Whether you want to search through and collect data from physical documents or images, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software can come in handy. It helps save time by automatically converting digital files into a more usable form without manual typing or re-keying. Plenty of great OCR products are on the market today – both free and paid – making it hard to choose the one that is right for your needs. That’s why we have compiled this comprehensive list of 11 essential OCR software solutions for 2023 to help make your decision easier.
What is OCR Software?
OCR software is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology that recognizes printed and handwritten characters from digital documents or images. Once the surfaces are extracted, they can be converted into machine-readable text for further processing. OCR is beneficial for removing data from scanned documents and pictures or digitizing paper documents into digital files.
How OCR Sofware work?
OCR software works by analyzing the pixels of a digital image and identifying characters within it. Once the surfaces are identified, they can be converted into digital text format for further processing and analysis. This process requires a lot of computing power and is often done with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. Depending on the complexity of the document or image, OCR software can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours to complete the task.
Best OCR Software (Free and Paid Tools):
These are some of the best OCR software solutions available in 2023:
1. Adobe Acrobat DC:
One of the most popular and influential OCR solutions is Adobe Acrobat DC. It offers a range of features and options – from document conversion to data extraction, annotation, search capabilities, and more.
Features of Adobe AcrobatDC:
- Support for a variety of file formats
- Ability to convert PDF files into Word documents
- Text recognition in more than 30 languages
- Searchable PDFs with editable images
- Ability to extract data from scans and images
- Ability to combine multiple documents into one
- Annotation tools for editing and commenting on documents
- Support for digital signatures
- Cloud storage options
- Accessibility features for the visually impaired
Pricing:
- Adobe Acrobat DC has a range of plans, including an individual plan for $14.99/month and a business plan for $24.99/month.
2. Microsoft OneNote:
Microsoft OneNote is a powerful OCR software that enables users to capture, organize and share their notes, projects, and ideas. It allows users to take handwritten or digital notes, store them in the cloud, and access them from any device.
Features of Microsoft OneNote:
- Cloud storage options
- Ability to capture text, images, and handwritten notes
- Searchable PDFs
- Syncing across all devices for easy access
- Shareable content with friends and colleagues
- Embedding documents, videos, and other media
- Powerful image recognition and OCR capabilities
- Impressive search functions to quickly find relevant notes
- Ability to transcribe voice recordings
Pricing:
- Microsoft OneNote is available for free.
3. Nanonets:
Nanonets is a cloud-based platform for developers and data scientists to build, deploy, and maintain custom computer vision models. It provides an easy-to-use interface for creating custom AI models without coding and offers powerful tools such as OCR, facial recognition, and object detection.
Features of Nanonets:
- Ready-to-use computer vision models
- Ability to create custom AI models without coding
- OCR capabilities for text recognition in images
- Facial recognition capabilities to detect and identify faces
- Object detection capabilities to detect objects in images
- Ability to train models with custom data sets
- Automated model deployment and maintenance
- Easy-to-use API for integration into existing applications
Pricing:
- Nanonets offers a range of plans, starting from $99/month.
4. ABBYY FineReader:
ABBYY FineReader is a powerful OCR software that converts scanned documents and images into editable text. It supports many languages, including Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese, and can recognize text in over 180 languages.
Features of ABBYY FineReader:
- Supports a wide range of file formats, including PDFs and images
- Text recognition in more than 180 languages
- Ability to convert scanned documents into editable text
- Searchable PDFs with editable images
- Ability to extract data from scans and images
- Annotation tools for editing and commenting on documents
- Support for digital signatures
- Cloud storage options
Pricing:
- ABBYY FineReader has three plans – Home, Professional, and Enterprise. The Home plan is $49.99/year, and a free trial is available.
5. AWS Textract:
AWS Textract is a cloud-based OCR service from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that enables users to quickly and accurately extract text and data from documents. It supports many file formats, including PDFs, images, and Word documents.
Features of AWS Textract:
- Support for a wide variety of document and image formats
- Automatically detect text, layout, and data from documents
- Extract underlying information from tables, forms, and handwritten text
- Built-in AI and machine learning technology to improve the accuracy of results
- Ability to extract printed or handwritten text from images
- Ability to recognize data fields, tables, and forms
- Securely store documents in AWS S3 for future extraction
- Easy-to-use API for integration into existing applications
Pricing:
- AWS Textract is offered on a pay-as-you-go basis.
6. ReadIRIS:
ReadIRIS is an OCR software that enables users to accurately and quickly convert scanned documents and images into editable text. It supports various languages, including English, French, German, and Spanish.
Features of ReadIRIS:
- Supports a wide range of image file formats
- Ability to convert scanned documents into editable text
- Recognizes text in more than 180 languages
- Automatically detects fonts, font sizes, and formatting
- Automatically generates a searchable PDF file of the converted document
- Provides customizable security options to protect sensitive information
- Includes an integrated spell checker for quick proofreading
- Offers a user-friendly interface and intuitive workflow
- Integrates with popular third-party applications
Pricing:
- ReadIRIS offers three plans – Starter, Professional, and Enterprise. The Starter plan is priced at $199.
