Should I Build It Should I Build It
05 Jul 2025
Photography

An app that permit to have the same level of accuracy than a scanner ...

...just by taking photo of document

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

The market for document scanning apps is quite competitive, with many similar products already available (n_matches=17). The good news is, that these apps tend to garner at least medium engagement from users (avg n_comments=7), suggesting there's a real need for such a product. Since you are in the freemium category, users generally like using these apps, but they may resist paying for them, so it's important to identify key user segments and the specific value proposition that would entice them to upgrade to a paid version. Given the number of competitors, differentiation will be key. You'll need to identify underserved niches or features that competitors aren't adequately addressing. Success hinges on delivering exceptional accuracy and a seamless user experience within a freemium model that motivates users to pay for premium features or team-based access.

Recommendations

  1. Since you are in the freemium app space, start by defining your ideal customer profile and what they're willing to pay for. Many users may be happy with basic scanning, so you need to identify power users or specific use cases (e.g., business travelers, students dealing with textbooks, legal professionals) that justify premium features. Based on your customer interviews, build an empathy map and user journey to figure out what they would be willing to pay for.
  2. Given that multiple similar products faced criticisms regarding accuracy and handling of handwriting or multi-column text, focus on creating a best-in-class OCR engine. Invest in advanced image processing techniques to minimize distortion and improve text recognition, especially for less-than-perfect conditions. Highlight this accuracy in your marketing materials.
  3. Explore integrations with other apps or services commonly used by your target users. For example, direct integration with cloud storage providers (Google Drive, Dropbox), note-taking apps (Evernote, OneNote), or accounting software could add significant value and justify a premium subscription. Consider a Zapier integration.
  4. Implement a clear and fair freemium model. Offer a basic set of features for free (e.g., limited number of scans per month, basic OCR), and reserve advanced features (e.g., unlimited scans, advanced OCR, batch processing, cloud integration) for paying users. Make sure the limitations of the free version are clear, but don't make it so restrictive that users can't experience the core value of your app.
  5. Actively solicit feedback from your users, especially early adopters. Use in-app surveys, beta testing programs, and community forums to gather insights on how to improve your app. Pay close attention to bug reports and feature requests. Since UI is a key differentiator look closely into this part of your app.
  6. Consider offering team-based pricing. If your app is useful for businesses, offer a subscription plan that allows multiple users to share access to premium features. This can be a more attractive option than individual subscriptions, especially for small businesses. Offer volume discounts.
  7. Differentiate yourself through specialized features. Since multiple similar apps try to do a lot of things (QR codes, document scanning, etc), consider focusing on a niche, e.g. invoice processing, legal document scanning, etc. This will make it easier to promote your app and make it more useful.
  8. As some similar apps were criticized for their lack of clear instructions or a clunky interface, make sure your app has an intuitive and user-friendly design. Provide clear instructions and tooltips to guide users through the scanning process. Invest in good UX.

Questions

  1. Given the competition, what specific niche or user segment are you targeting that existing scanning apps are failing to adequately serve, and how will you tailor your app's features to meet their unique needs?
  2. What specific technology or approach will you use to ensure superior accuracy in OCR, especially with handwriting or documents with complex layouts, and how will you validate that accuracy claims?
  3. How will you balance the features offered in the free version of your app with the premium features to create a compelling upgrade path without alienating free users or diminishing the core value of your app?

Your are here

The market for document scanning apps is quite competitive, with many similar products already available (n_matches=17). The good news is, that these apps tend to garner at least medium engagement from users (avg n_comments=7), suggesting there's a real need for such a product. Since you are in the freemium category, users generally like using these apps, but they may resist paying for them, so it's important to identify key user segments and the specific value proposition that would entice them to upgrade to a paid version. Given the number of competitors, differentiation will be key. You'll need to identify underserved niches or features that competitors aren't adequately addressing. Success hinges on delivering exceptional accuracy and a seamless user experience within a freemium model that motivates users to pay for premium features or team-based access.

