Best Photo Scanning App 2025: Top 5 Picks

TL;DR

Phone apps now rival scanners for digitizing old photos quickly and clearly.

Our best overall pick is PhotoScanRestore for quality + built-in restoration; Photomyne wins for bulk scanning speed.

Google PhotoScan and Microsoft Lens are excellent free options, and MyHeritage Reimagine shines for genealogy projects.

Related: how to digitize old photos, photo scanning app guide, Photomyne vs PhotoScanRestore, Photomyne alternative.

If you’re overwhelmed by shoeboxes of prints and asking “What’s the best photo scanning app 2025 can offer?”, you’re not alone. App stores are packed with photo scanner app options that promise to digitize old photos, but they vary widely in quality, speed, price, and privacy.

In this guide, we highlight five standout photo scanning apps that make it easy to scan photos with your phone, remove glare, correct perspective, and restore faded colors. Whether you’re a casual user or the family archivist, you’ll find the right tool to convert your prints into durable, shareable digital files.

We evaluated each photo scan app on:

Image quality: sharpness, color accuracy, and glare control.
Speed & workflow: how fast you can clear an entire box of prints.
Features: batch capture, auto-cropping, AI enhancement, and organization tools.
Cost & privacy: free vs. paid, storage limits, and how your data is handled.

For a deeper feature breakdown and hub content, see our photo scanning app guide and apps comparison table. If you’re totally new to digitizing, pair this roundup with our step-by-step how to digitize old photos tutorial.

1) PhotoScanRestore – Best Overall for Quality & Restoration 🏆

Platforms: iPhone (Android in development)
Price: Free sample; subscription unlocks unlimited AI enhancements and cloud backup

PhotoScanRestore is more than a straightforward photo scanning app—it’s a full photo restoration app built around family archives. You hover your phone over a print, the app detects borders, reduces glare, and then applies AI to revive faded colors, reduce noise, and gently sharpen faces.

In testing, PhotoScanRestore consistently delivered some of the sharpest, most natural-looking scans of all the tools we tried. The built-in before/after slider makes it obvious how much improvement you’re getting from the AI restore step versus a raw capture.

Pros ✅

High-quality scans with excellent color and contrast restoration.
Multi-photo detection for scanning several prints in one shot.
Private cloud library, designed for families rather than public social feeds.
Simple interface with clear prompts—easy to hand to a parent or grandparent.
All-in-one workflow: scan, restore, caption, and share without leaving the app.

Cons ❌

Currently iPhone-first; Android support is in progress.
Full restoration and unlimited backup require a paid subscription.
Heavy AI enhancements can feel slightly slower on older phones.
Uses its own cloud workspace; third-party integrations are mainly via export rather than deep sync.

Best for:
Families who want a single app that scans, restores, and organizes their prints in one private space. If you’re comparing Photomyne vs PhotoScanRestore, think of PhotoScanRestore as the quality-first option that minimizes switching between apps. See the detailed matchup at /photomyne-vs-photoscanrestore and a broader Photomyne alternative view at /photomyne-alternative.

2) Photomyne – Best for Bulk Scanning & Speed 📚⚡

Platforms: iPhone, Android
Price: Free trial; subscription afterward for full-quality, unlimited scanning

Photomyne is one of the most popular photo scanner apps because it makes bulk scanning incredibly fast. You point your phone at a full album page or several prints laid out on a table, tap once, and Photomyne automatically separates each photo.

In our tests, Photomyne’s scans were slightly softer and less vibrant than PhotoScanRestore’s, but still very acceptable for everyday viewing and reprints—especially given how quickly you can work through large collections.

Pros ✅

Excellent batch-scanning workflow that saves hours on big projects.
Can scan photos inside album pages and plastic sleeves without removing them.
Offers a suite of related apps (slides, negatives, colorization) under one subscription.
Built-in cloud backup and easy slideshow/web album sharing.
Intuitive for non-technical family members to use.

Cons ❌

Requires a subscription for high-resolution, watermark-free exports after the trial.
Auto-crop occasionally clips edges or includes slivers of the background.
Color enhancements are relatively light; deeper restoration requires another tool.
In-app upsell prompts can be frequent.

Best for:
People with hundreds or thousands of prints to digitize quickly. Photomyne is ideal if your priority is speed and simplicity, and you don’t mind touching up a few favorites later in PhotoScanRestore or another editor. External roundups like Family Tree Magazine’s scanning app guide often highlight Photomyne for its batch-scanning strengths.

3) Google PhotoScan – Best Free Glare Fighter 💡

Platforms: iPhone, Android
Price: Free

Google PhotoScan is the go-to free photo scanning app because it uses a clever multi-shot method to remove glare. You take one main shot, then move your phone to four points on the photo; PhotoScan blends them into a single image with reflections minimized.

Pros ✅

Completely free, with no watermarks or premium tier.
Excellent glare reduction on glossy prints and framed photos.
Simple interface; works well for occasional scanning sessions.
Easy integration with Google Photos for backup and organization.

Cons ❌

Slower per photo due to the multi-capture process.
One photo at a time—no automatic multi-photo batch scanning.
Limited built-in editing or restoration; you’ll need another app for heavy fixes.
App updates have been modest in recent years.

Best for:
Anyone on a tight budget or with a moderate number of photos who wants a trusted, no-cost solution. It’s especially useful for glare-prone, glossy prints and framed photos where reflections are hard to avoid. For a more detailed workflow, see our scan old photos guide and glare-specific tips in how to remove glare from photos when scanning.

4) Microsoft Lens – Best Multi-Purpose Scanner (Docs + Photos) 🧾📸

Platforms: iPhone, Android
Price: Free

Microsoft Lens (formerly Office Lens) is primarily a document scanner, but its Photo mode handles prints surprisingly well. If you want one app to scan receipts, whiteboards, and convert photos to digital files, Lens is a good all-around pick.

