Erimworks/Scanyra/Microsoft Lens alternativeLast updated:
A Microsoft Lens alternative: scan to PDF, no watermark, no account
Microsoft Lens has been retired, so if you scanned with it you now need another app. This page lists what to look at when choosing a document scanner and says plainly what Scanyra does on each point. Scanyra is our own app (Erimworks). The same list works when you are looking for an alternative to Lens, CamScanner or Adobe Scan.
What happened to Microsoft Lens
Microsoft's own support page announces the retirement of Microsoft Lens and gives these dates: retirement from iOS and Android starting 9 January 2026; support ending after 9 February 2026, the day the app was to be removed from the App Store and Google Play; scanning possible until 9 March 2026. Earlier scans stay accessible while the app remains installed and you are signed in to the last active account. The page points users to Microsoft's OneDrive app, which has a built-in scan feature.
If you have scans inside Lens, follow Microsoft's page for how to keep them. This page is about choosing the app you will scan with from now on.
What to check when choosing a document scanner
Five questions are enough to separate most scanner apps. The right-hand column is what Scanyra does.
| Question to ask | Scanyra |
|---|---|
| Does the exported PDF carry a watermark? | No. Exported PDFs have no watermark. |
| Is an account required? | No. There is no sign-up or login. |
| Does text recognition (OCR) run on the device? | Yes. Scanning, clean-up and OCR run on the device and work offline (Apple Vision on iOS, Google ML Kit on Android). |
| Are the free limits written down? | Free version: OCR for 1 document per day, a daily export limit, occasional ads. Premium (monthly or yearly, auto-renewing subscription) lifts the limits and removes the ads. The price is the one your store shows for your country. |
| What can you export? | Multi-page PDF, and CSV for the fields read from receipts and invoices. Merging several documents into one PDF is a Premium feature. |
Documents and privacy
The wording matters here, so this is how Scanyra's Privacy Policy puts it: scanned documents, images and recognised text stay on your device and are not sent to us, to third parties or to the ad network. The app does use anonymous, content-free analytics, a subscription-validation service and, in the free version, ads. The policy names them and explains how to turn analytics off. Read the policy itself rather than a summary, ours included.
What else it does
Scanyra finds the edges of the page, straightens it and removes shadows, then combines the pages into one PDF. Scan modes:
- ID card
- Passport
- Book page
- Whiteboard
- Business card
- Form
- Receipt
For receipts and invoices it reads the total, tax, date, merchant and document number, shows totals by category and currency (30+ currencies) and exports CSV for accounting. Text recognition handles several languages, Arabic numerals included. Check the figures it reads against the original: OCR can misread a digit. You can also set an expiry-date reminder for a document and lock the app with fingerprint or face.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Lens still available?
According to Microsoft's support page, Lens was to be removed from the App Store and Google Play on 9 February 2026, and scanning was possible until 9 March 2026. Check that page for the current details.
Does Scanyra put a watermark on PDFs?
No. Exported PDFs have no watermark.
Do I need an account to use Scanyra?
No. There is no sign-up or login. A Premium subscription, if you choose one, is handled by the App Store or Google Play.
Does text recognition need an internet connection?
No. OCR runs on the device, using Apple Vision on iOS and Google ML Kit on Android, so it works offline.
Is Scanyra a good alternative to CamScanner or Adobe Scan?
This page does not compare apps: we have not tested or measured other scanners here, and their features and terms change. Run the checklist above against each app's own store listing and privacy policy, then choose.
What does Scanyra cost?
It is free to download. The free version has daily limits and occasional ads; Premium is a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription whose price your store shows in your currency. The terms are in the Terms of Use.
Get Scanyra
Scanyra is available for iOS and Android. It was previously published as Scanlyte.