Andy Walker / Android Authority
If Microsoft Lens were a coin, I’d likely find it lurking between the couch cushions. It’s one of those apps that I forgot was installed on my device, but I was always glad to see it whenever I needed to scan receipts, invoices, menus, random documents, or business cards, extract their text, and convert the result into my preferred file type.
Unfortunately, we can’t have nice things. So, as it was one of Redmond’s most functional and reliable Android apps, Lens had to be merged into something else. The app’s functionality will be integrated into Copilot in the coming months, leaving those who relied on it without a dedicated scanning platform. Naturally, I turned to various forums to find an alternative before the inevitable; one name that popped up as a free option was PDFgear Scan.
According to its Play Store listing, the app claims to be the “next-generation mobile scanning app that leverages AI to make document processing faster, smarter, and easier. ” But is that all hot air, or is it a viable Microsoft Lens alternative? I gave it a spin to find out.
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Function over form
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Well, the early signs are good. While Microsoft Lens greets new users with a mildly annoying welcome screen, PDFgear Scan jumps into its core functionality. There’s no wizard or startup guide, so newcomers might feel lost if they haven’t encountered a PDF scanner app. However, experienced Lens users will appreciate the straightforward introduction.
The OCR performance and accuracy is great considering I put Scan through several challenging scenarios.
Once you reach the home screen, you’ll find that PDFgear Scan offers a fair number of scan modes, organization features, and more. It relies on a bottom bar for primary navigation, with shortcuts to the home page, stored files, scanning tools, and the settings menu. If you’re looking for a highly customizable experience, Scan will leave you wanting. The settings menu is as basic as apps come, allowing changes to the app’s theme and language — that’s about it. I would’ve liked to see more options for adjusting scan quality, file save size limits or ideals, naming conventions, and preferred save directory for scans. Perhaps these are considerations for a future version.
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