Is There an App?iPhone apps for scanning documents into searchable PDFs
Short answer
Adobe Scan and Genius Scan document scanning, PDF export and text recognition in their developer listings. Both are candidates when you want paper documents you can search later. Check the current plan requirements: a free scanner download does not establish that every OCR or export feature is free.
Which app should you try?
Adobe Scan: PDF & OCR Scanner
Consider Adobe Scan for a workflow built around scanning paper into PDFs and recognising the text.
Scanner App: Genius Scan
Consider Genius Scan for combining scanned pages into documents, with additional text recognition and export features.
What these apps need to do
Compare documented capabilities
This is what we could verify from official sources. Pricing can still affect whether a feature is available to you.
| App | PDF export | Text recognition | Document scanning | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scanner App: Genius Scan | Supported | Supported | Supported | Free with paid upgrades |
| Adobe Scan: PDF & OCR Scanner | Supported | Supported | Supported | Free with paid upgrades |
What you get with each app
Adobe Scan: PDF & OCR Scanner
Adobe Inc.
Consider Adobe Scan for a workflow built around scanning paper into PDFs and recognising the text.
Screenshots from the developer
Developer-provided iPhone screenshots.
Useful features
Keep in mind: Check account requirements, storage behaviour and paid export tools before using it for your documents.
Scanner App: Genius Scan
The Grizzly Labs
Consider Genius Scan for combining scanned pages into documents, with additional text recognition and export features.
Screenshots from the developer
Developer-provided iPhone screenshots.
Useful features
Keep in mind: Its listing separates paid features and cloud services. Check the current OCR tier and whether you need a separate backup plan.
A PDF is not necessarily searchable
A scanner can put page images in a PDF without recognising their text. OCR adds text recognition, but accuracy depends on the document. Test a page with your language, small print and layout, then export it and try searching and selecting text in a different PDF reader.
Compare the complete workflow
Try capturing several pages, correcting the crop, reordering pages and exporting the result to the place you actually store documents. Check whether the export has a watermark, whether you can keep a local copy and which steps require a connection. We have not independently tested these workflows.
What to check before paying
Identify the specific feature you need: searchable PDFs, editable text, batch processing or automatic cloud export. Review the plan attached to that feature rather than comparing download prices alone. For sensitive documents, check the developer’s storage and privacy documentation before uploading a scan.
Sources and how we checked
Source-based research; not hands-on testing. We use official product pages, developer listings and support documentation, then flag details that still need checking.