7. Google Vision API:
Google Vision API is a cloud-based image recognition platform from Google that enables users to quickly and accurately identify objects, labels, faces, and landmarks in images. It supports many features, including object detection, text recognition, and facial recognition.
Features of Google Vision API:
- Support for a wide range of image file formats
- Ability to recognize objects in images
- Automatically detect text and labels in photos
- Facial recognition for identifying people in photos
- Landmark recognition for identifying points of interest in photos
- Image moderation to detect offensive or inappropriate images.
Pricing:
- Google Vision API is offered on a pay-as-you-go basis.
8. Kofax OmniPage:
Kofax OmniPage is an OCR software that enables users to quickly and accurately convert scanned documents and images into editable text. It utilizes the latest AI-powered technology to recognize text in more than 120 languages, including Latin and Cyrillic scripts. Its advanced features, like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and format detection, enable users to convert documents from paper or digital formats into editable text.
Features of Kofax OmniPage:
- Supports a wide range of image file formats
- Ability to convert scanned documents into editable text with accuracy
- Automatically detect and convert text from more than 120 languages
- Built-in spellchecker for better accuracy
- Automatically detect and preserve the layout of documents
- Ability to export documents into popular third-party applications
Pricing:
- Kofax OmniPage is offered in two plans – Standard and Professional. The Standard plan is priced at $99.
9. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC:
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is an all-in-one PDF solution enabling users to create, edit, and share digital documents easily. It comes with a robust Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature to allow users to quickly search and convert text from scanned documents directly into editable PDF files. It supports more than 100 languages and allows users to create, combine and organize documents with a few clicks.
Features of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC:
- Create, combine, and organize PDF files in a few clicks
- Edit text in scanned documents directly into editable PDFs
- Convert files from other formats into PDF documents
- Powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature to search and convert text
- Support for more than 100 languages
- Ability to share and collaborate on documents with colleagues
Pricing:
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is offered on a subscription basis.
10. SimpleOCR:
SimpleOCR is a free open-source Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software designed to help users quickly and accurately convert image documents into editable text. It supports many image file formats and has an integrated spell checker for quick proofreading.
Features of SimpleOCR:
- Supports a wide range of image file formats
- Ability to quickly and accurately convert images into editable text
- Includes a spell checker for faster proofreading
- Easy to use and navigate interface
- Integrated training module to improve recognition accuracy
- Ability to batch-process multiple images
- One-click export of text files or editable documents
- Supports multi-page documents
Pricing:
- This is entirely free OCR software.
11. FreeOCR:
FreeOCR is a free Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software that helps users effortlessly convert scanned images and PDFs into editable text. It supports many image file formats and can recognize text from more than 30 languages, including Latin and Cyrillic scripts. It also has an advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine for fast and accurate converting scanned documents into editable text.
Features of FreeOCR:
- Supports a wide range of image file formats
- Ability to quickly and accurately convert scanned documents into editable text
- Recognize text from more than 30 languages, including Latin and Cyrillic scripts
- Advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine for fast and accurate conversion
- Ability to batch process multiple images at once
- Easy to use and navigate interface
Pricing:
- FreeOCR is entirely free.
How to choose the best OCR software?
When choosing the best OCR software for your needs, it’s essential to consider factors such as accuracy, speed, file formats supported, language support, cost, and ease of use. Additionally, it’s necessary to consider the types of documents you typically work with and how they need to be processed. For example, you work with large and complex documents such as legal contracts or technical manuals. In that case, you may need a more advanced OCR solution to recognize text accurately in all fonts and languages and vice versa.
What are the benefits of using OCR Software?
The benefits of using OCR software include quickly and accurately converting scanned documents into editable text, searching for specific words or phrases in a document, and promptly preserving the layout of documents. Additionally, OCR software can support multiple languages, export documents into third-party applications, and even recognize text appearing in images. OCR technology can also help users save time by automating document scanning processes, making finding important information more accessible.
Conclusion:
OCR software is an invaluable tool for businesses and individuals alike. With the right OCR software, users can quickly and accurately convert scanned documents into editable text, search for specific words or phrases in a document, and even recognize text appearing in images. OCR technology offers many benefits, including the ability to automate document scanning processes and save time by quickly finding the necessary information. By considering factors such as accuracy, speed, file formats supported, language support, cost, and ease of use, users can find the best OCR software for their needs.
FAQs:
Q: What is the best OCR software on the market?
A: The best OCR software on the market depends on factors such as accuracy, speed, file formats supported, language support, cost, and ease of use. Additionally, it’s essential to consider the types of documents you typically work with and how they need to be processed.
Q: Why is OCR so hard?
A: OCR is problematic because it requires the software to accurately recognize text in all fonts and languages and differentiate between similar characters, such as “l” and “1”. To make matters more complex, OCR software must also be able to accurately recognize text in images, which can be challenging due to various elements such as background noise or distortion.
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