5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with the scanner on Mac Mavericks

2026-01-17    -techuser

I use the scanner on a Mac with the newest Mavericks operating system. I previously used the portable scanner but found it to be slow and to feed documents unevenly. This scanner, however, is very, very fast and reliable. It does double-sided scanning as fast as single-sided. It has an OCR feature that is quite good. It allows you to scan directly to a PDF file at whatever location you choose, as well as to save the file to a folder in the proprietary Neat storage file.I would like Neat to update the "save to" dialog box so that it allows multiple changes to the file parameters, rather than having to re-select the items each time...but this is a "nice-to-have." Overall, the scanner installed and works perfectly. It allows you to create any filing system you like. I'm very happy

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Perfect, but still love it

2026-01-06    -LG3

I have the NeatDesk for Mac and the product is not perfect. I was on the fence about buying this scanner, but managing the loads of paper for me and now my kids led me to give this a try. I am really glad that I finally did this.Pros- Fast and good quality scans. I really have been able to get rid of my stacks of paper!- Content stored in PDFs and appears to be navigable even without NeatDesk - can move these files if you one day get rid of the NeatDesk scanner and app (let's face it, technology comes and goes quickly)- Looks nice - hey, it's sitting on your desk after all- Software interface is fairly well designed- Paper tray with various size slots works well - relatively few paper jams- Search works fairly well although is a bit limited in advanced search capabilities- OCR is decent - It is not perfect, but it does work with most standard fonts (receipts are more of an issue)Cons- Application is buggy - I have had several crashes, but have not lost any data and am happy enough with everything else to still use it- Would be helpful if standard settings (2-sided, 1-sided, color, black and white) could be selected on the scanner for quicker scanning. Changing these in the menu is a bit of a pain.- Must be connected to computer - in device memory for scanning and later uploading to the program would be really helpful for quick scans- Type of document recognition (contact, receipt, document) does not work all that well, but sometimes surprises me when it does- Frequently captures black space - area around the item being scanned - If you ever have to print the documents....or if you don't like seeing the dark area, cropping the document can be a pain.All in all, I am really happy with this product. I am looking forward to patches and software upgrades to resolve some of the issues, but I am glad that I finally purchased this.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with the scanner on Mac Mavericks

2026-02-28    -techuser

I use the scanner on a Mac with the newest Mavericks operating system. I previously used the portable scanner but found it to be slow and to feed documents unevenly. This scanner, however, is very, very fast and reliable. It does double-sided scanning as fast as single-sided. It has an OCR feature that is quite good. It allows you to scan directly to a PDF file at whatever location you choose, as well as to save the file to a folder in the proprietary Neat storage file.I would like Neat to update the "save to" dialog box so that it allows multiple changes to the file parameters, rather than having to re-select the items each time...but this is a "nice-to-have." Overall, the scanner installed and works perfectly. It allows you to create any filing system you like. I'm very happy

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Perfect, but still love it

2026-01-26    -LG3

I have the NeatDesk for Mac and the product is not perfect. I was on the fence about buying this scanner, but managing the loads of paper for me and now my kids led me to give this a try. I am really glad that I finally did this.Pros- Fast and good quality scans. I really have been able to get rid of my stacks of paper!- Content stored in PDFs and appears to be navigable even without NeatDesk - can move these files if you one day get rid of the NeatDesk scanner and app (let's face it, technology comes and goes quickly)- Looks nice - hey, it's sitting on your desk after all- Software interface is fairly well designed- Paper tray with various size slots works well - relatively few paper jams- Search works fairly well although is a bit limited in advanced search capabilities- OCR is decent - It is not perfect, but it does work with most standard fonts (receipts are more of an issue)Cons- Application is buggy - I have had several crashes, but have not lost any data and am happy enough with everything else to still use it- Would be helpful if standard settings (2-sided, 1-sided, color, black and white) could be selected on the scanner for quicker scanning. Changing these in the menu is a bit of a pain.- Must be connected to computer - in device memory for scanning and later uploading to the program would be really helpful for quick scans- Type of document recognition (contact, receipt, document) does not work all that well, but sometimes surprises me when it does- Frequently captures black space - area around the item being scanned - If you ever have to print the documents....or if you don't like seeing the dark area, cropping the document can be a pain.All in all, I am really happy with this product. I am looking forward to patches and software upgrades to resolve some of the issues, but I am glad that I finally purchased this.

