WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of WhatsApp’s handy features is the ability to instantly scan documents and share them with your contacts. However, WhatsApp’s built-in scanner is quite basic. There are many third-party apps that can enhance the scanning experience on WhatsApp. But with so many options to choose from, how do you know which scanning app works best for WhatsApp?
In this comprehensive guide, we will compare the top apps for scanning documents to send on WhatsApp. We will evaluate the essential factors you need to consider when picking a WhatsApp scanner app. These include image quality, file formats, editing tools, sharing options, user interface, speed, ads, and pricing. By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to select the best scanning app tailored for your WhatsApp needs.
Key Factors for Comparing WhatsApp Scanner Apps
Here are the key criteria to evaluate when selecting a scanning app for WhatsApp:
Image Quality – The clarity, sharpness, color reproduction, and level of detail captured are vital for scans. Higher quality scans appear more professional.
File Formats – The supported output formats like JPG, PDF, and DOCX determine file sizes and how scans look on WhatsApp.
Editing Tools – On-device editing features like cropping, filters, and text annotation increase versatility.
Sharing Options – Seamless sharing to WhatsApp saves time and effort over downloading scans and re-uploading.
User Interface – An intuitive UI with guided scanning flows improves the overall experience.
Speed – Faster scan processing means quicker sharing to WhatsApp contacts.
Ads and Pricing – Preferably, choose apps with minimal or no ads and reasonable pricing.
Now let’s compare the top contenders for the best WhatsApp scanner app using these parameters:
CamScanner
CamScanner has emerged as one of the most popular document scanner apps with over 500 million installs on the Play Store. Here are its key strengths and limitations for WhatsApp scanning:
Image Quality: CamScanner uses advanced image processing and paper flattening algorithms to produce high quality scans. The auto-cropping and perspective correction results in clean scans ideal for sharing on WhatsApp.
File Formats: It can output scans as JPG or PDF files. The file sizes are optimized well for sharing on WhatsApp without degrading quality.
Editing Tools: CamScanner provides annotation features like adding text, highlights, signatures. Basic image editing tools are also available.
Sharing: It has dedicated one-tap options for sharing scans directly to WhatsApp. You can share as documents or photos.
UI: The UI has a simple scan workflow from photo capturing to enhancements to final output. Minimal menus reduce clutter.
Speed: It has relatively fast scan processing and sharing speeds, but can feel slower on low-end phones.
Ads: The free version contains full-screen ads which can be disruptive. No ads in paid version.
Pricing: Subscription plans start from $1.99 per month. Perpetual license purchase also available.
Adobe Scan
Adobe Scan provides sophisticated scanning tuned for documents. Here are its capabilities for WhatsApp usage:
Image Quality: It captures high resolution scans with excellent color accuracy. The auto-enhancing algorithms deliver professional looking scans.
File Formats: It saves scans in PDF and JPG formats natively. File sizes are reasonable for sharing to WhatsApp contacts.
Editing: Includes markup tools like highlights, signatures, text annotations. Basic image adjustments possible. OCR for detecting text.
Sharing: Can share scans directly to WhatsApp as images or PDFs. Integrates nicely as a share extension.
UI: Clean UI with conveinently placed buttons. Scan workflow is smooth and intuitive.
Speed: Optimized scans processing provides quick output. Sharing to WhatsApp is fast.
Ads: No ads in the app. A premium paid version unlocks more advanced features.
Pricing: Free version has limited scans per month. Premium subscription costs $4.99 per month.
Microsoft Office Lens
Microsoft Office Lens tailors the scanning experience for work documents like notes, invoices, receipts. Here is how it fares for WhatsApp usage:
Image Quality: It captures high definition scans and applies enhancements for crisp images. Flattening algorithm handles curves well.
Formats: It saves scans as PDFs or JPGs natively. File sizes are compressed adequately for sharing on WhatsApp.
Editing: Provides basic tools like cropping, color adjustment, and page management. OCR functionality recognizes text.
Sharing: Integrates natively with WhatsApp to share scans swiftly. Can share as photos or PDF documents.
UI: Intuitive layout with clear prompting for capturing and processing scans. Minimalistic interface.
Speed: Scans processing is snappy. Sharing to WhatsApp is also relatively quick.
Ads: No ads in the app since it’s from Microsoft. Free version has sufficient features.
Pricing: The basic version is free. Premium Office 365 subscription unlocks more capabilities.
Google Drive
Google Drive offers built-in scanning along with cloud storage. Here are its strengths and weaknesses for WhatsApp usage:
Image Quality: Google Drive scanning produces high resolution images with good detail. Automatically straightens and enhances scans.
Formats: It saves scans as PDF or image formats like JPG, PNG in your Drive storage.
Editing: Provides only basic editing like cropping and rotating. No advanced image adjustments available.
Sharing: Scans must first be exported out of Drive before sharing to WhatsApp. Extra steps compared to direct sharing.
UI: Simple layout for capturing scans. But scan processing requires many taps through menus.
Speed: Scanning itself is quick but export process causes delays in sharing to WhatsApp.
Ads: No ads since it’s a Google app. Primary focus is cloud storage and collaboration.
Pricing: Free 15GB storage quota. Paid Drive plans offer more storage and features.
Comparison Table
| App | Image Quality | Formats | Editing Tools | WhatsApp Sharing | User Interface | Speed | Ads | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CamScanner | High quality scans | JPG, PDF | Basic annotations | Direct sharing | Simple workflow | Fast | Has ads | Subscription |
| Adobe Scan | Excellent quality | JPG, PDF | Advanced markup | Native sharing | Intuitive UI | Very fast | No ads | Subscription |
| Office Lens | High definition | JPG, PDF | Basic tools | Seamless sharing | Minimalist UI | Fast | No ads | Free or Subscription |
| Google Drive | Good quality | JPG, PDF, PNG | Limited editing | Indirect sharing | Complex menus | Slow sharing | No ads | Free or Paid plans |
Conclusion
All the apps compared have great quality scans to share on WhatsApp. But CamScanner, Adobe Scan and Microsoft Office Lens edge out Google Drive when it comes to seamless scanning and sharing workflows.
CamScanner is the fastest with dedicated WhatsApp sharing but has annoying ads in the free version. Adobe Scan produces professional scans and has powerful editing capabilities. But it requires a paid subscription for unrestricted usage.
Microsoft Office Lens strikes a great balance by providing fast, high-quality scans with smooth WhatsApp sharing completely free. The user interface is also clean and intuitive. For most users, Office Lens represents the best free scanning solution optimized for WhatsApp.
In summary, while the capabilities differ across apps, Office Lens delivers the best free scanning experience integrated with WhatsApp. But paid tools like CamScanner and Adobe Scan give you more advanced features to suit your individual needs. Evaluate the key factors highlighted to decide the ideal scanning app tailored for how you use WhatsApp.