Foliark vs Scanner Pro vs Genius Scan: the no-subscription comparison
All three are capable scanners — the cameras and filters are not where they differ. The real differences are in the deal: what's free, what's paywalled, where your documents live, and whether you're renting the app or own it. Here's the honest version, as of July 2026.
The deal, side by side
| Foliark | Scanner Pro (Readdle) | Genius Scan (Grizzly Labs) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free + one-time Pro unlock (CHF 10 / $9.99 launch price) | Freemium + subscription (in-app tiers up to $59.99) | Freemium + Ultra subscription; its one-time lifetime option was discontinued |
| OCR (text recognition) | Free, unlimited, on-device | Paid — part of the subscription | Paid — part of the Ultra subscription |
| Free tier | No ads, no watermarks, no limits | Adds watermarks to output | Solid scanner, OCR/sync reserved for Ultra |
| Account required | Never — there is nothing to sign into | For cloud workflows | Local by default; account for cloud sync |
| Where documents live | On your iPhone only | Device + your cloud services | Device; optional Genius Cloud |
| Auto-organization | Smart Vault files by topic/sender/date/person, on-device | Manual folders; smart naming | Manual folders, tags, smart naming |
| Data collection | “Data Not Collected” App Store label | See vendor privacy label | Credible local-first stance; cloud is opt-in |
What "pay once" means in practice
Over three years, a subscription scanner at typical category pricing costs a three-digit amount; Foliark Pro costs CHF 10, once — and the features most people need daily (scanning, OCR, search, auto-filing, backup) are free even without it. The category has been moving the other way: Genius Scan discontinued its lifetime purchase, and Scanner Pro never offered one. That's a legitimate business choice — recurring revenue funds teams — but it's a different promise to you than a one-time unlock.
When the others are the better pick
Honesty over marketing: if you need multi-device cloud sync today, Genius Scan with Ultra does that well and its privacy posture is the most credible among the subscription apps. If your workflow lives in cloud storage integrations and iPad, Scanner Pro is polished and deeply integrated. Foliark deliberately has no cloud and is iPhone-only today (iPad is on the roadmap) — its bet is that your documents belong to you, on your device, findable without any server.
The bottom line
If the question is “which app scans well?", all three. If the question is “which app gives me unlimited OCR and search for free, keeps everything on my phone, files it automatically, and never charges rent?" — that combination exists only in Foliark.
Comparison reflects the vendors' published pricing pages and App Store listings as of July 2026. Prices and features change — check the linked stores for current terms. Scanner Pro and Genius Scan are trademarks of their respective owners; both are capable products we respect.