1.0 out of 5 stars Regular crashing is "normal operation"

2026-02-01    -J

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PROUDCT NEW UNTIL ANOTHER VERSION IS RELEASED AND CAN BE TESTED BY THE PUBLIC.Although the Neat for Mac scanners and software have historically been excellent products (I have been using two different scanners and the software for years on my Macs), they have taken a sharp decline since the release of version 4.0. At the time of this writing, version 4.0.1 is the most recent version. 4.0.1 suffers from regular crashes especially as it relates to syncing your data to the cloud and the sleep/resume functions of a laptop. If neither of those features interest you - Neat may still be the product to buy. But if you choose to use either of those features, do not run any version higher than 4.0. If you do not have the 4.0 software to install, I would not purchase this product at this time.Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, the Neat support team has taken an interesting position of describing the problems as "normal operation of the software" (their words not mine). If you consider crashing to the point of requiring a "force quit" in OSX to be "normal" after every resume from sleep, then I feel really bad for you and your computing experience. Possibly Neat is just too proud to admit the issues publicly and is really working behind the scenes to fix the bugs - hopefully.Below is an actual ticket I had with support. Although embarrassing that I became as angry with them as I did, I am posting it in the complete form in an attempt to shame Neat into fixing their issues. This is the entire ticket I had with Neat support - I have only modified the order (original thread was most recent to oldest), omitted last names for privacy, and I removed boiler plate superfluous text:Discussion Thread---------------------------------------------------------------Customer By Web Form (Josh XXXXX) - 04/26/2013 02:44 PMNeat software crashes after every sleep/resume cycle. It is new in version 4.01 - prior version did not have the issue.sometimes I receive "Failed to open a session on the device" - other times I get a complicated error message basically indicating some sort of communications failure.But every time after a resume, the Neat application is hung and non-responsive. I have to use "Force Quit" to stop it and re-open.I have tried re-installing. But I have not tried deleting the application and re-installing.[---001:004424:46117---]On Apr 26, 2013, at 3:01 PM, "Neat Company Support" wrote:Response Via Email(Shawn XXXXX) - 04/26/2013 03:01 PMHello,Please follow the steps provided below to resolve your issue.Click Neat -> Quit Neat in the top left corner of your software.Select Finder and then GO in the menu at the top of the screen. Select "Go to Folder" from the dropdown and type the following:~/Library/PreferencesDelete all the files starting with com.neatco or com.neatreceipts in this directory.Launch Neat and sign in with your email and password.You should be all set.Let me know how this works for you.Thank you for contacting us.-Neat Technical SupportThanks for contacting The Neat Company.Customer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 11:26 AMI performed the operations requested below last Friday. The error messages are no longer happening. But the Neat app did crash first thing this morning after waking the MBP from sleep and connecting it to a scanner.Interestingly, I am able to scan to the app when it is "crashed". It appears as if just the UI is non-responsive - but the app isn't totally hung. Once again, I had to force quit and start the Neat app again.On Apr 29, 2013, at 12:35 PM, "Neat Company Support" wrote:Response Via Email(Shawn XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 12:35 PMDear Customer,This may just be an issue with the way the Mac resumes from sleep and the way the program responds to that process. The best solution to this would be just to exit the program if you intend to place the computer in sleep mode.Let me know if you continue to have any other issues or error messages.Thank You,Shawn@Neat Technical SupportCustomer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 05:25 PMAre you joking? Pardon me, but none of my other applications require me to open and close them dozens of times a day.First of all, I already told you this is a new bug in your product - older versions did not have this issue and I have been a user for years. One would think the Neat development team is interested in fixing their bugs (but maybe not based on your response).Second, you are asking me, the consumer, to go out of my way every time I open and close my laptop to workaround your application problems? I can tell you right now I'll light my "Neat" scanner on fire before I succumb to this so called plan - that will be "real neat" (and yes, pun intended).I still have a few questions:When did it become okay for Neat support to dropkick a ticket without resolving it?How do I escalate this issue to someone who cares, because clearly you don't?On Apr 29, 2013, at 5:58 PM, "Neat Company Support" wrote:Response Via Email(Shawn XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 05:58 PMDear Customer,Unfortunately our software works with what is known as a "Live Database." This style of programming does not respond well to constant sleep and resume scenarios of any kind.I apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you, but the issue is with the program going from sleep mode to resume on and off. My solution was not an attempt to blow you off, it is just the only solution we can offer you for this particular issue.If you would like, you can contact us directly with any further questions you may have.Our number is 1 (866) 632-8732, option 3. We are available from Monday thru Friday, between 9:00am and 7:00pm EST.Thank You Again,Shawn@Neat Technical SupportCustomer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 06:40 PMdoesn't explain why this used to work. Please escalate this ticket.Response Via Email(William XXXXX) - 05/01/2013 12:49 PMHello Sir,I do apologize however shawn was quite correct. Programs running live databases don't work well with the sleep\hibernate functions of Pc'sI apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you, but that is the normal operation of the softwareNeat Technical SupportCustomer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 05/03/2013 11:57 PMI can't honestly believe that we are having a dialog about the Neat application crashing constantly and you think there is ANY logical reasoning that would make this behavior "acceptable" or "tolerable" to a user. This doesn't bode well for Neat's future as a company - I am not sure what to even say after that. Obviously none of my other "live database" applications crash after every sleep/resume cycle. There is a new bug in 4.01 related to sleep/resume - that is an undeniable fact and I prove it below:I am attempting my own troubleshooting since I can't get support assistance. First I uninstalled 4.01, and deleted my database. Then I reinstalled 4.01and re-downloaded my database from the Cloud (trying to uncover any local database corruption issues). The clean 4.01 install still crashed every time I sleep/resumed. Then I uninstalled Neat 4.01 and installed version 4.00 (leaving the clean database version I downloaded via 4.01 as the default). I have not had a single crash on version 4.00 since the downgrade and I am using the same database as the 4.01 install did (which was crashing constantly). Since the only factor that changed from test to test was 4.01 downgraded to 4.0 and the problem went away, the code in 4.01 must have the bug as it relates to my Neat data / Mac OS setup somehow.Maybe when Neat releases the next upgrade I'll give it a try and see if it is buggy like 4.01. Frankly I don't have high hopes for the next release though, since the Neat support organization seems bent on telling customers that the application is supposed to be broken.Then again, Maybe I'll just post this entire dialog on Amazon reviews of Neat for Mac - just to do what I can to make sure no other customer gets this treatment.Sincerely mystified - I am tagging out,-Josh

