The 7 Best Free Scan to PDF Software working on Windows and Mac
Summary :
For work or study, for personal use or business purposes, it’s the best choice to scan your hard copies into PDFs. Here are the best 7 free scan to PDF software that will make it easy to save documents.
Table of Contents
Free Scan to PDF Software
It’s quite hard to keep hard copies of documents in this modern world now. You may forget where you put them or you have a hard time carrying them out. All you need is just a free handy scan to PDF software.
In this post, we are going to analyze and compare the top 7 scan to PDF software, and hopefully, you will pick out your favorite for your Windows or Mac. We don’t go over scan to PDF tool for Android or iOS in this one.
Comparison Table of Top Scan to PDF Software
| Software | Platform | Verdict | Pricing |
| Camscanner | Windows/Mac | Intuitive interface and built-in tools allow PDF editing. | Free |
| NAPS2 | Windows/Mac/Linux | Automatically detects and crops page edges for high-quality scans | Free |
| Advanced Scan to PDF Free | Windows | Free scanning and converting without signing in or limitation | Free |
| Vuescan | Windows/Mac/Linux | Supports over 600+ different scanner models and offers batch scanning capability | $49.95 one-time payment or
$9.95/mo |
| ExactScan | Windows/Mac | Supports smart cropping, color detection, auto-rotation, and deskew. | 69.99 one-time payment |
Camscanner
With the help of CamScanner, a robust scanning application, you may use your scanner to scan documents and photos into crisp, clear PDF or JPEG files.
CamScanner’s sophisticated image processing engine allows it to automatically identify document edges, fix distortions, and improve image quality. On Windows or MacOS, CamScanner is offered in both free and paid versions.
Camscanner
Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface and intelligent scanning make digitizing documents fast.
- Built-in tools allow editing, annotating and signing PDFs within the software.
Cons:
- Image quality depends heavily on camera quality which varies across devices.
- Recurring subscription for full functionality can get expensive.
Download CamScanner for Free
NAPS2
NAPS2 is an open-source scan to PDF software for Windows. This software aims at digitizing documents in a simple and hassle-free way. It automatically detects and crops scans, and after scannning, you can customize file names and output folders.
Lightweighted as it is, NAPS2 is great for occasional scanning needs. It handles single or multi-page scan jobs with ease and precision.
NAPS2
Pros:
- Saves scan pages as PDF or images.
- Simple and intuitive interface, easy to use for beginners.
- Automatically detects and crops page edges for high quality scans.
Cons:
- Only available for Windows operating system.
Download NAPS2 for Free
Advanced Scan to PDF Free
This free Windows software allows scanning directly to searchable PDFs without needing additional programs. It automatically enhances scans, enables batch scanning, and allows editing scans after creation.
Advanced Scan to PDF Free delivers an ad-free, streamlined scanning experience in a zero-cost package. It’s easy to use with preset preferences that can be customized as needed.
Advanced Scan to PDF Free
Pros:
- Free and easy to use for basic scan to PDF needs.
- Allows scanning and converting documents without signing up or limitation.
- Has built-in editing tools like crop, rotate, insert/delete pages etc.
Cons:
- Basic image enhancement and optimization capabilities.
Download Advanced Scan to PDF Free for Free
Vuescan
VueScan is a robust scanning utility for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It offers 600+ scanner driver options and a number of advanced controls. It can output scans in PDF, JPG, and other formats while providing OCR functions, color adjustments, and batch scanning capabilities. VueScan shines with its broad device support, finely-tunable options, and ability to bring old scanners back to life. Experienced users will appreciate the scanning power it provides.
Vuescan
Pros:
- Supports over 600+ different scanner models.
- Provides advanced image adjustment controls like color balance, and rotation.
- Offers batch scanning capability for handling multi-page documents efficiently.
Cons:
- Customer support is limited for the Standard edition.
- Can be slower at scanning compared to other scanning software in certain cases.
Download Vuescan for Free
ExactScan
ExactScan is the flagship product of ExactCode. It is an intuitive scan to PDF application both for Windows and MacOS. ExactScan delivers optimized scans automatically thanks to features like smart cropping, color detection, auto rotation and deskew.
While the standard versions meet basic needs, the PRO editions provide enhanced tools for power users. Overall, ExactScan really helps to streamline document management.
ExactScan
Pros:
- Provides a set of specialized tools focused specifically on PDF tasks.
- Scanning tool has automatic cropping, color correction and optimization.
Cons:
- No OCR capability for making scans searchable.
Download ExactScan for Free
ScantoPDF
ScantoPDF software provides an easy way to convert paper documents, photos, receipts, and other physical materials into digital PDF files. Besides normal conversion functions, this tool offers optical character recognition to make scans searchable.
Smart cropping and editing capabilities, cloud storage integration, and batch scanning are also its typical functions. Such a handy software can save hours of organizing and archiving time.
ScantoPDF
Pros:
- Creates organized digital copies of paper documents, making them easy to store and share.
- Allows scanning directly to searchable PDFs through OCR technology.
- Advanced tools like smart cropping and editing allow optimization of scans.
Cons:
- The version with OCR function is way too expensive.
Download ScantoPDF for Free
Scanbot
Scanbot is a smart scan to PDF program. The most amazing part about this program is that it is built for different operating systems. It can automatically detect and crop documents due to advanced AI technology.
As an integrated scan to PDF solution, Scanbot makes your workflow so smooth and flexible. From scanners to PC or mobile phones, Scanbot converts your paper documents to PDFs with ease.
Scanbot
Pros:
- Supports both MacOS and Windows and many other operating systems.
- Built-in AI technology helps with great results in cropping and detecting scans.
Cons:
- Limited PDF editing and annotation tools.
Download Scanbot for Free
Conclusion
Converting paper documents into digital PDF files is easy when you have the right scanning software. Whether you want to convert a photo or scan a signature into PDFs, our reviews of the top 7 free PDF scanner tools for Windows and Mac provide some useful information for sure.
Most of them can do the work of converting scanned documents to PDFs or images. Some are more sophisticated to meet your comprehensive requirements. Some are just simple enough for one-time use.
Pick and download one of these top free scanning tools to digitize your documents into searchable, sharable PDFs with ease. Your simple office life gets started from here.
