Finding the best Brother scanner currently available is the task we set our sights on in this article.
Brother has been making promising document scanners in the past years. so we thought we would create a list of the four best brother scanners that you can buy in 2020.
This list was created through a study of over 200 models and all the scanners have been assessed based on performance, integrated features, reliability and customer satisfaction at 6 months after purchase and also the value for money.
Here is our list of the best brother scanners that you can buy in 2020.

Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Our choice Brother ADS-3000N ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | Gigabit Ethernet and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 | 50 | 100 | 50 sheets | 5,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Brother ADS-2200 ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | Hi-Speed USB 2.0 | 35 | 70 | 50 sheets | 3,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Brother ADS-2700W ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | Fast Ethernet, Wireless and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 | 35 | 70 | 50 sheets | 3,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W ![]() | A4 – 215.9 mm x 355.6 mm ( 8.5 in. x 14.0 in.) | Gigabit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 or Wifi | 30PPM | 60IPM | 50 Sheets | 3000 Sheets | Click for more info |
Let’s have a look at each product in particular.
Brother ADS-3000N
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brother ADS-3000N ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | Gigabit Ethernet and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 | 50 | 100 | 50 sheets | 5,000 sheets | Click for more info |
This means it will enter the market of the digital senders, that have become so popular in the last years.
First of all let’s have a look outside of the scanner. You should know from the start that the scanner does not offer a touchscreen. Therefore, everything you scan has to be preset on one of the 3 programmable buttons.
You can go through the setting and pre program what ever you think will help you. For example, the first setting you could try is 300dpi with automatic color detection. You can also include other features in this shortcut, for example edge correction or even deskew.
The scan destination has to be preset, so you won’t be able to scan directly to any email address at the touch of a button. What you can do is always use the same preset email address, for example the accounting department, for when you are sending statements or invoices.
Brother ADS-2200
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brother ADS-2200 ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | Hi-Speed USB 2.0 | 35 | 70 | 50 sheets | 3,000 sheets | Click for more info |
Again, yes, a USB 3.0 port will definitely be faster, but in cases where the speed of the scanner is not very high, this is less of a problem.
Speaking of the scanning speed this is a 35ppm scanner in simplex mode and 70 images per minute in duplex mode. The ADF will hold around 50 sheets, which is definitely on the low side.
It does however offer multifeed detection by using an Ultrasonic sensor, which will allow it to prevent feeding 2 pages at the same time.
Some will say that the daily duty cycle is too low. At 3000 sheets per day, this is definitely low for a scanning facility, but for office use, or even personal use, this is a fair amount.
Brother ADS-2700W
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brother ADS-2700W ![]() | A4 | 8.27 in x 11.69 in | Fast Ethernet, Wireless and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 | 35 | 70 | 50 sheets | 3,000 sheets | Click for more info |
We like the fact that it comes with a touchscreen, even though it’s clearly very small. Yes, touching it and selecting it might seem like a hassle for more complicated tasks, for simple things it will work just fine.
The scanning speed is a mere 35 pages per minute when scanning 1 sided and 70 images per minute when scanning 2 sided. I will be honest with you, I have seen faster scanners. But for the same price I have also seen slower models.
One of the great things about this device, as you already know are the connectivity options. First of all it has a high speed USB 2.0. You will use this connection when you want to use this as a dedicated scanner, and have a computer attached to it.
Then we have the ethernet and wireless scanning. These are great for centralized scanning facilities, for example 1 scanner in the lobby that everyone can use. You can create presets for scanning, or just input the data when you reach the scanner.
Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W
Product | Format | Scanning area | Connectivity | Sheets per minute | Images per minute | ADF Size | Daily Duty Cycle | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brother ImageCenter ADS-2800W ![]() | A4 – 215.9 mm x 355.6 mm ( 8.5 in. x 14.0 in.) | Gigabit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 or Wifi | 30PPM | 60IPM | 50 Sheets | 3000 Sheets | Click for more info |
Choosing between the two is really very difficult. I guess you might prefer the look of the ADS-2800W which is black, compared to the white color of the ADS 2700W.
Just like the other scanner it is not that fast. At 60 pages per minute it’s a bit slower and same thing happens when you scan in duplex mode.
Then we come to the connectivity. You can use this scanner as a digital sender, by connecting it through Gigabit Ethernet or Wifi. At the same time, if you attach a computer to it and connect it through USB, it will work as a dedicated scanner.
A really nice thing about this scanner is the life of the consumables. The rollers will last around 200.000 sheets. Considering a maximum daily duty cycle of around 3000 sheets every day, it will be long until you replace the feed and brake rollers.
Features such as auto crop or deskew are definitely included with this scanner, same goes for the included OCR software, that will allow you to create searchable PDFs.
Which is the best Brother scanner?
There is no doubt in our mind that the best out of these 4 scanners is the Brother ADS-3000N. It’s the fastest one out of all 4 and was designed for scanning larger volumes of documents, when compared to the rest.
One thing it is missing is a touchscreen. Yes, that touchscreen really helps when you want to use the scanner without attaching a computer to it. So working standalone just with buttons as shortcuts for scanning settings, is a bit annoying, especially in these days when we are so used with touchscreens.
If you do want to have a digital sender but with a touchscreen then either the ADS 2700W or the ADS 2800W will work just fine. They are a bit cheaper, but the lower price comes with a lower scanning speed. Still, both of them are really good products, which you can also consider, if the ADS-3000N is not interesting for you.
Do you think our opinions are too harsh, or you have a different opinion on which is the best Brother scanner? Let us know right now!