Two of the four keep scans on your phone by default. Files by Google saves each scan as a PDF in a Scanned folder on the phone and has a Safe folder locked with a PIN or pattern. DocIt, which we make, keeps documents encrypted inside the app on an Android phone and has no server of its own. Google Drive's scanner saves to your Google Drive, and Adobe Scan saves scans to Adobe Document Cloud automatically. A cloud copy isn't bad: it gives you a backup and access from a computer, but the copy lives on the company's servers, protected by your account.
Last checked 17 October 2026 against each app's own help pages and store listings, listed at the end of this page.
The short version
- You want your scans in the cloud, on every device: Google Drive or Adobe Scan.
- You want PDF editing, export to Word or AI summaries: Adobe Scan.
- You want a free scanner that saves on the phone and is already on many Android phones: Files by Google.
- You want your IDs, insurance and receipts kept encrypted on the phone, with expiry dates watched: DocIt, if you're on Android.
Five questions that decide privacy
- Where does the scan go after you tap Save? The phone, the company's cloud, or a cloud you pick.
- Do you need an account? An account makes syncing possible. It also ties your documents to that account.
- Is the file locked or encrypted on the phone? Your phone's screen lock protects everything on it. Some apps add their own lock.
- What does the app itself collect? The Data safety section on Google Play shows what each developer says it collects and shares.
- What happens if you lose the phone? Copies kept only on a phone go with the phone. Copies in a cloud survive, as long as your account is safe.
Four apps compared
| App | Where scans are saved | Account | Lock and encryption | Shares data with other companies (Play Data safety) | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive scan | Your Google Drive, in a folder you pick, as PDF or JPG | Google account | Google says Drive data is encrypted in transit and at rest | No data shared with third parties | Free; 15 GB shared with Gmail and Google Photos | Android, iOS, web |
| Adobe Scan | Adobe Document Cloud, automatically | Adobe sign-in, for cloud saving and subscriptions | Password on a PDF you send | Crash logs, diagnostics and app performance data, for analytics | Free; subscriptions in the app | Android, iOS |
| Files by Google | On your phone, as a PDF in a Scanned folder | Not mentioned on Google's scan help page | Safe folder with its own PIN or pattern, using Android's encrypted storage | No data shared with third parties | Free, no ads | Android only |
| DocIt | On your phone, inside the app; no DocIt server | Not needed | Each file encrypted on the phone (AES-256); fingerprint or PIN lock | No data shared with third parties | Free, no ads | Android only; 11 countries, not the EU |
Checked 17 October 2026 on each app's own pages (sources below). "Shares data" is what each developer declares in Google Play's Data safety section; it is the developer's own statement. Prices are US prices; they change, so check before you pay.
Each app, one by one
Google Drive's built-in scanner
If Google Drive is on your phone, you already have a scanner. Google's help page says scans are saved "as searchable PDFs on your Google Drive", and you pick PDF or JPG and the Drive folder before you save. Every scan goes into your Google account and counts towards the free 15 GB shared with Gmail and Google Photos; Google One adds more, from $1.99 a month for 100 GB in the US.
On privacy, Google says Drive data "is encrypted in-transit and at-rest", that "Drive does not use your information for advertising purposes", and that content you save "is private to you" unless you share it. Google also processes your files to provide spam filtering, virus and malware protection and search. Drive's Play Data safety section says it shares no data with third parties and lists the account data it collects, such as name, email and device IDs.
Good for: a backup in the cloud, opening scans on a computer, sharing a folder with family. Not for: keeping a document off any server.
Adobe Scan
Adobe Scan is the most feature-rich of the four: high-speed scanning, OCR, a magic eraser for fingers and shadows, export to Word, Excel or PowerPoint, and an AI Assistant and generative summary for your scans. Its Play and App Store listings both say "Scans are automatically saved to Adobe Document Cloud for instant access and sharing", and the App Store notes say a PDF you open in the app "will be uploaded to Adobe Document Cloud". Adobe's help pages say you sign in for cloud saving and subscription features.
