The catch
Epson ES-50
Sheets go in individually, and getting both sides means separate passes.
Side by side
Epson ES-50 vs ES-60W: 60W sends receipts to a phone with no outlet needed
Quick verdict
If a laptop is always with you, pick the ES-50. If you want to capture receipts to a phone without a USB host or nearby outlet, pick the ES-60W. Either way, you're feeding a single-sided scanner one sheet at a time.
Before you buy
Why, and what it costs you
The battery adds little weight and a lot of independence
Compared with the ES-50, the ES-60W adds 0.07 lb, about 1.1 ounces. When leaving the laptop behind is worth something to you, that is a modest bump in scanner weight in exchange for battery and phone access. When the laptop is already open, the ES-50 gets its power over the same cable that carries data.
Where this comes from
0.66 minus 0.59 gives 0.07 lb. Cables and any carrying case are left out.
The catch
Epson ES-60W
Only one side of one sheet gets scanned at a time.
Epson ES-50
- Why pick it
- You scan next to a laptop you carry anyway
- You care about lower weight and a simple USB workflow
- The catch
- Sheets go in individually, and getting both sides means separate passes.
Epson ES-60W
- Why pick it
- A phone is often all you have on hand
- Scanning wirelessly on battery frees you from a cable you really depend on
- The catch
- Only one side of one sheet gets scanned at a time.
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What this page compares
A laptop-powered receipt scanner or a battery model for phone use? The comparison looks at weight, handling and what the faster single-sheet rating means.
If a laptop is always with you, pick the ES-50. If you want to capture receipts to a phone without a USB host or nearby outlet, pick the ES-60W. Either way, you're feeding a single-sided scanner one sheet at a time.
Which one fits
Pick the situations that sound like you
The laptop is already open at the travel desk
The ES-50 gets what it needs from USB power and has no battery to charge.
- Epson ES-50
- Better fit
- Epson ES-60W
- Good
Capturing with only a phone, away from an outlet
Battery and Wi-Fi are what the ES-60W adds.
- Epson ES-50
- Not suitable
- Epson ES-60W
- Better fit
Twenty receipts to scan with nobody attending
Each has to be fed individually.
- Epson ES-50
- Not suitable
- Epson ES-60W
- Not suitable
Forms that carry information on both sides
The backs need their own passes on both.
- Epson ES-50
- Caution
- Epson ES-60W
- Caution
In practice
Differences you will notice
The battery adds little weight and a lot of independence
Compared with the ES-50, the ES-60W adds 0.07 lb, about 1.1 ounces. When leaving the laptop behind is worth something to you, that is a modest bump in scanner weight in exchange for battery and phone access. When the laptop is already open, the ES-50 gets its power over the same cable that carries data.
How we worked this out
0.66 minus 0.59 gives 0.07 lb. Cables and any carrying case are left out.
A faster per-sheet rating doesn't automate a stack
The published gap comes to 1.5 seconds per Letter sheet at 300 dpi. Across 20 one-sided sheets that adds up to 30 seconds of rated scanning time, before insertion and saving. You have to feed every sheet on both, so if hand-loading bothers you more, pick a feeder model.
How we worked this out
20 times 1.5 seconds gives 30 seconds. It is not an end-to-end timed test.
You still have to handle two-sided receipts yourself
Simplex is all either machine does. When a receipt or form has useful information on the reverse, you have to turn it over and scan it separately. What the wireless connection on the ES-60W changes is where you work, and not how many faces one pass captures.
How we worked this out
In automatic feeding mode, pages inserted in sequence are joined into a single file. This is neither an automatic stack feeder nor a duplex mechanism.
Option A
Epson, ES-50
ES-50
A lightweight USB-powered scanner to carry around for receipts and the occasional signed page.
- Best for
- You scan next to a laptop you carry anyway
Facts we checked
- Power: From the USB bus
- Connection: USB
- Weighs 0.59 lb
- Rating for a single sheet: 5.5 seconds
Option B
Epson, ES-60W
ES-60W
Scan a receipt straight to your phone, with no laptop to unpack and no outlet to find.
- Best for
- A phone is often all you have on hand
Facts we checked
- Power: Internal battery or USB
- Connection: Wi-Fi as well as USB
- Weighs 0.66 lb
- Rating for a single sheet: 4 seconds
Spec by spec
Where they really differ
| Spec | Epson ES-50 | Epson ES-60W | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | USB bus power | USB or internal battery | The ES-60W is able to scan away from any host power source. |
| Connection | USB | USB and Wi-Fi | Phone and tablet workflows come with the wireless model. |
| Weight | 0.59 lb | 0.66 lb | Before accessories, the battery model is 0.07 lb heavier. |
| Single-sheet rating | 5.5 seconds | 4 seconds | Letter at 300 dpi underlies both timings, and neither counts manual loading. |
| Sides captured | One side per pass | One side per pass | Two-sided originals still have to be turned on either. |
Trade-offs
What each pick costs you
With Epson ES-50
- To save to the cloud, you go through software on a connected computer.
With Epson ES-60W
- Keep the battery charged, and use the supported app for mobile scanning.
Change of plan
When the answer changes
For capture, the phone has to stand in for the laptop
Go with Epson ES-60W. The additions you need are battery power and wireless mobile scanning.
A laptop is connected all the time and most papers are one-sided
Go with Epson ES-50. The ES-50 is lighter and works over USB only.
Most of your work is two-sided multi-page packets
Neither model fits. For that job, a portable duplex feeder is a better kind of scanner.
Decision guide
How to decide
The ES-50 is the choice when a laptop is always present. The ES-60W is for capturing receipts to a phone with no USB host or nearby outlet. Both are still single-sided scanners that take one sheet at a time.
The battery adds little weight and a lot of independence
Compared with the ES-50, the ES-60W weighs 0.07 lb more, about 1.1 ounces. If leaving the laptop behind is worth something to you, that is a modest weight increase for battery and phone access. When the laptop is already open, the ES-50 gets its power over the same cable that carries data. 0.66 minus 0.59 equals 0.07 lb. Cables and any carrying case are excluded.
A faster per-sheet rating doesn't automate a stack
Per Letter sheet at 300 dpi, the published gap is 1.5 seconds. Across 20 one-sided sheets, that adds up to 30 seconds of rated scanning time, before insertion and saving. Since you have to feed every sheet on both, a feeder model is the better choice if hand-loading is what annoys you most. 20 multiplied by 1.5 seconds equals 30 seconds. This is not an end-to-end timed test.
You still have to handle two-sided receipts yourself
Simplex is all either machine does. When a receipt or form carries useful information on the reverse, you have to turn it over and scan it separately. The ES-60W's wireless connection changes where you can work. One pass still captures one face. Automatic feeding mode joins consecutively inserted pages into a file, but it is neither an automatic stack feeder nor a duplex mechanism.
What this page can’t tell you
- Feed ratings from the manufacturer don't count document preparation, OCR or saving time.
- Check the supported media, scan mode, current operating system and destination before you buy.
By the numbers
What the data shows
What we found across the document scanners we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
Show the facts and the math
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epson ES-50 |
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| Epson ES-60W |
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Ready to buy
See today’s price and what owners say
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Epson ES-50
You scan next to a laptop you carry anyway
See price & reviews on AmazonEpson ES-60W
A phone is often all you have on hand
See price & reviews on AmazonEach link opens in a new tab.
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