Recommendations

  1. Since you are in the freemium app space, start by defining your ideal customer profile and what they're willing to pay for. Many users may be happy with basic scanning, so you need to identify power users or specific use cases (e.g., business travelers, students dealing with textbooks, legal professionals) that justify premium features. Based on your customer interviews, build an empathy map and user journey to figure out what they would be willing to pay for.
  2. Given that multiple similar products faced criticisms regarding accuracy and handling of handwriting or multi-column text, focus on creating a best-in-class OCR engine. Invest in advanced image processing techniques to minimize distortion and improve text recognition, especially for less-than-perfect conditions. Highlight this accuracy in your marketing materials.
  3. Explore integrations with other apps or services commonly used by your target users. For example, direct integration with cloud storage providers (Google Drive, Dropbox), note-taking apps (Evernote, OneNote), or accounting software could add significant value and justify a premium subscription. Consider a Zapier integration.
  4. Implement a clear and fair freemium model. Offer a basic set of features for free (e.g., limited number of scans per month, basic OCR), and reserve advanced features (e.g., unlimited scans, advanced OCR, batch processing, cloud integration) for paying users. Make sure the limitations of the free version are clear, but don't make it so restrictive that users can't experience the core value of your app.
  5. Actively solicit feedback from your users, especially early adopters. Use in-app surveys, beta testing programs, and community forums to gather insights on how to improve your app. Pay close attention to bug reports and feature requests. Since UI is a key differentiator look closely into this part of your app.
  6. Consider offering team-based pricing. If your app is useful for businesses, offer a subscription plan that allows multiple users to share access to premium features. This can be a more attractive option than individual subscriptions, especially for small businesses. Offer volume discounts.
  7. Differentiate yourself through specialized features. Since multiple similar apps try to do a lot of things (QR codes, document scanning, etc), consider focusing on a niche, e.g. invoice processing, legal document scanning, etc. This will make it easier to promote your app and make it more useful.
  8. As some similar apps were criticized for their lack of clear instructions or a clunky interface, make sure your app has an intuitive and user-friendly design. Provide clear instructions and tooltips to guide users through the scanning process. Invest in good UX.

Questions

  1. Given the competition, what specific niche or user segment are you targeting that existing scanning apps are failing to adequately serve, and how will you tailor your app's features to meet their unique needs?
  2. What specific technology or approach will you use to ensure superior accuracy in OCR, especially with handwriting or documents with complex layouts, and how will you validate that accuracy claims?
  3. How will you balance the features offered in the free version of your app with the premium features to create a compelling upgrade path without alienating free users or diminishing the core value of your app?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 17
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 7
  • Net use signal: 9.3%
    • Positive use signal: 13.2%
    • Negative use signal: 3.9%
  • Net buy signal: -0.8%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.8%
    • Negative buy signal: 1.6%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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Open Scanner, an open-source document scanning app for iPhone

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Users discuss the document scanning features in iOS, comparing the native Files and Notes apps with third-party alternatives. Many are surprised by the hidden functionality in iOS, suggesting better UX and shortcuts for easier access. Some prefer manuals for learning, while others explore the UI. There's interest in open-source options, with concerns about app costs and nagware. A few comments address OCR features, privacy concerns, and integration with cloud providers. Users also mention the convenience of scanning to SMB networks and the need for paperless-ngx export support.

Users criticized the product for a clunky interface, lack of clear solutions, and insufficient features for power users. The notes app was deemed klunky, with extra steps for PDF export and sharing issues. The scanner app's malfunction and poor search functionality were noted. The product is not open source, has a 24-page scan limit, and lacks advanced features like page dewarping. Nagware, unclear file management, and the cost of the app were also points of contention. Users questioned the added value over existing solutions like Apple's shortcuts and noted the lack of alternatives for non-Siri users.

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=Obscurity4340

Same with number-range call blocking. Gotta pay $4 but it saves you from scammers and other serial callers

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=treetalker

Pressing and holding the Files icon on the iOS home screen allows you to directly access the scanning feature.Pretty handy! I didn’t know this feature existed, and the scanner app I had been using stopped working a couple months ago and I haven’t been able to find a replacement that I was happy with.

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=ok_dad

> Nobody uses FilesWhat else would you use? I use it quite often.

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=AiAi

Also have been using this for years (even knowing that there's this feature built-in in the Notes app).

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=bbor

Looks incredible! As someone preparing a large iPhone-based scanning project, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m a longtime CamScanner user, but will happily move to something open source if it delivers on its promises. Will try it out asap!Re:the common “why not just use the native functionality” questions, I think the simple answer is scale. If I want to scan a random receipt I’d use Apple, but as we all know well, Apple rarely caters to power users — someone scanning multiple times a day or for hours at a time will almost definitely be better served by a dedicated app.Side note: these (two!!) devs are killing it. Great communication (their privacy policy is top-notch), great styling, and they have a whole roster of neat apps lined up, including an Apple Vision release. Thanks for putting them on my radar, OP! https://pencilresearch.com/

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=darknavi

Good point. I must have donated at some point because I use it often and don't remember seeing that.

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=yosito

I do scan a lot of documents. iOS is great at it.

https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=weinzierl

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https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=teeray

I would love paperless-ngx export support for this

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