Top 5 Paperless Apps for iOS and Android - Updated

Elise Williams

2024-04-08 10:49:42 • Filed to: Software for Business • Proven solutions

For a small business that is looking to maximize profits by reducing costs, one of the ways to do this is to go paperless. The process of transitioning to a paperless work environment can be tedious and highly involving but there are paperless apps that can make it much easier. These paperless apps for Android and iOS users not only help in the transition period but also come in handy in aiding your business remain paperless. This article will address the top 5 paperless apps that can help you achieve this transition much easier and quicker.

5 Best Paperless Apps for Mobile Devices

1. PDFelement for iOS

PDFelement for iOS offers a great solution for you if you word with PDF documents. If you go paperless and thereby end up having everything in PDF format, then you must get your hands on PDFelement because it is the ultimate paperless app for PDF management. The app, available for iOS devices can be used to edit PDF documents, annotate PDF documents and even easily share them via cloud services or via email.

You can use the app and the device's camera to scan a PDF document you want to edit and then right there on the app, edit the text and images on the document. PDF annotations options include being able to comment or make notes on the PDF document and even highlight and strikethrough text within the document. Android users need not worry because PDFelement does also come as a desktop app.

2. Evernote

You may be familiar with this one. It is one of the most efficient and effective paperless apps you can use. It allows users to among other things, take notes, photograph receipts, save pictures and even clip web pages. This is all on top of its incredibly awesome syncing capability that even allows you to share your work with other people. It is a great app to have and is available for both iOS and Android.

3. Scannable

This is a simple iPhone scanner app that is great when you want to scan documents for later use. All you have to do us open the app when the camera is already on the document and then tap on the menu button to scan the document. It also comes with a number of settings that can help you customize just how you want to view the scanned document.

4. Expensify

Expensify is a great paperless app for expense reports. It eliminates the need to have to attach receipts to a sheet of paper while filling in a printed form. It goes a little bit further by helping you scan receipts and other documents so you can easily add them to the expense report. The app is available for both Android and iOS users. It also automatically detects aspects of your expense report including date, names, venues and total spend among others.

5. Scanner Pro 7

This is another paperless app for scanning that makes scanning your documents very easy by using your camera's lens. All you have to do is point the camera to the document you want to scan and then hit the red button in the bottom right corner of the app. The app will then load a preview that you can choose to keep by clicking on "Done" or go back to do it again.

It also makes it very easy for users to share the scanned documents and also offers basic editing features including the ability to change the color or switch to photo mode and be able to crop, rotate or even change the contrast and brightness.

Tips for Using Paperless Apps Properly

Paperless apps are just a single aspect of being able to successfully transition to a paperless business. The following are some other tips to help you get there faster.

1. Invest in the right tools

With the apps above, your already well on your way to making use of the right tools to get our business going paperless. There are still a whole host of other tools to consider. For example, it may be a good idea to find a way to share documents online and in this aspect, it may be a good idea to invest in Google Drive or other option like Dropbox or OneDrive.

2. Create Policies to Support Going Paperless

It is very likely that your employees will at least at first be unfamiliar with the procedures to go paperless. It is your job to make sure that everyone is on board and to avoid resistance, you can implement policies that may help with the transition. For example, you can actively limit the number of print-outs a single employee can make in a day.

You can also incentivize the process by coming up with rewards for employees who show the most initiative.

3. Really go Paperless

If you can, ask your vendors to send you invoices and purchase order in PDF format. This will greatly reduce the amount of paper you have on your desk at any given time. You could also do the same, sending invoices to clients in PDF format.

And did we mention you get access to your documents from everywhere? In the new and modern world we live in, executives and employees are required to use and find information within seconds, not days. That is only possible with paperless office.

Another way to reduce paper is to scan all the scannable documents and throw away the paper copiers. If fir instance you have too many business cards, use one of the paperless apps we have seen above to create scanned copies of them. You may even find that they are easily organized this way.

You could also receive fax in your email inbox instead of as fax. To do this you would need an online fax provider. There are so many, some of them even free.

Finally, see if your bank can send you e-statements instead of paper statements. If they can, go ahead and request that they begin doing this from now on. We guarantee that at the very least your desk will be less cluttered.

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