Private document scanner

A private document scanner for iPhone. No account. Text read on your device.

ScanWow is a private document scanner for iPhone and iPad. There is no account and no sign-up. Scanning and text recognition run on your device, and your scans are not stored on our servers. A page only leaves your phone when you choose to send it, and this page lists every case. Free to download with 3 free documents. Pro is a one-time $4.99 in the US, with no subscription.

Download ScanWow Free Read the Privacy Policy

private document scanner privacy focused scanner no account scanner on-device OCR

What stays on your iPhone

No account, no sign-up, and no login. Open the app and scan
Your scans, the text ScanWow reads from them, and your library are stored on your device. We do not have a copy
Text recognition runs on your device and sends nothing to us
Search inside your scans runs entirely on your device
No ads and no tracking across other companies' apps or websites
The app does not access your contacts or location, and it only reads a photo you pick to import

When a page leaves your phone

Only when you choose to, in one of these ways:

Magic Enhance, when you tap it on a page. A smaller copy of that page goes to ScanWow's server and on to Anthropic Claude (or Google Gemini as a backup) to read the text. We do not store the page or its text. This is not on-device and needs a connection.
Automatic iCloud Backup (Pro), if you turn it on. Backups go to your own iCloud and do not pass through our servers.
Secure API Export, if you set it up. Scans go straight from your device to the HTTPS address you enter.
Sharing and exporting, when you send a scan to Files, Mail, or another app.

Want no page to leave your device? Turn off Magic Cloud in Settings and leave iCloud Backup and Secure API Export off. On-device text recognition keeps working, unlimited.

What the app does send

If the app runs into an error, it sends a crash report to ScanWow's server with a random device ID, the app version, basic system details, your country, and the error. Crash reports do not include your scans and are deleted automatically after 30 days. Purchases and restores go through Apple's App Store and RevenueCat. The full list, including who helps us run the app, is on the Privacy Policy.

Using it offline

Works without a connection

Scanning with auto-crop, text recognition for most languages, search inside your scans, renaming, and PDF export all work with no internet connection.

Needs a connection

Magic Enhance, buying or restoring Pro, iCloud Backup syncing, and Secure API Export. A few languages use a backup text reader that downloads its language data from jsDelivr, a public download server, the first time you use them. No page or text is sent for that download.

Free to try, then a one-time Pro

Free to try

Download is free. Your first 3 documents are free. A multi-page scan counts as one document, and so does a photo or PDF import. Text recognition, search inside your scans, and PDF export are included for everyone.

Pro, once

ScanWow Pro is $4.99 once in the US (the App Store shows your local price). Pro adds unlimited scans, Automatic iCloud Backup to your own iCloud, and 1,000 Magic Enhance credits. No monthly fee. See full pricing.

Common questions

Do I need an account to use ScanWow?

No. ScanWow has no account, no sign-up, and no login. Open the app and scan. Purchases go through Apple's App Store, and ScanWow never sees your card or payment details.

Does ScanWow work offline?

Scanning, text recognition for most languages, search, and PDF export work without an internet connection. Magic Enhance, buying or restoring Pro, iCloud Backup, and Secure API Export need a connection. A few languages use a backup text reader that downloads its language data the first time you use them, so they need a connection once.

Is the text recognition on device?

Yes, by default. ScanWow reads text on your iPhone with Apple's text recognition and sends nothing to us. Other languages work best on iOS 16 or later. Magic Enhance is the one cloud option: it runs only when you tap it on a page, and you can turn it off with the Magic Cloud switch in Settings.

What is sent when I tap Magic Enhance?

A smaller copy of that one page is sent over HTTPS to ScanWow's server, which passes it to Anthropic Claude (or Google Gemini as a backup) to read the text. The cleaned-up text comes back to your phone. We do not store the page image or its text. Nothing is sent unless you tap it.

Is the private scanner free?

ScanWow is free to download, and your first 3 documents are free. A multi-page scan counts as one document. ScanWow Pro is an optional one-time $4.99 in the US for unlimited scans, automatic iCloud Backup, and 1,000 Magic Enhance credits. There is no subscription.

Ready to scan privately?

No account. Free to download. 3 documents free. Pro is $4.99 once. No subscription.

Download on the App Store