Adobe Scan review

Adobe Scan is the most complete free OCR app on this list. The App Store listing says the app is free to download and uses an image-to-text feature to make words in scans searchable and editable, while the Edit in text tool handles printed and handwritten words. A newer Digitize tool, still marked beta, turns handwritten notes and whiteboards into documents that look typed. Capture tools include high-speed bulk scanning, a Straighten tool for curved or tilted pages and a Magic eraser for thumbs, shadows and creases. Scans save to Adobe Document Cloud and open in Acrobat Reader for signing and form filling, and they can be exported to Word, Excel or PowerPoint. The limit to know about is OCR capacity: Adobe says subscribing increases it from 5 to 100 pages. The US App Store lists Adobe Scan Plus at $4.99 a month and Premium tiers at $9.99 a month. We compared documented features and published prices.

Who it is for

phone users who want free OCR scans that open in Acrobat

Price

Free app; Adobe Scan Plus $4.99 a month in the US App Store.

Adobe Scan Plus - Monthly $4.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 13, 2026.

Key features

• Image-to-text OCR makes words in scans searchable and editable
• Edit in text tool turns printed and handwritten words into editable text
• Digitize tool (beta) converts handwritten notes and whiteboards into editable documents
• Export scans to Word, Excel or PowerPoint
• Scans save automatically to Adobe Document Cloud

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free download covers scanning, OCR and PDF creation
• Strength: Subscriptions work across Adobe Scan, Acrobat Reader mobile and Acrobat on the web
• Strength: Magic eraser removes thumbs, shadows, stains and creases from scans
• Weakness: Paid plans raise OCR capacity from 5 to 100 pages, so heavy OCR use needs a subscription
• Weakness: Combining several scans into one file is listed as a paid feature
• Weakness: Scans go to Adobe Document Cloud, which needs an Adobe account

Key facts

• Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android
• Free plan: Yes
• Cheapest paid plan: Adobe Scan Plus, $4.99 a month (US App Store)
• App Store rating: 4.9 from 1.6M ratings

Where it ranks

Adobe Scan is No. 1 in our Best OCR Apps verdict.