Scanly
Scanly: A free open-source Android scanner for private OCR, structured exports, and optional AI workflows. Ranked #38 of 75 in Mobile Scanning Apps by our editors (4.9/10); pricing: Free plan; best for open-source Android OCR and AI workflows.
At a glance
- Editor score4.9 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forOpen-source Android OCR and AI workflows
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- OCR includedYes
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- On-device offline OCR uses PaddleOCR and ONNX Runtime
- Exports structured results to PDF, Word, Markdown, CSV, and JSON
- Supports barcode actions, translation, summaries, and local scan history
Where it doesn't
- Android-only, with no iOS app
- AI scanning and translation may send selected content to an external provider
- A narrower fit for automatic capture, multipage scanning, or searchable PDFs
Our verdict on Scanly
Scanly is a free, open-source Android app for scanning documents and barcodes. Its core OCR runs on-device with PaddleOCR and ONNX Runtime, while optional AI scanning handles handwriting, forms, receipts, tables, and complex layouts. It is aimed at Android users who want local processing, editable structured text, and more than a basic image-to-PDF workflow. Barcode and QR scanning adds content-aware actions, and scan results can be exported to PDF, Word, Markdown, CSV, or JSON.
Privacy is a central part of the product’s design. Core features include local scan history and privacy-focused processing, while offline OCR keeps document recognition on the device. AI scans and translation follow a different model: selected content may be sent to the provider chosen by the user. Scanly connects with Gemini, Mistral OCR, OpenRouter, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, Groq, Cerebras, Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenAI, Claude, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and Open Food Facts. This gives users flexibility in choosing AI services, but it also makes provider selection part of the privacy decision.
The app’s breadth is notable for a free Android tool: translation covers 18 languages, summaries are available in short, medium, and detailed formats, and Markdown results remain editable. At the same time, Scanly is a more specialized choice for OCR, structured extraction, barcode work, and AI-assisted interpretation than for a full document-management workflow. Users who want open-source Android scanning with local OCR should pick it; those seeking an iOS app or a broader capture workflow should choose a different category option.
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Scanly pricing
Scanly 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) |
| Integrations | 12 integrations: Gemini, Mistral OCR, OpenRouter, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, Groq … |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | github.com |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
Scanly integrations
Scanly lists 12 integrations on its own site.
- Gemini
- Mistral OCR
- OpenRouter
- Hugging Face
- NVIDIA
- Groq
- Cerebras
- Cloudflare Workers AI
- OpenAI
- Claude
- OpenAI-compatible endpoints
- Open Food Facts
Alternatives to Scanly
- 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
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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