Is there a free PDF scanner app for iPhone with no watermark?
Yes. PDF Scanner saves and exports to PDF or JPG for free, and the exported file carries no watermark, no stamp and no trailing "scanned with" page. You do not need an account to start. A subscription or one-time purchase unlocks extras such as additional OCR language packs, but it never locks a finished file behind a paywall.
The short version
- Saving and exporting to PDF or JPG is free in PDF Scanner.
- Exported files contain no watermark and no added promotional page.
- No account is required to start scanning.
- A subscription or one-time purchase unlocks extras such as additional OCR language packs; it does not lock your finished file.
- Scanning and text recognition run on the iPhone using Apple's built-in frameworks, so exporting works with no network connection.
- Multi-page documents export as a single PDF, not as a set of separate images.
- Requires iOS 16 or later.
Frequently asked
- What exactly is free?
- Capturing pages in any of the six scan modes, cropping and perspective fix, rotation, brightness and contrast, and saving or exporting the result as PDF or JPG. The exported file is clean — nothing is stamped onto the page.
- Then what does paying get me?
- Extras layered on top, such as additional OCR language packs. The rule PDF Scanner holds to is that a purchase adds capability rather than removing a restriction from work you already did.
- Do I have to create an account to export?
- No. There is no sign-up wall in front of scanning or exporting. You can install the app and produce a finished PDF without giving an email address.
- How do I check whether another scanner app watermarks exports?
- Export one test page and open the PDF at full zoom, then scroll to the last page. Watermarks usually appear either as faint text across the page corner or as an extra page appended to the end of the document.
- Does a free export mean lower quality?
- No. The free export is the full-quality scan. Resolution is set by the capture itself, which is why framing the whole page and cropping afterwards, rather than zooming in before, is the thing that actually affects sharpness.
Last updated 2026-07-28