bcWebCam vs PaperScan
bcWebCam
bcwebcam.de
PaperScan
paperscan.orpalis.comSide by side
| Figure | bcWebCam | PaperScan |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 8 |
| Spec score · Scanner Software | 9.0 (#2) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists QS QualitySoft GmbH in the 2–10 employee range. | LinkedIn lists ORPALIS as having 11–50 employees and headquartered in Muret, Haute-Garonne. |
| Developer SDK | QualitySoft separately offers QS-Barcode SDK for integrating barcode recognition into developers' own programs and provides a developer manual. | The developer page says PaperScan is powered by the GdPicture.NET document-imaging SDK, which is described as having more than 3,000 features and TWAIN/WIA capabilities. |
| Headquarters | Hamburg, Germany | Muret, France |
| Licence | The application is proprietary freeware for private use; the agreement says all rights are reserved, while the package includes the DirectShowNet library under LGPL 2.1. | The EULA defines Free Edition as freeware and Home and Professional Editions as commercial licenses, with restrictions against altering, decompiling, disassembling or reverse engineering. |
| Notable news | QualitySoft announced QS-Barcode SDK version 5.0.1.271 with multithreading support on 2 May 2025. | ORPALIS announced PaperScan version 4 on February 15, 2022, highlighting SharePoint connectivity, barcode reading and multithreaded OCR improvements. |
| Support | The maker lists telephone support at +49 (0)40 790 100 40 and the email address [email protected]. | Professional license owners are entitled to technical support through the Help Desk, with user guides, videos, FAQs and a glossary also provided. |
| What it does | bcWebCam uses a webcam to read EAN and QR barcodes and copies the decoded value into the active application field. | PaperScan is a Windows TWAIN and WIA scanning application for acquiring, processing, annotating, OCRing and storing scanned documents. |
Plans
bcWebCam
- bcWebCam Free EditionFree
- bcWebCam FREE EDITIONFree
- bcWebCam PRO1 EDITION€4,989, paid once
- bcWebCam PRO1 EDITION€4,998, paid once
- bcWebCam PRO2 EDITION€11,662, paid once
- bcWebCam PRO2 EDITION€11,662, paid once
PaperScan
- Free EditionFree
- PaperScan Free EditionFree
- Home Edition$79, paid once
- PaperScan Home Edition$79, paid once
- Professional Edition — single license$149, paid once
- PaperScan Professional Edition$599, paid once
- Professional Edition — site license$599, paid once
- Professional Edition — volume licensePriced on request
In their own words
bcWebCam
bcWebCam uses a Windows PC webcam to read EAN barcodes and QR codes, then enters the result into the active field of another application. Position the cursor in a browser, notebook, or other program and hold a code in front of the camera; the recognized item number or contents are copied there. The Free Edition reads EAN8, EAN13, and QR codes and is restricted to private use. PRO1 adds linear types including Code 128, Code 39, Code 2/5, SS1, and Post Codes; PRO2 also adds Data Matrix, PDF417, and Aztec. The maker says the free edition can be used to evaluate PRO1 and PRO2. The software is 64-bit and requires Microsoft.NET Framework 4.8. Its maker describes 640×480 as the optimized webcam resolution and says lowering a higher resolution may improve preview and recognition performance. QS QualitySoft GmbH, based in Hamburg, Germany, makes the product. Listed plans are free for Free Edition, €4,998, paid once for PRO1, and €11,662, paid once for PRO2; the pricing note says paid from €49.98.
PaperScan
PaperScan is a Windows scanning application that acquires documents through TWAIN and WIA and includes OCR for searchable output. It accepts more than 100 input formats and supports PDF-OCR output in more than 60 languages. Image tools include deskewing, rotation, border and punch-hole removal, blank-page removal, color adjustment, filters and effects. Annotation options include highlights, freehand marks, shapes, lines, pens, rubber stamps, text, sticky notes and a ruler. It can save to SharePoint on-premises or online, send email through Outlook, read encrypted PDFs, create encrypted PDFs and support digital signatures. Output options include PDF/A, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, DOCX, XLSX and other listed formats. The Free Edition allows 10-page batch scanning or import. Home Edition costs $79, paid once for unlimited batch work; Professional single license costs $149 as a one-time purchase for one user on one computer. Home and Professional trials include all features for 30 days without a credit card, then require a license key to continue.