Clean Scan
Clean Scan: A focused free Android scanner with open-source OCR and PDF export. Ranked #66 of 75 in Mobile Scanning Apps by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free open-source OCR scanning.
At a glance
- Editor score3.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree open-source OCR scanning
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- OCR includedYes
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Open-source and free with no subscription model
- OCR extracts text from scanned images
- Enhances images, detects edges, and exports PDFs
Where it doesn't
- Available on Android only
- Does not include AI features
- Narrower than scanners with broader capture and integration workflows
Our verdict on Clean Scan
Clean Scan is an open-source Android app for turning paper documents into PDF files. It is intended for people who want a free, ad-free scanning tool with practical document processing built in. The workflow combines automatic image enhancement, document-edge detection, scan cropping, OCR-based text extraction, categorization, search, and sharing through email, messaging apps, or social links. Its Apache 2.0 license also makes the project relevant to users who value open-source software.
The pricing model is straightforward: Clean Scan is free and does not use subscription models. The published feature set covers the main steps from capture to distribution, including PDF conversion, image cleanup, OCR, organization, and sharing. That makes it a suitable choice for individual Android users who want more than a basic camera-to-PDF workflow without adding a paid tier to manage. There are no paid plans to compare, and no AI features are part of the product’s stated capabilities.
Clean Scan’s main trade-off is focus. It supports Android rather than offering a cross-platform mobile experience, and its stated workflow is narrower than mobile scanners built around automatic capture, multipage scanning, or broader integrations. Its strengths are the combination of open-source licensing, OCR, search, categorization, enhancement, and PDF export in a free app. Choose it if you want a focused Android scanner for digitizing and organizing documents. Choose an alternative if iOS access, wider platform coverage, or a more extensive capture and integration workflow is central to your needs.
Your product? Our editors can test Clean Scan in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Clean Scan pricing
Clean Scan fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| iOS app | No |
| Android app | Yes |
| OCR included | Yes |
| Searchable PDF | Not verified |
| Auto capture | Not verified |
| Multipage PDF | Not verified |
| Scan limit | Not verified |
| Deployment | Mobile |
| Platforms | Android |
| Built for | Solo, Small business (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | clean-apps.github.io |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Clean Scan
- Adobe ScanA capable free scanner with strong OCR and useful Adobe ecosystem connections.9.4
- Zoho ScannerA broad scanning app for Zoho users who need OCR, workflows, signing, and sync.9.2
- SmallpdfA broad PDF toolkit that adds OCR and scanning across web, desktop, and mobile.9.0
See all Clean Scan alternatives →
Used Clean Scan? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Clean Scan for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
Clean Scan is listed in our Mobile Scanning Apps directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/clean-scan/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/clean-scan.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update