The Best Scanners in 2026
For a home office drowning in paper, PCMag’s best desktop document scanner is the Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 ($379.99). The Brother ADS-1350W (about $290) is a smaller sheet-fed option, and if you only scan the odd page or photo, a $70 Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 flatbed is enough.
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How this page was made: this is a research-based guide built from manufacturer spec pages, official prices and published lab measurements from the outlets we name and link. We haven’t tested these products ourselves, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
For a home office drowning in paper, PCMag’s best desktop document scanner is the Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 ($379.99). Best document scanner: Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500, $379.99. Best compact sheet-fed: Brother ADS-1350W, $290. Best portable: Brother DS-940DW, $230. Best for photo stacks: Epson FastFoto FF-680W, $529. Best cheap flatbed: Canon CanoScan LiDE 300, $70.
Last updated Prices checked Oct 2026
Key facts at a glance
| Pick | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best document scanner | Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 | a home office or small business | $379.99 |
| Best compact sheet-fed | Brother ADS-1350W | a small desk | About $290 |
| Best portable | Brother DS-940DW | scanning on the go | About $230 |
| Best for photo stacks | Epson FastFoto FF-680W | digitizing boxes of photos | $529 |
| Best cheap flatbed | Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 | occasional scans on a budget | About $70 |
| Best flatbed for photos | Epson Perfection V39 II | scanning photos on a flatbed | $104.99 |
Note that Wirecutter[2][3] says it is no longer updating its two scanner guides, so we lean on PCMag[1] for the newest models. The right scanner depends on what you scan: stacks of documents need an automatic document feeder (ADF), old photos need a photo scanner or a flatbed, and books need a flatbed or an overhead scanner.
Which should you buy? Our quick picks
How do they compare?
| Scanner | Price seen | Type | Feeder | Connection | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 | $379.99 | Desktop sheet-fed | 100 pages | USB, Wi-Fi | A home office or small business |
| Brother ADS-1350W | About $290 | Compact sheet-fed | Yes | USB-C, wireless | A small desk |
| Brother DS-940DW | About $230 | Portable, battery | No (one page at a time) | USB 3.0, Wi-Fi | Scanning on the go |
| Epson FastFoto FF-680W | $529 | Photo and document | Yes (batches of photos) | USB, Wi-Fi | Digitizing boxes of photos |
| Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 | About $70 | Flatbed | No | Single USB cable (power and data) | Occasional scans on a budget |
| Epson Perfection V39 II | $104.99 | Flatbed (photos) | No | — | Scanning photos on a flatbed |
The picks in detail
1. Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500
Best for: a home office or small businessPCMag’s[1] best desktop document scanner for homes and small offices (Editors’ Choice). It scans fast with accurate OCR, has advanced skew detection, a 100-page ADF and a hefty daily duty cycle, a 5-inch color touch screen and excellent mobile app support over USB or Wi-Fi. There’s no USB port for thumb drives and no Ethernet. $379.99.
Price (Oct 2026): $379.99 Source
Pros
- Fast, accurate OCR
- 100-page ADF
- 5-inch touch screen
- USB and Wi-Fi
Cons
- No USB port for thumb drives
- No Ethernet
2. Brother ADS-1350W
Best for: a small deskWirecutter’s[2][3] top portable document scanner pick: fast, accurate, reliable and easy to use, with what Wirecutter calls best-in-class OCR. It connects over a USB-C cable or wirelessly, and can draw power from a laptop or a USB-C power bank of 15 W or more, though it has no battery. At 11.8 x 4.1 x 3.3 inches and 3 pounds it’s compact for a sheet-fed scanner, but not truly portable. About $290 at Amazon.
Price (Oct 2026): About $290 Source
Pros
- Fast and accurate
- Best-in-class OCR per Wirecutter
- USB-C bus power
Cons
- No battery
- Bigger than true portables
3. Brother DS-940DW
Best for: scanning on the goWirecutter’s[2][3] ultraportable pick and PCMag’s[1] best portable scanner. It’s small and light, scans both sides at once, has a built-in rechargeable battery and Wi-Fi, and can scan straight to a microSD card. There’s no ADF, so you feed one page at a time, and the microSD card isn’t included. About $230.
Price (Oct 2026): About $230 Source
Pros
- Built-in battery
- Duplex scanning
- Wi-Fi and microSD
Cons
- No ADF
- microSD card not included
4. Epson FastFoto FF-680W
Best for: digitizing boxes of photosWirecutter’s[2][3] upgrade pick and PCMag’s[1] best high-speed snapshot scanner. It quickly scans stacks of photo prints and doubles as a decent document scanner with searchable PDFs and solid OCR. It’s big (8.2 pounds) and somewhat pricey; Wirecutter says it’s typically around $600, and PCMag found it slower at photo scanning than its predecessor. $529 when we checked.
Price (Oct 2026): $529 Source
Pros
- Fast with stacks of prints
- Decent document scanner
- Searchable PDF
Cons
- Big and heavy
- Pricey
5. Canon CanoScan LiDE 300
Best for: occasional scans on a budgetWirecutter’s[2][3] cheap scanner pick: simple to set up and use, and quicker, smaller and lighter than most rivals. A flatbed also handles books and fragile items a sheet feeder can’t, and Wirecutter notes flatbeds exceed the 1200 dpi of most portable scanners. The trade-off is Canon’s clunky, outdated software, which Wirecutter calls par for the course. About $70.
Price (Oct 2026): About $70 Source
Pros
- Cheap
- Simple one-cord setup
- Small and light
Cons
- Clunky, outdated software
- No document feeder
6. Epson Perfection V39 II
Best for: scanning photos on a flatbedPCMag’s[1] best flatbed photo scanner (Editors’ Choice). It makes high-quality photo scans, has a fully automatic mode, separates individual photos placed on the glass, scans to searchable PDF and has a kickstand. It can’t scan film and comes without bundled applications. $104.99.
Price (Oct 2026): $104.99 Source
Pros
- High-quality photo scans
- Separates individual photos
- Searchable PDF
Cons
- No film scanning
- No bundled apps
Also considered
Epson RapidReceipt RR-600W: Reviewed by PCMag[1] ($379.99): a receipt-focused document scanner with accounting software, a 4.3-inch screen and a 100-sheet ADF.
Epson DS-1760WN: Reviewed by PCMag ($699): flatbed plus 60-sheet ADF, with USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
Ricoh fi-800R: Reviewed by PCMag ($533): a front-desk scanner for documents and ID cards.
CZUR ET24 Pro: Reviewed by PCMag ($649): an overhead book scanner.
IRIScan Book 7: Reviewed by PCMag ($149.99): a wand-style scanner.
Sheet-fed, portable or flatbed?
A sheet-fed scanner with an ADF is the fastest way through a pile of paper. A portable scanner trades the feeder for a battery and a small size. A flatbed is slow but handles photos, books and fragile pages. If you also print a lot, an all-in-one with an ADF may cover both jobs: see our best printers guide.
Scanning old photos
For a few albums a flatbed like the Epson Perfection V39 II is enough. For shoeboxes of 4x6 prints, the FastFoto FF-680W feeds them in batches. Printing them back out? See our best photo printers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best scanner for home use?
What is the best portable scanner?
What is the best scanner for old photos?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
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