1.0 out of 5 stars Regular crashing is "normal operation"

2026-02-25    -J

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PROUDCT NEW UNTIL ANOTHER VERSION IS RELEASED AND CAN BE TESTED BY THE PUBLIC.Although the Neat for Mac scanners and software have historically been excellent products (I have been using two different scanners and the software for years on my Macs), they have taken a sharp decline since the release of version 4.0. At the time of this writing, version 4.0.1 is the most recent version. 4.0.1 suffers from regular crashes especially as it relates to syncing your data to the cloud and the sleep/resume functions of a laptop. If neither of those features interest you - Neat may still be the product to buy. But if you choose to use either of those features, do not run any version higher than 4.0. If you do not have the 4.0 software to install, I would not purchase this product at this time.Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, the Neat support team has taken an interesting position of describing the problems as "normal operation of the software" (their words not mine). If you consider crashing to the point of requiring a "force quit" in OSX to be "normal" after every resume from sleep, then I feel really bad for you and your computing experience. Possibly Neat is just too proud to admit the issues publicly and is really working behind the scenes to fix the bugs - hopefully.Below is an actual ticket I had with support. Although embarrassing that I became as angry with them as I did, I am posting it in the complete form in an attempt to shame Neat into fixing their issues. This is the entire ticket I had with Neat support - I have only modified the order (original thread was most recent to oldest), omitted last names for privacy, and I removed boiler plate superfluous text:Discussion Thread---------------------------------------------------------------Customer By Web Form (Josh XXXXX) - 04/26/2013 02:44 PMNeat software crashes after every sleep/resume cycle. It is new in version 4.01 - prior version did not have the issue.sometimes I receive "Failed to open a session on the device" - other times I get a complicated error message basically indicating some sort of communications failure.But every time after a resume, the Neat application is hung and non-responsive. I have to use "Force Quit" to stop it and re-open.I have tried re-installing. But I have not tried deleting the application and re-installing.[---001:004424:46117---]On Apr 26, 2013, at 3:01 PM, "Neat Company Support" wrote:Response Via Email(Shawn XXXXX) - 04/26/2013 03:01 PMHello,Please follow the steps provided below to resolve your issue.Click Neat -> Quit Neat in the top left corner of your software.Select Finder and then GO in the menu at the top of the screen. Select "Go to Folder" from the dropdown and type the following:~/Library/PreferencesDelete all the files starting with com.neatco or com.neatreceipts in this directory.Launch Neat and sign in with your email and password.You should be all set.Let me know how this works for you.Thank you for contacting us.-Neat Technical SupportThanks for contacting The Neat Company.Customer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 11:26 AMI performed the operations requested below last Friday. The error messages are no longer happening. But the Neat app did crash first thing this morning after waking the MBP from sleep and connecting it to a scanner.Interestingly, I am able to scan to the app when it is "crashed". It appears as if just the UI is non-responsive - but the app isn't totally hung. Once again, I had to force quit and start the Neat app again.On Apr 29, 2013, at 12:35 PM, "Neat Company Support" wrote:Response Via Email(Shawn XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 12:35 PMDear Customer,This may just be an issue with the way the Mac resumes from sleep and the way the program responds to that process. The best solution to this would be just to exit the program if you intend to place the computer in sleep mode.Let me know if you continue to have any other issues or error