Searching for better scanning software than VueScan on macOS Sequoia

If there were better scanning software than VueScan Professional, I would have switched at some point since I purchased it in 2010. There isn't and I have never paid an upgrade fee in 15 years.

VueScan is not freeware, and if you only have trial software with that scanner purchase, it will not be fully enabled for your device. Keep VueScan versions current.

You don't state what specific scanner model you purchased. VueScan Professional supports some devices without vendor scanner drivers or software installed, and others require compatible vendor drivers installed. Hamrick provides a list of supported scanners by vendor and whether they require drivers or not from that vendor. Click the individual supported scanner model link to see that confirmation.

Hamrick also has an online (or PDF) VueScan Professional manual.

If the scanner you purchased does require vendor drivers by VueScan, then you need to check the scanner vendor site to see if they provide compatible driver(s) for macOS Sequioa (macOS 15). If not, you have bigger issues than VueScan.

What is your level of scanning. Home use? Business/ publishing?

I used VueScan in the past but no longer have professional needs. I find that Image Capture, included with macOS, is competent and intuitive. When I invoke it with our Epson MFD ET-3850 connected to our wired network, I see the same scan options that the harder-to-use Epson software offers. This is with Sequoia:

Its real strength is reliable connectivity. I've never had a issue with IC not connecting and/or scanning on the first try. Can't say that about other scan options I've tried.

Apple info here: Image Capture User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

Yes, but VueScan Professional requires you to have the compatible June 2025 released Epson v39 II scanner drivers installed from Epson. That should satisfy the compatibility with Sequoia v15.6.

Download and install what is selected in the red box under drivers for the v39 II scanner. Visit System Settings > Printers & Scanners panel to configure the V39 for these drivers. Until you do that, VueScan Professional won't work correctly.

Like Allan Jones I too have found Image Capture to meet my scanning needs. The only trick is to select to show details to get the advanced window. We have an older Brother printer-scanner. When I upgraded to Sequoia the new Brother software was so terrible I thought I had lost my scanning capabilities. I think that the old Brother interface just borrowed Image Capture's interface and once I started Image Capture and enabled the detailed view mode, everything I had been using reappeared.

I recently came across this web site. https://www.naps2.com/ I have no idea if the software is any good, so let us know if you try it.

VueScan works, but is very limited in its controls. I tried it just for testing with my Epson V850 Pro and was very much unimpressed.

The scanner came with a crippled version of SilverFast, which even in that state was far superior. I immediately upgraded to the full version.

I will say up front that SilverFast is not easy to learn. It wasn't bad for me as I've used high-end scanners for years that have loads of settings like this. It was more a matter of learning where the same/similar settings are.

For whatever reason, their site is not responding at the moment (sites that check for a response all say it's down for everyone). But if I remember right, you can download SilverFast for a trial period.

https://www.silverfast.com

What are your specific complaints with VueScan?

I've been using VueScan for around 10 years and find it to be superior in every way except one, that's scanning a number of photos on a flatbed scanner and saving each on as a separate file like my old Canon CanoScan 8800F scanner. The software that cam with it allowed for scanning multiple slides, photos or negatives and saving each as it's own file.

I'm currently using this version of VueScan

with an Epson XP-7100 Series All-in-One printer/scanner.

What are your specific complaints so we can try to address them if we can?

Old Toad wrote:

find it to be superior in every way except one, that's scanning a number of photos on a flatbed scanner and saving each on as a separate file

Vuescan does this, and does it admirably. In the Crop tab, select Multi crop ON. In the Output tab, enter a basic filename and include a few digits and a plus sign (+). Example: vacationphotos_001+

Then lay your pix on the scanner bed, run Vuescan Preview and Vuescan will locate each picture and put a crop box around each picture. You can then adjust each crop box individually if necessary. When you're ready, hit Vuescan Scan and it will scan each picture and save it to its own individual file.

For more details, see the Vuescan Manual - How to Scan Multiple Photos on a Flatbed.

I too have found VueScan to work very well. It is also well supported, unlike some of the apps that work with scanners. Your scanner should have its own scanner app. Try i and see if you like it.

Note that Image Capture on Sequoia also offers a PDF OCR option for scanned documents. As does VueScan Professional…

Thanks for the info. Hadn't had to try it since I finished scanning my 4000 slides.

Great to know. 👍

Jennings Heilig wrote:

Everything I find says VueScan is the best scanning app for the Mac desktop OS.

It IS the best by far.

Jennings Heilig wrote:

Surely there must be something better out there? OS Sequoia on a Mac Mini.

No there isn’t.