Scanbot Document Scanner SDK vs ML Kit Document Scanner
Google’s ML Kit Document Scanner API is free, but limited in functionality. Scanbot SDK delivers enterprise performance, features, and support across all platforms.
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Key differences
Here are the main factors to consider when choosing a mobile document scanning solution.
Scanning capabilities
ML Kit brings Google’s machine-learning models to mobile apps, with plug-and-play APIs for vision and language tasks, including a Document Scanner API. While the scanner generally performs well, it lacks customization options and enterprise support. OCR capabilities are available through ML Kit’s separate Text Recognition API.
Scanbot SDK builds commercial data capture solutions, including document scanning and OCR software. The Scanbot Document Scanner SDK delivers sharp scans every time, thanks to features like user guidance, image enhancement filters, and the Document Quality Analyzer. It is designed for real-world environments and runs fully offline, providing 100% data security.
Customization & developer experience
ML Kit’s pre-built components make the document scanner straightforward to integrate. However, customization is very limited. You can only choose between three predefined scanner modes: SCANNER_MODE_BASE, BASE_WITH_FILTER, and FULL.
The Scanbot SDK is also easy to set up. Its ready-to-use UI components are simple to integrate and customize, all with just a few lines of code. It offers a wider range of configuration options: You can adjust the scanning modes, result screen, user guidance text, top and action bars, color palette, and viewfinder.
Maintenance & support
Google provides no enterprise support for ML Kit. Any guidance with issues is therefore up to community channels. Updates are sporadic, and since the code is proprietary, you cannot apply your own hotfixes. Google’s long-term roadmap for ML Kit is unknown.
In contrast, Scanbot SDK offers ongoing development, including regular updates, new features, and continuous improvements at no extra cost. Customers can depend on an experienced technical support team to assist them with any issues.
We were getting a lot of poor-quality document photos that our backend couldn’t process, and our attorneys couldn’t read. The Scanbot SDK solved this completely. In the five months since implementation, we’ve processed over 116,000 documents without a single complaint.
Detailed feature comparison
From features to platform support, pricing, and the integration experience, here’s how the Scanbot SDK and the ML Kit Document Scanning API stack up against each other.
Native SDKs
Yes
- Android
- iOS
- Windows (UWP, WinUI 3)
Yes
- Android
Web
Yes
- JavaScript + WebAssembly (WASM)
No
Cross-platform frameworks
Yes
- React Native
- Flutter
- Cordova
- .NET MAUI
- Xamarin & Xamarin.Forms
- Ionic Capacitor
- Compose Multiplatform
Limited, Android-only
- React Native: react-native-mlkit
- Flutter: google_ml_kit_flutter
Yes
Yes
JPG
Yes
Yes
TIFF
Yes
No
PNG
Yes
No
Scanning from live camera feed
Yes
Yes
Scanning from gallery image
Yes
Yes
Scanning from other image files
Yes
No
User guidance
Text instructions that guide the user through the scanning process
Yes
No
Automatic capture
Automatically captures the document when it is properly positioned
Yes
Yes
Automatic cropping
Automatically crops the image to the detected document edges
Yes
Yes
Scan review & editing
Lets users rotate, retake, and reorder scanned pages before exporting
Yes
Yes
Page limit configuration
Allows limiting the number of pages that can be scanned in a single session
Yes
Yes
Image cleaning capabilities
Removes artifacts like shadows, stains, and fingers
Yes
Yes
Image filters
Optimizes scan quality by adjusting color and contrast
Yes
- Color Document
- Grayscale
- Binarization
- Binarization Antialiased
Yes
- Color Document
- Grayscale
Image quality assessment
Analyzes the captured image to evaluate its clarity, lighting, and overall suitability for processing
Yes
The Document Quality Analyzer evaluates the image quality. It can display a review screen if the customizable quality threshold is not met.
No
Searchable PDF
Generates searchable PDF files with an embedded OCR text layer (sandwich OCR), enabling text selection and search
Yes
No
Document API
Provides a convenient API for organizing, storing, and managing captured documents
Yes
No
CCPA and GDPR
Yes
Unclear
Processing is primarily on-device. Based on Google’s public docs, some metadata may be sent to Google services depending on usage and settings
On-device processing
Yes, 100% offline
Yes
Usage tracking
No, zero tracking
No connection to our or any third-party servers
Yes
According to the documentation, ML Kit may send usage and performance metrics to Google
Third-party dependencies
Low risk
Transparent; clearly lists third-party dependencies with version used
Unclear
No clear information on third-party dependencies
Pricing and licensing model
Fixed annual license fee
- Custom quote based on your use case and number of app integrations
- Unlimited scanning for one flat annual fee
- All features and future updates included at no extra cost
Check out Rimi Baltic’s success story to learn more.
Free, proprietary
Subject to Google ML Kit terms of service
Free trial options
Yes
- 7-day free trial: Self-service trial license, no login/email required
- Extended PoC license available upon request
Free from the start
Developers can access the API without any signup
In active development
Yes
Continuous feature additions and improvements
Uncertain
Google controls long-term development; note its record of discontinued products
Enterprise support
Yes
Technical support team with years of experience
No
Documentation & sample projects
Yes
Comprehensive guides and sample projects for each supported platform
Yes, but not maintained*
Short guides and code snippets
* last updated on February 3rd 2024
Pre-built UI components
Yes
Configurable Ready-to-Use UI screens for fast integration
Yes, but limited to 3 modes
- SCANNER_MODE_BASE: Basic editing capabilities
- SCANNER_MODE_BASE_WITH_FILTER: Adds images filters to the basic mode
- SCANNER_MODE_FULL: Adds image cleaning capabilities
