NAPS2
naps2.com
What it is
NAPS2 is free, open-source software for scanning documents and saving them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, or PNG. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and supports WIA and TWAIN drivers with flatbed or automatic document feeder scanners, including duplex scanning. Users can reorder, interleave, rotate, crop, deskew, and adjust scanned pages’ brightness and contrast. OCR makes scans searchable, supports more than 100 languages, and can add text recognition to imported PDFs. NAPS2 can share scanners across a local network using ESCL, including with compatible Android and iPhone apps, but it must remain running on the server for sharing to work. It can send email through Gmail and Outlook, with the email address and secure sending token kept on the user’s computer and sent only to the relevant provider. Optional developer tools include a command-line interface for automation and a .NET scanning library. The free plan has no ads or restrictions, though OCR results cannot be saved directly to a text file.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- NAPS2 scans paper documents and saves them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG or PNG files.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Purpose
- NAPS2 is free, open source scanning software for scanning documents and saving them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, or PNG.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Platforms
- The latest NAPS2 release is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux; the current Mac version requires macOS 12 or later and current Windows versions support Windows 10 and 11.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Security
- Scanner sharing uses HTTPS with an automatically generated self-signed certificate by default, may fall back to HTTP, and can be configured to require HTTPS or use a custom certificate.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Support
- Users can file a support ticket and attach NAPS2 error logs to help diagnose a problem or report a bug.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Maker
- The project identifies Ben Olden-Cooligan as its developer and copyright holder.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Application license
- The main NAPS2 application is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Automation and SDK
- NAPS2 offers an optional command-line interface for scanning and saving documents through automation or scripts, and a .NET scanning library for developers.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Command line
- Its CLI supports scripted scanning, importing, conversion, OCR, PDF/A, encryption, splitting, interleaving and email operations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Developer SDK
- NAPS2.Sdk is a free C#/.NET 6+ scanning library for Windows, Mac and Linux.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Documentation and support
- Official support includes getting-started guides, OCR, batch scanning, troubleshooting, CLI and organization documentation, tickets and forums.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Download scale
- The download page reports 16,542,323 total downloads and 165,325 weekly downloads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Editing
- Users can reorder, interleave, rotate, crop, deskew, and adjust the brightness and contrast of scanned pages.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Email integrations
- NAPS2 can send email using Gmail and Outlook; the email address and secure sending token are stored on the user's computer and sent only to the corresponding provider.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Extensibility
- The project links a naps2-webscan example for browser-based scanning through ESCL.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Interface languages
- The application offers more than 40 interface languages.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Latest release
- Version 8.5.1, released October 12, 2026, fixed Windows Smart App Control blocking naps2_jpeg.dll.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Library licenses
- NAPS2.Sdk and several related libraries use LGPL-2.1-or-later, while SDK samples use MIT.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: cloud and mobile
- The Digital Project Manager review says NAPS2 has no native cloud storage or sharing, no mobile scanning app and limited file management.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thedigitalprojectmanager.com
- Limit: image straightening
- PCWorld’s review criticized the lack of image straightening and reported some TWAIN crashes and unreliable grayscale profile behavior.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pcworld.com
- Limit: scanner compatibility
- A GitHub issue reports heavy text-compression artifacts with Brother wireless ESCL scanning, with commenters attributing the behavior to the scanner protocols.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: TWAIN reliability
- A SnapFiles reviewer reported that the TWAIN module stopped after one scan on a Canon scanner, preventing batch scanning.Read 15 Oct 2026 · snapfiles.com
- Linux requirements
- Linux builds require GTK 3.20+, glibc and libsane; the site lists modern Ubuntu, Debian, Mint and Fedora versions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Mac requirements
- The current release supports macOS 12 and later; version 7.5.3 is the last release for macOS 10.15 and 11.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Maker location
- Ben Olden-Cooligan’s LinkedIn profile lists Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Read 15 Oct 2026 · ca.linkedin.com
- Network scanning
- NAPS2 can share scanners across a local network using ESCL, and compatible clients include Android and iPhone apps.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Network sharing
- NAPS2 can share scanners across a local network so another computer or phone can use them.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Network sharing limit
- Scanner sharing works only while NAPS2 is running on the server; running it as a service is planned but not currently supported.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- OCR
- Tesseract-based OCR creates searchable PDFs in more than 100 languages.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- OCR limitation
- NAPS2 does not save OCR results directly to a text file; users can copy recognized text from a saved PDF using their PDF viewer.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- Organization deployment
- An MSI installer, Group Policy guidance, profiles.xml and appsettings.xml support centrally managed installations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Page editing
- Users can reorder, interleave, rotate, crop, deskew and adjust brightness or contrast on scanned pages.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Portable mode
- Portable ZIP archives are available and do not require installation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Praise: ease and value
- Independent reviewers repeatedly describe NAPS2 as simple, intuitive, lightweight, functional and free, with useful profiles and drag-and-drop page handling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
- Praise: scanning workflow
- Reviewers praise its profiles, ADF and flatbed support, OCR, multi-page output and ability to save common image and PDF formats.Read 15 Oct 2026 · snapfiles.com
- Rating on Heise Download
- 4.3 out of 5 from 23 votes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · heise.de
- Rating on SnapFiles
- 5 out of 5 from 12 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · snapfiles.com
- Rating on Softpedia
- 3.9 out of 5 from 30 user votes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · softpedia.com
- Rating on SourceForge
- 4.8 out of 5 from 149 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
- Scan sources
- Scanning can use flatbeds, automatic document feeders and duplex feeders.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Scanner drivers
- It supports WIA, TWAIN, SANE, ESCL and Apple scanner interfaces, depending on platform.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Scanner hardware
- The site names Canon, Brother, HP, Epson, Fujitsu and other scanners as compatible examples.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Scanner support
- It supports WIA and TWAIN drivers and can scan from a flatbed or automatic document feeder, including duplex scanning.Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
- SDK packages
- SDK documentation lists core, image-backend, TWAIN worker, Pdfium, SANE, Tesseract and ESCL server packages.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Security and privacy
- Gmail and Outlook addresses and tokens remain on the user’s computer and are sent only to the selected provider; NAPS2 says its developer cannot access them.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Security controls
- Organization settings can disable automatic saving and enforce HTTPS or trusted certificates for ESCL scanner sharing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
- Windows requirements
- The current release supports Windows 10 and 11; version 7.5.3 is the last release for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
Plans and prices
Free Free Free for individuals and businesses · no ads or restrictions Read 29 Sep 2026 · naps2.com
NAPS2 Free Windows, Mac and Linux desktop · no ads or restrictions · donations optional Read 15 Oct 2026 · naps2.com
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free for individuals and businesses, with no ads
- Exports PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and PNG
- OCR supports more than 100 languages
- Includes optional command-line automation and .NET library
Limits
- Scanner sharing requires NAPS2 to stay running
- OCR text cannot be saved directly to a text file
- No free trial is listed
Who it suits
NAPS2 suits individuals and businesses that need document scanning on Windows, macOS, or Linux. It also offers features for developers automating scans and organizations managing deployments.
Verdict
NAPS2 specifies its scanner support, editing tools, OCR, export formats, and operating systems. Its network scanner sharing has a server-running requirement, and OCR text must be copied from a saved PDF rather than saved directly to a text file.
Where Specifiction places it
- Document Scanning Software#3 of 268.6
- Photo Scanning Software#5 of 298.6
- Scanner Software#4 of 228.6
