Best Scanners for Mac - 2024 Reviews and Top Picks

Armed with a ton of features to make the process of scanning documents a breeze, the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 is one of the best and most popular options on the market.

Able to scan to your Mac or iPhone via Wi-Fi connection, Apple users will be happy to know that the connection works seamlessly. There is also an option for USB connectivity, but with the Wi-Fi connectivity available, few people will choose the USB connectivity.

One feature the ScanSnap iX1600 has and is a time-saver is the Duplex-Scanning, which is faster than ever. Regular scanning speed is also pretty fast, with 40 sheets per minute.

This scanner can also scan 4×6 photos, but the quality isn’t the best, and that is one of its rare flaws. Document scanning, on the other hand, is incredibly accurate.

The 4.3″ touchscreen on the front panel makes using this printer even easier, and the initial setup a painless process. ScanSnap iX1600 also has a Multi-User capability, so you can select up to five colleagues for team-sharing.

This Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600 scanner is the ideal compact scanner for on-the-go document scanning, whether you’re taking business documents on the road or making copies at home. It’s super easy to set up and use and offers speedy document scanning and automatic two-sided scanning.

If you are looking for a more affordable option from the ScanSnap family, feel free to check out our review of the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1400 here.

Now we have a different scanner in the Epson WorkForce ES-50, a truly portable and exceptionally fast device. What it lacks in some areas, adds up in the portability department, something that students will enjoy a lot.

First of all, with this small footprint, the WorkForce ES-50 scans pretty fast, with the speed being 5.5 seconds per page. That number makes this scanner number one in its class, and it can be used for larger documents as well.

However, from connectivity options, it only supports USB 2.0, while another printer in the same class, the Canon imageFormula P-215, supports USB 3.0. But, if you want an Epson portable scanner, their ES-60W model supports Wi-Fi and you should check it out.

The affordable price makes this scanner miss out on the Automatic Document Feeder, which along with the USB 2.0 are this scanner’s biggest weak points. But, on the positive side, it comes with Epson’s great ScanSmart interface, which is extremely easy to use.

Designed to keep your office organized and scan everywhere, with its affordable price tag, easy-to-use interface, and fast scanning speeds, for those who want a portable scanner, the Epson WorkForce ES-50 is a steal.

The Canon ImageFORMULA R40 is a compact, yet powerful and easy-to-use scanner. It’s one of the best scanners for Mac, and rightfully so. It’s designed to take up little space on the desk and have excellent performance.

Although it doesn’t support network connections, it makes up for it with precise OCR. This is where this scanner shows its biggest strength.

Let’s move on to scan speeds. Compared to the closest competitors in its class, the Canon ImageFormula R40 scanning speeds are above average, and it features double-sided scanning. And there is also the automatic size detection, ADF feeder, Text Enhancement, and many more features that will increase your productivity.

This scanner isn’t the best-looking, and if you want something more modern, then the ImageFORMULA R40 isn’t a scanner for you. However, when you weigh the pros and the cons, the pros win, mainly because of the excellent performance.

So, to wrap it up, this is a reliable and easy-to-use scanner with precise OCR that has its flaws just like any other scanner on the market, but if you want something for your home office or small office space, you should give the Canon ImageFORMULA R40 a try.

The second generation of Epson Workforce ES-500W printers vastly improves on the first generation. That first generation was not known for its great OCR accuracy and the Workforce changes that.

Improving on the 300 dpi that the first-gen had with the 600 dpi maximum resolution, ES-500W II is now a much more precise scanner. While it’s great for scanning documents, it isn’t that great if you want to scan photos.

First-gen was known for its fast scanning speeds and that is the same as with the 2nd generation. While there are scanners on the market have only support connection via USB, that isn’t the story with the Epson Workforce ES-500W II, which has Wi-Fi and NFC connection options.

Those who want to scan a lot of documents will be happy to know that the Workforce ES-500W II can handle heavy-duty scanning and be reliable. This is truly a workhorse scanner armed with significant features that make scanning a painless process.

Designed to meet the needs of small businesses, the Xerox XD-Combo is a flatbed document scanner that comes at an affordable price tag. The 35-sheet ADF and the amazing software that can convert scanned documents to various files featured in the XD-Combo will certainly help in many industries.

Coming in lightweight and in a compact size, this scanner, however, has its issues. The biggest of them is certainly the poor photo scanning quality and the troubles it has with scanning very large documents.

This scanner has all the tools you need to scan your documents in a fast, efficient, and convenient way. However, it does lack some Wi-Fi connectivity options that many people would like to see on this printer. With no network connectivity, it loses the versatility that other scanners in this price range have.

But, in the bigger picture, it has more positives than negatives. A compact and reliable scanner, combined with the great price, makes it an option you should definitely look at more closely.

Now that you know which are our scanners for Mac top pics, let’s learn about the many factors you should think about before purchasing one.

Even though scanners most scanners nowadays support Wi-Fi connection, there are some that support USB only. If you want a scanner with network connectivity, double-check if your preferred scanner has that option.

Back in the day, scanners were large and heavy gadgets that were hard to move around. Nowadays, scanners come in a much more compact package, but not every model is the same size. While size differences aren’t huge, some are bigger than others, and you should pay attention to that.

If you want a scanner for a home office, there is no need to get a bigger than average scanner as it will take up a lot of space on your desk.

No one wants a scanner that takes forever to scan a document, and while most scanners are fast, there are differences if speeds when comparing expensive and affordable scanners.

Portable printers have average scanning speeds of about 5 to 8 seconds per page, while more robust scanners scan about 36 to 60 ppm.

Optical Character Recognition, or OCR for short, is a technology that sees text in a document. OCR accuracy determines how accurately the text is scanned, and it varies from scanner to scanner.

If high-quality and accurate scans are vital for your business, be sure to search for scanners that are accurate and made by trusted brands.

Think about what paper size should your preferred scanner support. If you need to scan large documents, a portable printer is just not going to cut it.

They are made for smaller paper sizes, and are great for scanning business cards, for example. Larger sized scanners are much more versatile in this department, and if you need a scanner for a small business, avoid portable printers.