# Best Document Scanning Software - Page 20 *By [Nana Serwah Nkrahene](https://research.g2.com/insights/author/nana-nkrahene)* Document scanning software is designed to replace a physical scanner. These platforms come equipped with the ability to capture a document and upload it directly to the platform. Documents can subsequently be saved in a variety of formats, such as .PDF, .JPEG, or .TIFF. This new file can be sent as an email attachment or straight from the platform itself. Document scanning solutions often provide the ability to store and manage documents that were previously scanned. While document scanning software solutions can be utilized by virtually any business, they are typically used in corporate offices and can assist multiple teams within an organization, from a salesperson sending a contract to a client to an HR representative sending a offer letter to a new hire. These solutions can streamline the scanning process and save costs that would be spent on large amounts of paper. Document scanning software typically works in tandem with [document capture software](https://www.g2.com/categories/document-capture) to ensure documents are stored and managed securely. To qualify for inclusion in the Document Scanning category, a product must: - Allow users to upload documents directly to the platform - Save documents in a variety of file types - Store and manage previously scanned documents ## Category Overview **Total Products under this Category:** 101 ## Trust & Credibility Stats **Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:** - 30 Analysts and Data Experts - 3,200+ Authentic Reviews - 101+ Products - Unbiased Rankings G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category. ## Best Document Scanning Software At A Glance - **Leader:** [Laserfiche](https://www.g2.com/products/laserfiche/reviews) - **Highest Performer:** [Softdocs](https://www.g2.com/products/softdocs/reviews) - **Easiest to Use:** [Laserfiche](https://www.g2.com/products/laserfiche/reviews) - **Top Trending:** [PaperScan](https://www.g2.com/products/paperscan/reviews) - **Best Free Software:** [Pocket Scanner](https://www.g2.com/products/pocket-scanner/reviews) ## Parent Category [Collaboration & Productivity Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/collaboration-productivity) ## Related Categories - [Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Systems](https://www.g2.com/categories/enterprise-content-management-ecm) - [OCR Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/ocr) - [Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/intelligent-document-processing-idp) --- ## Buyer Guide ### What You Should Know About Document Scanning Software ### What is Document Scanning Software? Physical scanner devices have been around for years, processing paper documents with printed or written content into digital documents. This hardware has long accompanied standard printers as necessary tools in an office setting. If you had an important form, application, or contract that you wanted to save or share in its original state with different users, this was the only real solution. Now, document scanning software allows you to process this paper data into high-quality scans using a digital camera or smartphone. You may still desire a physical document scanner to scan text in the traditional way, but for a fast document scan from wherever your location may be, these tools can help you without relying on external devices. They can also be a complete replacement for file scanners, while offering additional features such as file management, workflow assistance, and exporting into different formats. Key Benefits of Document Scanning Software - Leverage digital imaging in place of physical scanners - Produce full, high-quality digital documents - Allow scans to be saved or exported into various file types - Empower users to make fast, accurate scans of batch documents ### Why Use Document Scanning Software? As technology evolves, the tools of every trade are shifting with it. Your smartphone has replaced the need for various devices, from landline phones to calculators and whatever task the latest apps have perfected. Thanks to document scanning tools, you no longer need a bulky image scanner to get beautiful scans of important papers. These apps can cleanly convert digital photos of paper documents into proper “scanned" images, without requiring you to be near your office printer station. You can then conveniently save or export the files into the ideal file format and either store them for later access or share them with the relevant parties. From contracts to product barcodes, these tools can be helpful for anyone in your organization who is either sending or receiving paperwork. ### Who Uses Document Scanning Software? Even in our increasingly digital world, paper documents are a daily fixture everywhere, from bank teller windows to restaurant back offices. If your company wants to convert these to digital while preserving them as they were intended, you may benefit from one of the products in this category. With that being said, there are a few departments that are more likely to benefit from adopting these technologies, due to the volume and importance of paper documents in their general duties. **Human Resources —** HR departments are synonymous with paperwork. In an average day, these individuals will deal with paperwork ranging from legal documents (e.g., employee waivers, contracts) to vendor agreements. If your HR team is also involved with the recruiting process, this can tack on materials such as resumes, offer letters, and new hire agreements. Rather than stand at the physical scanner all day, a quality document scanning program can make it fast and painless to upload these materials, organize them on a storage disk, and redistribute them as needed throughout the organization. This can lower stress and free up significant chunks of time, while helping materials get where they need to be in the correct digital format. In addition to traditional paperwork, these tools can offer modules for ID cards and passports, which can come in handy with onboarding and