Quick answer
AutoSplitter is a capable Windows-only desktop app that costs $24.99–$34.99 for a permanent license. If you're on a Mac or a Chromebook, can't install software on the computer you're using, or your photos are already scanned and just need splitting, AutoCropper does the same core job in your browser: it detects every photo in a scan, crops it, straightens it, and exports each one as its own full-quality file. It's free for up to 5 images a day with every feature included, and your full-resolution scans never leave your device.
What AutoSplitter actually is
Credit where it's due: AutoSplitter (currently v1.14.19) has been around for years and does its job. It's a Windows 10/11 utility that drives your flatbed scanner directly: you lay 3–5 photos on the glass with about half an inch between them, click Scan, and it detects each photo as a "split" you can adjust before saving. It can also open files you've already scanned and batch-detect the photos in them. On top of splitting, it bundles two extras: automatic retouching (reviving faded colors on old prints) and captioning, which writes text captions and dates into EXIF metadata.
The license is a one-time payment for your household's PCs, with a 14-day money-back guarantee: at the time of writing, $24.99 for a Basic license that includes 30 days of software updates, or $34.99 for a Gold license with 2 years of updates (both listed as sale prices, down from $34.99 and $49.99). After your update window ends, the version you have keeps working; you just don't get new versions without upgrading.
For a Windows user who wants one installed program that scans, splits, retouches, and captions, that's a fair deal. So why are you searching for an alternative?
The three reasons people look for an alternative
1. There is no Mac version. AutoSplitter is built for Windows 10 and 11, full stop. No macOS, no Linux, no Chromebook. If you're on anything other than a Windows PC, the download button is a dead end.
2. It's an install plus a license key. The household license is genuinely generous for family PCs, but it doesn't help on a work laptop where you can't install software, a library computer, or your parents' machine you're fixing up over a weekend visit.
3. If your photos are already scanned, you don't need a scanner app at all. A lot of people have a folder (or a stack of Walgreens DVDs, or one giant PDF) of whole-bed scans with three or four photos baked into each image. At that point the scanning is done — splitting is the entire job, and paying $25 and installing software for it is more machinery than the problem needs.
AutoSplitter vs AutoCropper, honestly
AutoSplitter | AutoCropper | |
Price | $24.99 one-time (Basic, 30 days of updates) or $34.99 (Gold, 2 years of updates) | Free for 5 images/day, every feature; unlimited from $7/mo billed annually |
Platforms | Windows 10/11 only | Any browser: Mac, Windows, Chromebook, Linux |
Install required | Yes (setup .exe + license key) | None |
Splits already-scanned files | Yes (open files or a folder) | Yes (drag and drop; it's the main workflow) |
Drives your scanner directly | Yes | No. Scan with any software you like, then upload. |
Auto-straightens tilted photos | Yes | Yes |
PDF and HEIC input | Not advertised | Yes: multi-page PDFs, HEIC, TIFF, JPEG, PNG |
Retouching / color restore | Yes | No |
Captions & dates in metadata | Yes | Yes: per-photo title, description, and date fields |
Full-resolution photos uploaded | n/a (offline) | Never. Detection uses a compressed copy; cropping happens in your browser. |
Try before paying | Trial download; 14-day refund after purchase | The free tier is the trial: full quality, no watermark |
The honest summary: AutoSplitter wins if you want an all-in-one installed Windows program, especially for its built-in retouching. AutoCropper wins on everything platform-shaped (no install, no license key, works on whatever machine you're sitting at) and on input flexibility, since it eats multi-page PDFs and iPhone HEIC files, not just standard images.
How to split scanned photos in your browser
Here's the whole workflow; it's shorter than AutoSplitter's tutorial:
Drag your scans into the AutoCropper workspace. JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC, or a multi-page PDF. No account needed to try it.
Review the detections. The AI draws a crop around every photo it finds and measures the tilt of each one, so crooked photos come out straight. If a detection needs a nudge, drag its corners; you can add, rotate, or delete crops by hand.
Export.Every photo saves as its own file at the full resolution of your original scan, auto-named after the source file (photo_1.jpeg, photo_2.jpeg, …) so batches stay organized.
That's it. Nothing to uninstall afterward, and it works identically on the Mac at home and the PC at your parents' house. If you want to squeeze more photos per scanner pass first, I wrote up how I scan multiple photos at once on a flatbed; the more photos per pass, the more time the splitting step saves.
When AutoSplitter is the better choice
I'd rather you pick the right tool than my tool. Buy AutoSplitter if:
You want retouching in the same pass.
Its color-revival feature is real, and AutoCropper doesn't do restoration.
You're all-Windows and prefer one program
that runs the scanner, splits, and saves without a browser involved.
And if you want free and desktop, Scanned Image Extractor is a free, open-source Windows program that handles basic photo extraction — bare-bones, but the price is right.
Frequently asked questions
Does AutoSplitter work on a Mac?
No. AutoSplitter v1.14.19 is built for Windows 10 and 11 only. On a Mac, your options are a browser-based splitter like AutoCropper (no install) or a Mac-specific desktop app.
Is there a free alternative to AutoSplitter?
Two real ones. AutoCropper's free tier splits up to 5 images a day with every feature and full-quality export, no watermarks. If you specifically want free desktop software, Scanned Image Extractor is open source, though far more limited.
Can I split photos I've already scanned into one big file?
Yes. That's the core use case: drag the whole-bed scans (or a multi-page PDF of them) into AutoCropper and it detects and separates every photo. AutoSplitter can also do this on Windows through its file-processing mode.
How many photos can I put on one scan?
As many as fit without touching. Leave roughly a quarter to half an inch between prints so the edges are clean; on a letter-size flatbed that's typically three to four standard prints per pass.
Will it straighten crooked photos?
Yes. Photos laid slightly rotated on the scanner glass are detected at their actual angle and exported straight, at the original scan's full resolution.
Sources
AutoSplitter — official site (features, workflow, v1.14.19)
AutoSplitter purchase page (license tiers and pricing, retrieved August 8, 2026)
AlternativeTo: AutoSplitter (the wider alternatives landscape)