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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Scanner Mini vs FAX from iPhone

Scanner Mini 4.9★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Scanner Mini
FAX from iPhone 4.8★ · Free + IAP 40

Scanner Mini is the better choice for general document scanning due to its established functionality and positive user experiences, despite recent issues with its free tier and forced migration to a paid version, while FAX from iPhone is plagued by complaints about its pricing model and reliability.

Full reviews: Scanner Mini · FAX from iPhone

Scanner Mini offers robust scanning features, good quality, and ease of use, though recent changes to its free tier and a forced migration to a paid 'Pro' version have caused user frustration. FAX from iPhone, while convenient for its core function, faces significant criticism for its misleading 'free' advertising, high subscription costs, and unreliable fax delivery.

Head to head

Features and Quality (Scanning) edge: Scanner MiniR9R10R11R17
Scanner Mini Users praise Scanner Mini for its practicality, ease of use, and impressive image quality, noting it's better than a real scanner for color correction and organization R11. Many find it an essential tool for personal and business use, streamlining document sharing R17. However, some recent reviews indicate a decline in automatic image capturing and edge detection, with issues scanning white text on dark backgrounds R9R10.
FAX from iPhone FAX from iPhone is primarily for faxing, not general scanning. Users appreciate its convenience for sending documents without needing a physical fax machine or office store . It allows uploading from a computer and taking pictures with the phone for faxing .
Ease of Use edge: Scanner MiniR3R6R23R25
Scanner Mini Scanner Mini is widely regarded as easy to use, practical, and straightforward, with many users finding it simple to scan, save, and send files R3R23. Some older users, however, found it hard to understand R6 and a few recent reviews mention it being complicated or not working smoothly R25.
FAX from iPhone Many users find FAX from iPhone easy to use and user-friendly for sending faxes . The process of setting up and capturing documents is often described as simple .
Reliability and Performance edge: Scanner MiniR10R13R16R21
Scanner Mini For many years, Scanner Mini was reliable, with users reporting long-term satisfaction and consistent performance . However, recent updates have introduced significant reliability issues, including auto-capture not working, documents not being saved, and the app quitting unexpectedly R10R13R16R21. Some users also report distortion issues when emailing documents .
FAX from iPhone FAX from iPhone's reliability is a major concern. Many users report that faxes, despite showing as sent, are never received by the intended recipient R88R90R92. There are also complaints about the app not working at all or taking too long to send pages R90. The fax receiving function also appears unreliable, with users reporting 'no answer' errors .
Price and Value tieR7R12R18R28
Scanner Mini Scanner Mini is a 'Free + IAP' app, but many users express frustration that essential features like exporting scans, OCR, or removing watermarks require payment R12R18R28R40. Recent updates have also led to complaints about purchased 'lifetime' packs being invalidated, forcing users to move to a subscription-based 'Scanner Pro' R7R36.
FAX from iPhone FAX from iPhone is also 'Free + IAP', but this is a significant point of contention. Users widely criticize it for false advertising, as it's free to download but requires payment to send any fax R61R63R66. The pricing is considered high, with costs around $10 for a single fax or weekly subscriptions . Many users prefer a pay-per-fax model over subscriptions .
Support and Business Practices edge: Scanner MiniR4R5R7R22
Scanner Mini Scanner Mini users have reported issues with customer support not responding or helping when purchases are cancelled or the app stops working R36R22. There's significant dissatisfaction with the forced migration from a lifetime purchase of Scanner Mini to a subscription-based Scanner Pro, with users feeling their previous purchases were invalidated R4R5R7.
FAX from iPhone FAX from iPhone faces severe criticism regarding its subscription practices. Users report being charged even after cancelling subscriptions, sometimes multiple times, and having refund requests denied . Some users feel it's a 'scam' due to these billing issues and the misleading 'free' advertising R90. There are also complaints about being ghosted by customer service .
Pick Scanner Mini if

you need a reliable document scanner with good image quality and organization features, and you are willing to pay for a subscription or deal with the limitations of the free version R3R11R17.

Pick FAX from iPhone if

you occasionally need to send faxes and prioritize convenience over cost, and you are willing to accept the risk of potential billing issues or unreliable delivery .

Evidence note: Reviews for FAX from iPhone are heavily skewed towards negative feedback regarding its pricing model and reliability, making it difficult to find balanced positive feedback beyond initial ease of use. Scanner Mini's recent negative reviews often relate to changes in its business model rather than core scanning functionality.

