Pro does not publicly commit to fully on-device OCR. ScanLens explicitly runs OCR on-device, and password-protected exports are encrypted on the device too.

Which app has the better lifetime option?

ScanLens sells a $59.99 lifetime tier in addition to weekly, monthly, and yearly plans. Scanner Pro Plus has a $59.99 IAP price point on file, but Readdle's own copy currently describes weekly and yearly plans for new users, not a lifetime option. Confirm at the App Store at purchase time — Readdle has shifted its pricing model in the past.

What does Scanner Pro do that ScanLens doesn't?

Scanner Pro includes fax sending (paid Fax Pack IAP), a measure tool, an object counting mode, a translator, a Smart Workflows automation feature, WebDAV support, OneNote as a named export target, and Apple Editors' Choice recognition. It has been on the App Store since 2009 with 329k+ ratings. ScanLens focuses on the core scanner workflow with on-device OCR, signatures, password-protected export, and a one-time lifetime price.