Pros ✅

Fully free with no artificial limits or watermarks.
Good edge detection and perspective correction.
Tight integration with OneDrive, OneNote, and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Uses the full resolution of your phone camera.

Cons ❌

Tuned for documents first; auto processing can sometimes be too harsh for photos.
No dedicated glare-removal or restoration system.
One photo at a time, with a more step-by-step save flow that feels slower on big jobs.
Some integration features matter only if you already use Microsoft services.

Best for:
Students, professionals, or home users who already rely on OneDrive or Office and want a single app to handle both documents and photos. For occasional prints and small family projects, Lens is more than capable, especially when you follow the digitizing workflow in our how to digitize old photos article.

5) MyHeritage Reimagine – Best for Family History & Genealogy 🌳📷

Platforms: iPhone, Android
Price: Subscription after free trial

MyHeritage Reimagine comes from the family tree and genealogy world. It combines photo scanning, enhancement, and colorization with features that tie images directly to people and branches in your family tree.

Pros ✅

Strong AI enhancement and colorization (built on MyHeritage’s popular web tools).
Multi-photo scanning for faster capture of entire album pages.
Tagging by person and linking to family tree profiles.
Before/after views and storytelling features tailored to genealogists.

Cons ❌

One of the more expensive options; geared toward serious hobbyists.
Heavy AI processing can feel slow on older devices or large batches.
Occasional bugs or over-aggressive sharpening can produce an “AI look” if overused.
Overkill if you’re not building a family tree or deep genealogy project.

Best for:
Family history enthusiasts who want to bring old photos into a genealogy workflow and are comfortable paying a subscription for integrated scanning + enhancement. If you’re already a MyHeritage user, Reimagine helps unify your visual archive with your tree.

6) How to Choose the Best Photo Scanning App for Your Project 🧭

All five apps are capable. The best choice depends on how many prints you have, your budget, and how much restoration you want built in.

You want top quality and built-in restoration:
Pick PhotoScanRestore and read Photomyne vs PhotoScanRestore for a head-to-head comparison.
You have huge boxes of prints and need speed:
Use Photomyne for bulk capture, then selectively restore key images in PhotoScanRestore.
You’re on a strict budget or scanning a small batch:
Start with Google PhotoScan and supplement with PhotoScanRestore for your favorite photos.
You want a general-purpose scanner for everything:
Choose Microsoft Lens so you can digitize photos, documents, and notes in one app.
You’re deeply into genealogy and family trees:
Consider MyHeritage Reimagine to tag faces and attach photos directly to your family tree.

Remember, you don’t have to pick only one. Many families:

Use Google PhotoScan for tricky glare situations.
Use Photomyne for a weekend sprint through old albums.
Use PhotoScanRestore to restore and organize the most important images.

Round out your setup with our how to digitize old photos guide and best way to scan old photos hub so your process is as strong as your tools.

FAQs ❓

Q1. Can a phone app really match a flatbed scanner?

For standard 4"x6" prints, modern smartphone cameras plus a good photo scanning app are typically more than enough. A 12–48 MP sensor can effectively match 300–600 DPI scanning when used correctly. Dedicated scanners still win for very small prints, planned enlargements, or specialized archival work, but for most families, a phone-first setup is both faster and “good enough” for preservation and reprints.

Q2. How do I avoid glare and shadows when scanning?

Use soft, indirect light and disable flash:

Scan near a bright window with no direct sun on the print.
Use two lamps at angles to even out lighting and avoid harsh hotspots.
Watch for your own shadow or the phone’s shadow and adjust the angle slightly.

Apps like Google PhotoScan and PhotoScanRestore include multi-shot glare removal and guidance dots that make this much easier.

Q3. Should I edit or enhance photos inside the app or later?

Light, automatic enhancement during scanning is fine and saves time, as long as you keep an original version. For major restoration work (heavy fading, color casts, scratches), it’s smart to:

Save an unedited master at full resolution.
Apply AI enhancements or manual edits on a duplicate.

That way you can always go back and re-edit with newer tools later.

Q4. Which app is best for very old or delicate photos?

Any of these apps can scan fragile prints, but your handling matters most:

Avoid forcing curled or brittle photos flat.
If needed, place them under a clean piece of glass or clear plastic and adjust for glare.
Never use water or harsh cleaners on the surface.

PhotoScanRestore and Reimagine both offer AI repair for small scratches and fading. For severely damaged or one-of-a-kind historical photos, consider a combination of flatbed scanning and manual restoration work, as outlined in our restore old photos guides.

Q5. What’s the best format for saving scans?

High-quality JPEG is ideal for most people: files stay small enough to store and share easily while still looking crisp. If you have enough storage and a handful of “museum-level” images, you can store a TIFF or PNG master as well. Regardless of format, follow the 3-2-1 backup rule from our how to digitize old photos article so a single disk failure never wipes out your work.

Q6. How do I stay organized if I try more than one app?

Decide on a simple structure first, then stick to it regardless of which app you’re using:

Use folders like Family-Photos/1940s, Family-Photos/Grandma-Album-1.
Adopt a consistent naming pattern such as YYYY-MM-DD_Event_People.jpg.
Periodically export everything into your main archive (on a computer or cloud), rather than leaving scans scattered across apps.

Our organizing and digitizing guide walks through a full system for naming, backing up, and sharing your digitized collection.

Editor’s note: This 2025 roundup is part of our scanning tools series, alongside the photo scanning app guide, best way to scan old photos hub, and our Photomyne vs PhotoScanRestore comparison.