Best 6 OCR PDF [Free and Paid] Tools 2024

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a software that helps with converting non-editable documents, such as images, PDFs, and paper documents, into computer-editable, readable, and searchable formats.

Nevertheless, OCR software is costly, which makes it challenging to find a real OCR software solution.

Let us look at the best 6 OCR PDF tools and some free software available in the market.

1. WPS Office

WPS Office is a lightweight, free, and all-in-one Office Suite that seamlessly integrates with all PDF tools to convert, edit, merge, compress, split, e-sign, protect, and OCR PDFs with a few clicks. The high-precision OCR technology makes text recognition in scanned images and documents so much easier.

WPS OCR PDF works on recognizing light and dark pixels from non-editable images. Subsequently, OCR PDF works by extracting text from digital images. The OCR PDF feature of WPS Office can convert an image or a physical paper document into an accessible electronic version (with text).

With WPS Office, you can also convert online PDF to text OCR. The OCR PDF services of WPS are for online and offline modules.

Pros of WPS Office

• WPS Office enables its users to work with files on different platforms, including Android, Mac, iOS, and Windows.

• WPS Office integrates all PDF tools, including OCR PDF.

• The WPS Office OCR PDF technology accurately identifies scanned PPT, text, and Excel.

• The entire package of WPS can be used without delimitations.

• Using WPS Office, you can share and access files while on the go.

• WPS allows importing and exporting files in 47 formats and 46 languages.

• It requires a few steps to unlock text from scanned PDFs with WPS OCR PDF.

• The advanced online OCR PDF of WPS Office allows you to convert, edit, and annotate PDF files.

• WPS Office is a user-friendly interface that easily navigates through PDF documents.

• WPS Office’s OCR PDF feature can convert images to scanning docs or text.

• Using WPS Office’s free online OCR PDF, you can convert PDFs to different formats, including PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.

Review of WPS Office OCR PDF Tool

WPS Office is a powerful editing and reading tool that helps users easily annotate, review, and edit PDF documents. WPS PDF also supports OCR PDF for scanned documents and images. The users of WPS PDF are happy with its easy user interface and its support for basic features, including text editing, annotations, adding images, etc.

2. FreeOCR

As the name indicates, FreeOCR is a free OCR PDF software for Windows that supports scanning images and other documents from most scanners. FreeOCR can also open most multi-page TIFF files and scanned PDFs.

This OCR PDF software directly interfaces with scanners, importing image files and extracting text from images and other non-editable formats into a box from which users can cut and paste the text.

FreeOCR is easy-to-use – especially – when you only want the text. This tool can also extract text from PDFs – although – the text will only export to text. Regarding images, FreeOCR only processes one image at a time. But this OCR PDF tool can extract the text from multi-page PDFs.

Pros of FreeOCR

• Easy-to-use interface

• Can convert PDF to text

• Free to download

• It can be used on any Windows System

Cons of FreeOCR

• It can only scan one image at a time.

• T quality of the output text might need some improvement.

Review of FreeOCR PDF Tool

FreeOCR is a simple OCR PDF tool that scans and converts images and other formats to text. The interface is simple and easy to navigate – however – one might have to reformat everything from scratch as the scanned text formatting can get lost.

3. Foxit

Foxit is another OCR PDF software that enables users to translate images and printed texts to computer-readable text. Usually, Foxit is used to scan paper documents and generate e-copies of the documents.

Foxit OCR PDF tool is essentially an image reader that supports different image file types, such as TIFF, GIF, JPG, BMP, and PDF, with multiple text columns. The users of Foxit can also print, convert, edit, view, and digitally sign PDF files easily.

Pros of Foxit

• Easy-to-use interface

• Helps users scan image-based PDFs and scanned PDFs into searchable and editable text.

• Enables a smooth editing process.

Cons of Foxit

• Sometimes the extracted text can appear differently in other programs.

• Limited free version.

Review of Foxit OCR PDF Tool

Foxit OCR PDF is a great option for creating fillable forms. It is easy to upload signature photos and digitally sign documents. The Foxit OCR PDF platform is user-friendly, making it easy for users to figure out the functionality of this tool. However, sometimes there could be a potential issue of the texts getting misaligned.

4. PDF OCR X Community

PDF OCR X Community is a straightforward OCR PDF tool that people use to perform OCR PDF on images and PDFs. It is easy to navigate as well. The users can drag and drop the file before selecting their output format and language to initiate the OCR PDF process.

PDF OCR X Community supports extracting files in different formats, such as searchable PDF or Text. Using PDF OCR X Community, you can also convert PDF – but – only a single page at a time. If you need to convert multiple pages, you will want to sign up for its Enterprise version.