other employee or client verification. They can also offer assistance with insurance claims, certificates, or other miscellaneous papers that can come into the picture. **Accounting —** No matter the size of your accounting team, this job can involve an overwhelming number of paper files and carry an immense responsibility related to company financials. A reliable [accounting software](https://www.g2.com/categories/accounting) platform will be highly advantageous for keeping track of numbers and ensuring no details are missed in balancing budgets, calculating profits, paying vendors, and managing salaries. With a document scanning tool, these individuals can weed through stacks of bills, receipts, signed checks, and other financial papers, converting them to digital files. From there, the numbers can be extracted and sorted into their respective spreadsheets, and proper versions can be securely stored as records and transferred to different employees or clients as necessary. Whether you’re a growing startup or an enterprise team, this can be a boon for your accounting team and improve your efficiency and accuracy in all matters of finance. **Sales —** From closing deals to piecing together winning offers, sales departments deal with mission-critical paperwork each and every day. Digital transformation has allowed these teams to ramp their numbers and turn around deals at a faster rate than ever. This can cause a bottleneck of papers and increase the risk of misfiling timely contracts or other information. With a document scanning application, sales representatives can capture, store, and share completed paperwork or those in need of review and signing from wherever they are, whether out in the field or running around the sales floor. By loading batches of these images onto the cloud in record time, sales reps can spend more on calls and at client meetings and less time processing paperwork. ### Software and Services Related to Document Scanning Software [**Document Capture Software**](https://www.g2.com/categories/document-capture) **—** Document capture tools assist with the extraction of information from your varied documents, whether scanned from paper or uploaded/downloaded from different sources. If you have invoices from various vendors, these applications can pull the most relevant data and distribute it where necessary (e.g., [spreadsheets software](https://www.g2.com/categories/spreadsheets), accounting software). Intelligent document capture can work hand in hand with document scanning software to turn pages of text into shareable, actionable data for both colleagues and clients or put into storage for personal records and later use. These tools leverage technology like zonal OCR (optical character recognition) to identify and extract data from the appropriate fields. OCR technology not only extracts information but makes it searchable and sortable. [**File Converter Software**](https://www.g2.com/categories/file-converter) **—** If you have image files of business documents, whether from batch scanning or individual uploads, these apps allow you to convert them into different file types as needed. You may need to share the image with users who don’t use the same software as you or upload files on websites that don’t allow certain file extensions. You may just desire multiple versions of your paper documents for later use. These apps allow users to convert files with certain file extensions into different file types. In addition to scanned images of paper documents, these tools can work with audio files, video files, photos, or other document types. Each tool in this category processes a specific type of file into a particular secondary type, so you may require multiple solutions for different results based on your needs. [**File Storage and Sharing Software**](https://www.g2.com/categories/file-storage-and-sharing) **—** Once you are done processing your text documents, whether with digital scanning platforms or traditional devices, these platforms offer disk-based or cloud storage so you can organize, access, and edit the files as needed. These solutions offer features that allow for ideal management of these files, including user permissions, customizable folders, and easy downloads by your intended audience—whether collaborating with colleagues or sharing batch documents with clients. You may consider [enterprise content management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/enterprise-content-management-ecm) for more robust, internally focused management of documents. [**Mobile Forms Automation Software**](https://www.g2.com/categories/mobile-forms-automation) **—** Just as document scanning software allows for the mobile capture and processing of paper forms, mobile forms automation software facilitates the creation and distribution of forms using mobile devices. These forms can be used to extract valuable, timely data or feedback from employees or customers, which can be conveniently accessed or transferred digitally and stored as needed. Forms that are distributed via these tools can include anything from work orders to customer registration forms, and can translate the acquired information into timely insight using analytics. These tools, like document scanning platforms, offer features that can help your company reduce paper usage while expediting batch work. [**PDF Editor Software**](https://www.g2.com/categories/pdf-editor) **—** PDFs are one of the most common file types you will encounter, particularly when it comes to invoices, contracts, resumes, and similar documents. While document scanning products can help you take paper forms and quickly upload them into scan-like PDFs, PDF editor software can transform these files into editable documents so you can modify them as needed for various purposes. If you scan a paper page but later discover a missing piece of information, these tools give you the ability to fix that without requesting a new version of the page or redoing your scan. You can also create new PDFs from within these platforms, password protect a certain document, or use a particular PDF as a prefilled template for later use.