Its Play Data safety section says Adobe shares crash logs, diagnostics and other app performance data with other companies for analytics, and may collect your name, email address, user IDs and phone number, some of it optional. You can ask Adobe to delete your data. The core app is free, with subscriptions that also work in Acrobat Reader and Acrobat on the web.
Good for: people who already use Acrobat and want to edit, convert and share scans. Not for: scans that should stay only on your phone.
Files by Google
Google's file manager for Android has its own scanner: tap Scan, take the photo, crop, filter or clean it, and add more pages. Google's help page says scans are automatically saved as PDFs, in a "Scanned" folder in your Downloads. Nothing in that flow sends the scan to Drive; you can move files to Google Drive yourself if you want a backup.
For sensitive documents there is Safe folder. Google says it keeps files secure "using Android storage with encryption" behind a PIN or pattern that can differ from your phone lock. Other apps can't open files in Safe folder, screenshots of it are blocked, and its files can't be shared or backed up to Google Drive from there. If you forget the PIN or pattern, you can't open them. The app is free with no ads. Its Data safety section says it shares no data with third parties and may collect crash logs, diagnostics, app interactions and device IDs; it also says there is no way to ask for that data to be deleted.
Good for: a quick, free scan that stays on the phone, with a locked folder for the sensitive ones. Not for: reading a document's details or reminding you before it expires; it is a file manager, not a document organizer.
DocIt
We make DocIt, so read this part with that in mind. DocIt is built for keeping important documents rather than making PDFs: IDs, passports, insurance cards and policies, car documents, receipts and warranties. When you scan one, it reads it on the phone and fills in the name, ID number and expiry date for you to check. Each file is encrypted on the phone with AES-256-GCM, with the key in Android's secure storage (Android Keystore), and you can lock the app with your fingerprint or PIN. No account is needed, there are no ads, and we have no server, so your documents never reach us.
Each document shows Valid, Expiring or Renew now, and when you turn reminders on, your phone reminds you 30, 7 and 1 day before an expiry date. The scanner itself is Google's ML Kit document scanner, the same kind many Android apps use. ML Kit sends Google technical information such as phone model, app version and error codes, but not your images or the text in them.
Limits, in plain words: Android only, and on Google Play in 11 countries, not the EU. No PDF tools (no merge, split, sign or edit). Search finds a document by its name, type, ID number or description, not by words inside it. Document details you see in lists, such as names and ID numbers, sit in the app's private database without extra encryption; the files themselves are encrypted. It doesn't block screenshots. Documents leave the phone when you share one, or if you turn on the optional encrypted backup to your own Google Drive.
Good for: IDs and policies kept encrypted on the phone, with their dates watched. Not for: iPhone, editing PDFs, or access from a computer.
Whichever you choose
- Lock your phone with a PIN or fingerprint and keep it updated. It protects every scan on it, in any app.
- If a scan is only on your phone, keep a second copy of anything you can't easily replace.
- If a scan is in a cloud account, turn on two-step verification for that account.
- A phone copy of an ID is not an official ID. Check what the office, airline or police officer will accept.
Six scanner apps that keep scans on your phone · Where to keep important documents on your phone · How DocIt protects your documents, and its limits · DocIt: the facts
Sources
All checked on 17 October 2026.
- Google Drive Help: scan documents (searchable PDFs on your Drive, PDF or JPG, choose the folder)
- Google Drive Help: how Drive protects your privacy (encrypted in transit and at rest, no advertising use, private unless shared, content processed for spam, malware and search)
- Google Drive on Google Play (15 GB shared, Google One from $1.99 a month in the US, Data safety)
- Adobe Scan on Google Play (automatic Document Cloud saving, AI Assistant, subscriptions, Data safety) and on the App Store (opened PDFs uploaded to Document Cloud)
- Adobe Scan FAQ (sign-in for cloud storage and subscription features)
- Files by Google Help: scan documents (saved as PDFs in a Scanned folder in Downloads)
- Files by Google Help: Safe folder (PIN or pattern, Android storage with encryption, closed to other apps, no screenshots, no Share or Drive backup from Safe folder)
- Files by Google on Google Play (no ads, Safe folder PIN or pattern that can differ from your phone lock, Data safety)
- DocIt on Google Play (Data safety) and Google ML Kit: data disclosure