Who Owns Tiny Scanner?
Tiny Scanner is owned by Appxy, which publishes under the developer name TinyWork Apps (TinyWork Apps Technology Co., Ltd.), a privately held mobile app developer headquartered in Hangzhou, China. Launched in 2013, Tiny Scanner is a lightweight PDF document scanner with more than 10 million downloads on Google Play, offering a free tier and a low-cost premium upgrade.
Parent Company
Founded
2013
Status
Private
Headquarters
Tiny Scanner Timeline
Who Owns Tiny Scanner?
- Parent Company: Appxy (TinyWork Apps)
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Company Type: Privately Held
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny Scanner | Appxy (TinyWork Apps) | Wholly owned |
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History of Tiny Scanner
- Founded: 2013
- Founders: Appxy (internal development)
Appxy released Tiny Scanner on iOS in 2013 as a compact, single-purpose PDF scanner for smartphones, at a time when heavyweight rivals were adding subscriptions and feature bloat. The Android version followed on Google Play in 2015.
The app steadily accumulated downloads by staying small and mostly free, then added OCR, cloud sync through Tiny Scanner Cloud, PDF encryption, and an AI assistant that summarizes documents and drafts emails. It remains one of the most downloaded free scanner apps outside the major publishers.
About Appxy (TinyWork Apps)
Who owns Tiny Scanner?
Tiny Scanner is developed by Appxy, which publishes under the developer name TinyWork Apps (TinyWork Apps Technology Co., Ltd.), headquartered in Hangzhou, China.
Is Appxy publicly traded?
No. Appxy is a privately held company.
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Where is Appxy based?
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, with its legal entity TinyWork Apps Technology Co., Ltd. also registered in Shanghai.
- Founded: 2011
- Headquarters: Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Company Type: Privately Held
Where Is Tiny Scanner Made / Based?
- Headquarters: Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (Appxy)
Tiny Scanner Categories & Tags
Tiny Scanner Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Lightweight and simple compared with feature-heavy rivals
- +Large installed base and strong store ratings
- +Low-cost premium tier
Considerations
- -Chinese developer ownership raises data privacy questions for some users
- -Limited brand awareness outside app store search
- -Features lag premium scanners such as SwiftScan
Frequently Asked Questions About Tiny Scanner
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Sources & Further Reading
- Tiny Scanner official website
- Tiny Scanner terms of service
- Appxy company profile - /companies/appxy
Competitors to Tiny Scanner
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe | USA (Adobe) | 2017 | Mass market | Global | All-ages | |
| Microsoft | USA (Microsoft) | 2015 | Discontinued | Global | All-ages | |
| Maple Media | USA (Maple Media) | 2014 | Premium | Global | All-ages | |
| Intsig Information | China | 2010 | Mass market | Global | All-ages | |
| Alphabet | USA (Google) | 2012 | Mass market | Global | All-ages | |
| Adobe | USA | 1993 | Premium | Global | All Genders |
Learn More About Competitors
Technology SoftwareAdobe Scan
Owned by Adobe Inc.
Free mobile document scanning app with AI-powered OCR, part of Adobe Document Cloud, with over 100 million downloads.
document-scanningmobile-appocr
Technology SoftwareMicrosoft Lens
Owned by Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft's retired mobile document scanning app, launched in 2015 as Office Lens and discontinued in early 2026 in favor of OneDrive.
document-scanningmobile-appocr
Technology SoftwareSwiftScan
Owned by Maple Media
Mobile document scanning app originally launched as Scanbot in 2014, now operated by Maple Media, a Skybound Entertainment company.
document-scanningmobile-appocr
Technology SoftwareCamScanner
Owned by INTSIG Information Co., Ltd.
Mobile document scanning app with OCR capabilities, owned by INTSIG Information Co., Ltd. of Shanghai, China.
document-scanningmobile-appocr
Technology SoftwareGoogle Drive
Owned by Alphabet Inc.
Google's cloud storage and file sync service with more than 2 billion users, including a built-in document scanning feature.
cloud-storagedocument-scanningmobile-app
Technology SoftwareAdobe Acrobat
Owned by Adobe Inc.
PDF creation, editing, and document management software developed by Adobe Inc. Launched in 1993 alongside the PDF format. Now includes Acrobat Studio and AI Assistant features.
pdfsoftwaredocument-management
Competitive Analysis
Market Positioning: Tiny Scanner competes with 6 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
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Independent Alternatives to Tiny Scanner
Looking for brands with different ownership structures? These similar brands are not owned by Appxy (TinyWork Apps), giving you alternative choices that support different corporate structures.
Technology SoftwareGoogle Drive
Owned by Alphabet Inc.
Google's cloud storage and file sync service with more than 2 billion users, including a built-in document scanning feature.
cloud-storagedocument-scanningmobile-app
Publicly Traded
Google Drive is owned by Alphabet Inc., a public company, a different structure than Tiny Scanner's parent.
Technology SoftwareAdobe Scan
Owned by Adobe Inc.
Free mobile document scanning app with AI-powered OCR, part of Adobe Document Cloud, with over 100 million downloads.
document-scanningmobile-appocr
Publicly Traded
Adobe Scan is owned by Adobe Inc., a public company, a different structure than Tiny Scanner's parent.
Technology SoftwareGrindr
Owned by Grindr Inc.
World's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people, using location-based technology to connect users globally.
datingsocial-networkinglgbtq
Publicly Traded
Grindr operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareCharacter.AI
Owned by Character.AI
AI chatbot platform for user-created characters, popular with younger users, whose company filed Chapter 11 in October 2026 and agreed to sell certain assets to Disney for $20 million.
artificial-intelligencechatbotai
Privately Owned
Character.AI operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareMuzz
Owned by Muzz
Muslim-focused dating and matchmaking app with over 12 million members, designed to help Muslims find marriage partners while respecting religious and cultural norms.
datingmuslim-datingmarriage-focused
Privately Owned
Muzz operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareJumpJumpVPN
Owned by Unknown Company
Mobile virtual private network service available through Google Play, with an official product website at jumpjump.io.
vpnprivacy-softwaremobile-app
Independent
JumpJumpVPN operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Jobs at Appxy (TinyWork Apps)
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