messages.Thank You,Shawn@Neat Technical SupportCustomer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 05:25 PMAre you joking? Pardon me, but none of my other applications require me to open and close them dozens of times a day.First of all, I already told you this is a new bug in your product - older versions did not have this issue and I have been a user for years. One would think the Neat development team is interested in fixing their bugs (but maybe not based on your response).Second, you are asking me, the consumer, to go out of my way every time I open and close my laptop to workaround your application problems? I can tell you right now I'll light my "Neat" scanner on fire before I succumb to this so called plan - that will be "real neat" (and yes, pun intended).I still have a few questions:When did it become okay for Neat support to dropkick a ticket without resolving it?How do I escalate this issue to someone who cares, because clearly you don't?On Apr 29, 2013, at 5:58 PM, "Neat Company Support" wrote:Response Via Email(Shawn XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 05:58 PMDear Customer,Unfortunately our software works with what is known as a "Live Database." This style of programming does not respond well to constant sleep and resume scenarios of any kind.I apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you, but the issue is with the program going from sleep mode to resume on and off. My solution was not an attempt to blow you off, it is just the only solution we can offer you for this particular issue.If you would like, you can contact us directly with any further questions you may have.Our number is 1 (866) 632-8732, option 3. We are available from Monday thru Friday, between 9:00am and 7:00pm EST.Thank You Again,Shawn@Neat Technical SupportCustomer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 04/29/2013 06:40 PMdoesn't explain why this used to work. Please escalate this ticket.Response Via Email(William XXXXX) - 05/01/2013 12:49 PMHello Sir,I do apologize however shawn was quite correct. Programs running live databases don't work well with the sleep\hibernate functions of Pc'sI apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you, but that is the normal operation of the softwareNeat Technical SupportCustomer By Email (Josh XXXXX) - 05/03/2013 11:57 PMI can't honestly believe that we are having a dialog about the Neat application crashing constantly and you think there is ANY logical reasoning that would make this behavior "acceptable" or "tolerable" to a user. This doesn't bode well for Neat's future as a company - I am not sure what to even say after that. Obviously none of my other "live database" applications crash after every sleep/resume cycle. There is a new bug in 4.01 related to sleep/resume - that is an undeniable fact and I prove it below:I am attempting my own troubleshooting since I can't get support assistance. First I uninstalled 4.01, and deleted my database. Then I reinstalled 4.01and re-downloaded my database from the Cloud (trying to uncover any local database corruption issues). The clean 4.01 install still crashed every time I sleep/resumed. Then I uninstalled Neat 4.01 and installed version 4.00 (leaving the clean database version I downloaded via 4.01 as the default). I have not had a single crash on version 4.00 since the downgrade and I am using the same database as the 4.01 install did (which was crashing constantly). Since the only factor that changed from test to test was 4.01 downgraded to 4.0 and the problem went away, the code in 4.01 must have the bug as it relates to my Neat data / Mac OS setup somehow.Maybe when Neat releases the next upgrade I'll give it a try and see if it is buggy like 4.01. Frankly I don't have high hopes for the next release though, since the Neat support organization seems bent on telling customers that the application is supposed to be broken.Then again, Maybe I'll just post this entire dialog on Amazon reviews of Neat for Mac - just to do what I can to make sure no other customer gets this treatment.Sincerely mystified - I am tagging out,-Josh