Pros of PDF OCR X Community

• Supports macOS and Windows platforms.

• Users can export files in the form of searchable PDFs and text.

• Easy to use and navigate through its drag-and-drop options.

• Can recognize 60 languages.

Cons of PDF OCR X Community

• Doesn’t support a batch of OCR PDF.

• Can convert a single page of PDF only.

• The OCR PDF process is slow.

Review of PDF OCR X Community

PDF OCR X Community is a simple yet straightforward tool that supports Mac and Windows. It works well with document PDFs and scanned PDFs. The main interface is easy-to-use, comprising a small window where files can be dragged and dropped.

5. OCRSpace

OCRSpace is an amazing OCR PDF app for converting scanned PDFs and images to readable and editable documents. All you need to do is to upload the required document – or – you can paste the URL and convert the required document into editable files.

OCRSpace is one of the best OCR PDFs to assess orientation and automatically enlarge images if needed. OCRSpace is a free tool for OCR to PDF and is ideal for the online conversion of WebP files, PNG, PDF, and JPG.

The users of OCRSpace can also scan their receipts. This online OCR PDF tool supports more than 20 languages.

Pros of OCRSpace

• Supports batch processing

• Supports more than 20 languages

• It can be used for ID Scanning

• It can be used for PDF conversion

Cons of OCRSpace

• OCR recognition can be improved

Review of OCRSpace

The OCRSpace tool is free to use – you don’t necessarily need to get registered to use this tool. This OCR PDF software takes PDFs, GIF images, JPG, and PNG as input. However, the PDF/ images cannot be larger than 5MB. This OCR PDF tool integrates a simple process.

6. Filestack Capture

Filestack Capture is a great OCR PDF tool that is used for digitizing documents, extracting text, and organizing data from images, receipts, passports, credit cards, driver's licenses, etc. Filestack Capture assesses, organizes, and streamlines the extracted data and processes it according to the user's needs.

This OCR PDF tool diminishes the gap between physical documents' information by storing it digitally and enabling the users to analyze, organize, and effectively transfer data.

This OCR PDF tool allows you to collect and store data effectively and efficiently while eliminating errors and converting text from PDFs.

Pros of Filestack Capture

• Enables users to collect data efficiently

• Fewer errors

• Supports "drag and drop" for uploading files

• Smooth maneuverability

• Easy-to-use

• Supports multi-part uploading

Cons of Filestack Capture

• Limited features with the free plan.

Review of Filestack Capture

Filestack Capture is one of the best OCR PDF tools in the market that helps its readers extract and interpret data from digital files. The results of the OCR PDF tool are accurate and boost the efficiency of data collection. It can efficiently detect handwritten and printed images.

Comparison of Top 6 OCR PDF Free Tools

FAQs of OCR PDF

Q1: What is the difference between an OCR and a Scanner?

A: A scanner differs from an OCR in the way that it scans and saves paper document(s) into a digital image file, such as PNG. On the other hand, an OCR tool scans the digital image file and converts them into editable documents.

Q2: What is the difference between PDF and OCR PDF?

A: PDF stands for Portable Document Format, which provides users with an easy, secure, and reliable way to exchange documents while preserving the documents in exactly the original format. An OCR PDF tool reads texts from images and converts them into actual texts that you can edit and work with.

The common use of OCR PDF is to convert images or physical paper documents, such as receipts, into accessible e-versions with text.

Q3: How to use OCR in PDF with WPS Office?

A: WPS Office provides three conversion methods for OCR PDF:

• Convert to word

• Convert to Excel

• Extract text only

• Using WPS Office, if you want to extract text from an image, you will want to select “Extract text only.”

• If you want to keep the layout and text, you will want to take a screenshot of the relevant area and select “Convert to Word.”

• If you want to extract text and keep intact the table format, you will want to select “convert to Excel.”

• Use the Drag & Drop function in the area where you want to extract the text and select the OCR function from the shortcut menu.

Do More with WPS Office – Best Software for OCR PDF

An OCR PDF tool has several uses, including automated invoice pressing to convert scanned documents into searchable and editable files. OCR PDF tools have certainly made it easier to convert images or PDFs into accessible electronic versions with text.

Of all the options, WPS Office is the best software as it integrates a wide range of functions that surpass data extraction and lay the foundations for intelligent document processing.

You can do much more with WPS Office besides OCR PDF. The best part is that the WPS Office Suit is free, so you don’t have to pay a subscription fee and make other potential payments.

You can enjoy amazing functions and functionality for managing, creating, and editing documents with PPT, PDF, Word, and Excel. You can also benefit from the amazing templates to suit your different needs.