Adobe Scan alternative
An Adobe Scan alternative that works without an Adobe account
Short answer: Scanly is a free, open-source Android scanner that needs no Adobe account and has no ads or watermark, so your scans stay on your phone unless you export or share them. Adobe Scan is the better choice if you want scans synced to Adobe Document Cloud across devices.
Adobe Scan is a capable free scanner from a well-known PDF company. It needs a free Adobe ID, syncs your scans to Adobe Document Cloud, and its free plan has limits on OCR and storage, with Premium as the paid option. For many people that is exactly what they want. For others, an account and cloud storage are more than they need.
This page sets out where the two apps differ and when Adobe Scan is the better fit. We make Scanly, so read the comparison with that in mind and check Adobe’s current plan details before you decide.
Install Scanly free on Google Play (Android 10+, no account, no ads)
Scanly vs Adobe Scan
| Feature | Scanly | Adobe Scan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, every feature | Free plan with limits; paid Premium |
| Account needed | No | Yes, a free Adobe ID |
| Where scans are stored | On your phone | Adobe Document Cloud, synced to your account |
| Ads | None | None |
| Free plan limits | None; no paywall | OCR and storage limits on the free plan |
Adobe Scan details are from Adobe’s documentation on its plans and can change. Scanly details are from the v1.0.18 release.
The main differences
- Account: Adobe Scan needs a free Adobe ID. Scanly needs no account.
- Storage: Adobe Scan syncs scans to Adobe Document Cloud. Scanly keeps scans on your phone unless you export or share them.
- Text recognition: Scanly reads text on the phone and uploads nothing for it. The Adobe Scan free plan has OCR limits.
- Ads: neither app shows ads.
- Price: Adobe Scan has a free plan and a paid Premium tier. Scanly is free, with every feature included.
What Scanly includes
- Live edge detection with auto-capture, or a manual shutter.
- Crop with perspective correction, rotate, and 10 filter presets, with your original photo kept so edits can be undone.
- Multi-page documents, folders, and search, including search by words printed on your pages.
- PDF export with optional password, page numbers, page size, margins and orientation, or a ZIP of images.
- Offline PDF tools: merge, compress, password protect, watermark, PDF to images, and sign. Signatures are visual, not certificate-based digital signatures.
- A QR and barcode scanner and generator.
Who should pick what
- Pick Scanly if you want a free scanner that works offline, needs no account, and keeps documents on your phone.
- Pick Adobe Scan if you want scans to sync to Adobe Document Cloud, already use Adobe, and are happy with an account.
When Adobe Scan is still the better fit
If you need your scans on a laptop, tablet and phone at once, cloud sync is the feature that matters, and Adobe Scan offers it. Scanly has no cloud sync, no web app and no iPhone version. Its signatures are also visual, so if you need a certified digital signature, choose Adobe Scan or a dedicated signing service.
Questions people ask
- Is there a free Adobe Scan alternative with no account?
- Yes. Scanly is free and needs no account or sign-in. Scans stay on your phone and are shared only when you export or share them.
- Does Adobe Scan have ads?
- Adobe Scan does not show ads. Its free plan has limits on OCR and storage, and Premium is a paid subscription.
- Does Scanly do OCR like Adobe Scan?
- Scanly reads the text on your pages on the phone, so you can search scans by their contents and copy or share the text. Nothing is uploaded for text recognition.
- Can Scanly sync scans to the cloud like Adobe Scan?
- No. Scanly has no cloud sync, so scans stay on the device unless you export or share them. Adobe Scan syncs scans to Adobe Document Cloud.
- Is Scanly good for signing PDFs?
- Scanly can draw or import a signature and place it on any PDF, offline. It is a visual signature rather than a certificate-based digital signature, so it may not meet requirements that call for one.
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-22. Markdown version