FilmLab vs NAPS2
FilmLab
filmlabapp.com
NAPS2
naps2.comSide by side
| Figure | FilmLab | NAPS2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Photo Scanning Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Platforms | FilmLab Desktop is offered for Windows, macOS, and Linux; FilmLab Mobile is offered for iOS and Android. | 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. |
| Purpose | FilmLab converts digital captures of film negatives into color or black-and-white images using a custom processing engine designed to produce darkroom-inspired colors and tones. | NAPS2 is free, open source scanning software for scanning documents and saving them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, or PNG. |
| Support | Support is provided by email, with the company saying a real person from its small team will respond. | Users can file a support ticket and attach NAPS2 error logs to help diagnose a problem or report a bug. |
| What it does | FilmLab converts digital captures of film negatives into color or black-and-white photographs using a custom processing engine intended to reproduce darkroom-like tones. | NAPS2 scans paper documents and saves them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG or PNG files. |
Plans
FilmLab
- EducationFree
- Monthly$7.99 a month
- Annual$59.99 a year
- Lifetime$199.99, paid once
In their own words
FilmLab
FilmLab converts digital captures of film negatives into color or black-and-white images with a processing engine designed for darkroom-inspired tones. Desktop apps open raw files from popular DSLR and mirrorless cameras, along with raw DNG and TIFF files from scanners. Adjustment tools cover exposure, color balance, contrast, brightness, cropping, rotation, and perspective correction. Users can batch-edit and copy or paste settings across images. Editing leaves original scans unchanged and saves processing instructions in adjacent `.fprc` files. Mobile apps can preview negatives, create proof sheets, review older negatives, and make quick scans for sharing. FilmLab is standalone and does not require other software. Listed export formats include JPEG, TIFF, and JPEG XL. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The paid plans offer full access after a 14-day trial: $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year; lifetime membership is $199.99 once and includes future updates and features. Free education licenses are available by request to qualifying educators. Desktop does not support collaborative real-time editing, and nonrenewing customers can still access images and metadata they created.
NAPS2
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.