Frequently asked

Is Scanner Mini truly free to use?
Scanner Mini is free to download and allows scanning and organizing documents, but essential features like exporting scans, using OCR, or removing watermarks require payment or an upgrade to the 'Pro' version R12R18R28R40.
Does FAX from iPhone offer a free trial or free faxes?
FAX from iPhone is free to download, but it does not offer a free trial or free faxes; users must pay to send any fax, with costs around $10 for a single fax or weekly subscriptions R61R63R66R73.
What happened to Scanner Mini's lifetime purchases?
Users who purchased lifetime packs for Scanner Mini report that the app is being discontinued after January 1, 2026, and they are being forced to migrate to the subscription-based Scanner Pro, effectively invalidating their previous lifetime purchases R7R36.
Are faxes sent via FAX from iPhone reliably received?
Many users report that faxes sent through FAX from iPhone are not reliably received by the intended recipients, even when the app indicates they have been sent R88R90R92.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R9] Scanner Mini 3/5 · US Automatic image capturing: I generally happy with this app though. Automatic image capturing function is getting much worse in last few updates. It worked great few years ago.
  2. [R10] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US Auto capture does not work: This app (and Scanner Pro) only works intermittently. The auto-capture function essentially does not work. When it does detect a book or document it can’t hold on long enough to take a picture/scan. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling, and rebooted my phone several times. My only option is to look for a scanning app that actually does what its developers claim it w
  3. [R11] Scanner Mini 5/5 · US Práctica, sencilla y de calidad: Me encanta la practicidad, en cuestión de segundos puedo escanear los documentos desde mi celular, y la calidad de la imagen impresiónante! Me ayuda increíble esta app!
  4. [R17] Scanner Mini 5/5 · US Seamless: This app has made my personal and business life extremely easy especially being on the go.
  5. [R3] Scanner Mini 3/5 · US It works: I have tried using many different scanners. This is the best scan app I found that actually works and actually saves and helps you keep track of all your files to be scanned and sent. Easy to use easy to send files via email. I don’t write reviews too many times, but this is actually a good app Thank you
  6. [R6] Scanner Mini 3/5 · US Review scanner: Hard for senior citizen to understand!!
  7. [R23] Scanner Mini 5/5 · US Excellent: Simple and easy to use.love it
  8. [R25] Scanner Mini 2/5 · US I am not sure how to use this. It is complicated: This is complicated
  9. [R13] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US Scanner: Used to love this scanner. Iv used it for 7 years , but lately has not been working very well at all . Hopefully they can fix the problem .
  10. [R16] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US software untouchable and quits accidentally: very bad experience and i payed for this
  11. [R21] Scanner Mini 3/5 · US Rating: Initially this was efficient and useful. Later when I updated it all of my documents weren’t saved or retrievable. Therefore I am give it 3stars. Otherwise a good app when paired with a PDF app.
  12. [R7] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US Force users to buy Scanner Pro: I purchased the full pack of Scanner Mini in 2022 as this it is a lifetime pack. Today the app notifies that the Mini app will not be available after Jan. 1, 2026, forcing users to move to its subscription-based Scanner Pro with an offer of 6-month free subscription. Guess why I purchased the lifetime mini full pack?? That’s because I didn’t and still don’t want t
  13. [R12] Scanner Mini 3/5 · US Not really free. Pay to export.: Disappointing... It’s “free” to download but you can’t actually export the scans (which is the whole point) unless you pay for the pro.
  14. [R18] Scanner Mini 3/5 · US OCR not included in free version: I only downloaded this to do a quick down and dirty OCR job on a few files, and it looks like i have to pay to be able to use the OCR feature. Other than that, I suppose it’s clean and simple, seems to function well. It’s very snappy and responsive, I like the layout and what it looks like. Very clean. I was able to crop easily, works excellent and fast. But no OC
  15. [R28] Scanner Mini 2/5 · US Used to love this: Used to rave about this app until they put. “Mini scanner” watermark at the bottom of each page. What the heck! For $29.99 I get to remove it for a year. Thanks for nothing.
  16. [R4] Scanner Mini 2/5 · US HELLO? What happened?: Love this app UNTIL TODAY. What do you mean there’s no more Scanner Mini??? I downloaded the new Pro app but what happened to all previous documents??
  17. [R5] Scanner Mini 5/5 · US Sad to see it go: Not looking forward to paying for an alternative
  18. [R22] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US It doesn't work. Although I paid for permanent use, the app hasn't worked for a year. I can't save multiple scans. For some reason, only one is saved. There are also problems with sending files. · translated
  19. [R40] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US Don’t use this ever!!!: You can do everything g up to the end, then wants your money. Never again chief! Much better apps out there that don’t pull this tihs. Bad business model
  20. [R61] FAX from iPhone 1/5 · US False advertising: Not free after trial period
  21. [R63] FAX from iPhone 3/5 · US Not free: This app isn’t free not even to send one free trial facts. You have to go find a different app that actually is free.
  22. [R66] FAX from iPhone 3/5 · US Misleading: As someone else commented, this is free to download but not free to send. Which defeats the entire purpose for many people who need to send a single fax.
  23. [R73] FAX from iPhone 1/5 · US Not free: Waste of time, nothing free. I get it but be upfront you have to pay to send a fax.
  24. [R36] Scanner Mini 1/5 · US Careful, scammers! I bought the app in 2014, the paid version removed the watermark limit, it cost $2 then. The app was recently updated and my purchase was canceled. Support does not answer and does nothing. · translated
  25. [R88] FAX from iPhone 1/5 · US Scam: Sent fax multiple times and the company I was faxing never received it.
  26. [R90] FAX from iPhone 1/5 · US It really is a scam: Takes 2 to 3 minutes per page or sometimes more. So you send a fax it says sending and you can watch the dots. Then it will say recipients machine isn’t receiving.. for 10 freaking dollars a week, it should work flawlessly. But it can’t, won’t, and never will, fax anything. because it’s a freakin scam.
  27. [R92] FAX from iPhone 1/5 · US Doesn’t work: Sent a 12-page fax. It took way longer to send than advertised. Shows a confirmation, but the business said they’ve never gotten got nothing. This app does not work as described.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store