OCR or Optical Character Recognition is a technology that electronically or mechanically converts images of printed or hand-written text within photos or scanned documents into machine-encoded text.
- Gone are the days where you’re stuck to whatever app your scanner came with, you’re now free to use pretty much any OCR app you’d like. If you’re going to find yourself using not only OCR tools but want a way of manipulating PDFs then PDFPen is the best choice. For anyone just wanting a way to OCR then I’d recommend Prizmo.
- Readiris 17 for MAC, the complete, intelligent and intuitive OCR solution Benefit from the many advanced features of our optical character recognition (OCR) software. Readiris 17 allows you to convert PDFs, images and texts in an image or scanned documents to edit in the format of your choice: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or indexed PDF.
- Download PDFpen or PDFpenPro if you don’t already have it (free trial available) After installing the app on your Mac, open the PDF document you’d like to apply OCR to.
In today’s digital age where everything needs to be in binary 0’s and 1’s for computing assistance, OCR platforms find a multitude of uses. Some of them being:
- The Government uses it for automatic number plate recognition.
- Airports use it for passport recognition and information extraction.
- Businesses use it for data entry by scanning and processing cheques, invoices, and bank statements.
For a free application, Leadtools OCR (fully known as “OCR Scanner with Leadtools OCR”) does a surprisingly good job of OCR scanning on a Mac. The accuracy of the text scanned can be as good as 90% on clear documents and it doesn’t do badly even on older or low resolution documents.
Top 5 free OCR software
Now you must be thinking about how you could get your hands on this state-of-the-art technology. Well, here’s my recommendation for the top 5 free OCR software you can use in 2021 to make your life simpler.
1. ABBYY FineReader PDF
Abby FineReader is an all-in-one PDF and OCR software platform designed to maximize your productivity. It allows you to digitize, retrieve, edit, protect and share all your documents from a single platform.
Pros:
- Ability to scan pages without altering the original layout.
- Extremely clear and easy to use interface
- Exceptionally accurate even while dealing with complicated documents.
Cons:
- Does not have handwriting recognition.
- A lot of features can only be accessed by buying the premium version.
2. Nanonets OCR
Nanonets OCR is an AI-based OCR software that automates data capture for intelligent document processing of invoices, receipts, ID cards, and more. Nanonets uses advanced OCR, machine learning image processing, and deep learning to extract relevant information from unstructured data. It is fast, accurate, easy to use, and allows users to build custom OCR models from scratch.
Pros:
- Works with multiple languages.
- The algorithm can be calibrated to recognize information from any document type.
- Extremely easy to use and beginner-friendly
Cons:
- Some of the features one might need while working on a large scale are available only by using the premium version.
- The premium version is slightly more expensive than the competitors but the accuracy and speed outweigh the additional expense.
3. Online OCR
As the name suggests it is an Online OCR that requires no installation and is totally free to use. It can recognize text and characters from PDF scanned documents, photographs, and digital camera captured images. Convert text and Images from your scanned PDF document into the editable DOC format.
Pros:
- Has support for multiple languages including Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.
- It can convert PDF files to Word, Excel, RTF, and plain text format.
- It is free to use online service, which means no installation issues.
Cons:
- Without registering you can only convert 15 files per hour.
- When it comes to accuracy it fails to perform at 100%. There is the possibility of errors and omissions that’s why you need to proofread after conversion.
4. Simple OCR
Simple OCR is a royalty-free OCR platform that allows users to use it in custom apps. It is supported on all versions of Windows and it has a vast library of over 120,000 characters to identify words efficiently in your document.
Pros:
- It allows image retention. That is along with the document’s text Simple OCR has the ability to capture and retain pictures from the document.
- It offers a Despeckle option for those documents that arent particularly clear like fax or copies of copies. This feature helps reduce the image noise and increases the accuracy of Simple OCR.
Cons:
- It’s one of the best choices if you’re a single individual, but if an organization or a business were to use it the paid version is quite expensive in comparison to its competitors.
5. Kofax OmniPage
Kofax OmniPage OCR software converts any document into the word processor format of your choice. It allows you to save, edit and search documents as you would a Word document. It offers superior conversion accuracy, intelligent character recognition, and zonal recognition, so you can quickly create editable documents.
Pros:
- Its extremely fast and accurate conversion time increases productivity and encourages more strategic
- It fully supports Microsoft Office, Corel WordPerfect, HTML, and more
Cons:
- It provides only a free trial for a limited period of time.
- Its programming interface can be improved.
Final words
Gone are the days when you had to painstakingly input all important documents manually into your system. The future is here, with the power of OCR software you can now increase productivity whilst not having to sacrifice accuracy.
If you use PDF on daily activities, you've come across a PDF or image containing the text. It can be troublesome at times, as there are moments where we need to extract the text from the PDF/image.
If the case mentioned just now happened to you, don't worry, as OCR software (optical character recognition) is here to save the day. Check out some of the best OCR software you can use to extract text from an image-type PDF! All you'll need to do is pick the most suitable one for you.
1. EaseUS PDF Editor
Download Free Ocr For Mac
EaseUS is known for its long-standing reputation, having started in the industry in 2004, and EaseUS PDF Editor is one of their latest products.
This software did not fail to meet everyone's expectations. Users can edit PDF and images in any way possible, including extracting the text from the image. The OCR process is done as quickly as one, two, three, and the user does not need to wait for more than one minute to get their text. To make it even better, they have a free trial for those who want to test it out.
Overall, this Windows PDF editor is perfect for those who want to extract text as efficiently as possible. Anybody can master the software in less than five minutes, making it suitable for everybody.
Pros
- It offers lots of language for its OCR feature
- Lots of features to tweak PDF
- Compress, sign, rotate, crop, and split PDF files as you want
Cons
- Need to pay for the version without the watermark
Compatibility: Windows
Now download it to explore more useful and advanced editing tools!
2. TalkHelper PDF Converter
Although the software TalkHelper is one of the best PDF Converter, it also offers OCR as one of its built-in features.
TalkHelper PDF has features that allow its user to extract text from images or PDF and convert them to editable Excel or Word. There is no need to worry about the language, as the software offers 46 languages for its OCR feature. Besides OCR, there are also other features such as splitting and merging PDF with a high-quality result.
Pros
- Gives maximum output
- User-friendly
- bookmark feature
Cons
- The loading time depends on the size of the PDF
- Offers free trial
Compatibility: Windows
3. Nuance Omnipage Ultimate
Do you need OCR software for a mid-sized or large company? Then Nuance Omnipage Ultimate is the right solution for you.
What makes Nuance Omnipage Ultimate stand out from other OCR software is that it offers around 120 languages for its scanning feature. The software also assures that the OCR result is as close as it is to the original material. It will be delivered in high quality.
The software has other advanced features that make the workflow more efficient. However, it will take a while for one to understand the interface due to its complexity.
Pros
- Offers scanner integration.
- Integrates cloud-sharing option
- Batch processing
Cons
- Too complex for beginners
Compatibility: Windows
4. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Who doesn't know the Adobe series? The renowned brand also releases software that offers OCR as its feature, and the software is Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
The software by Adobe doesn't disappoint, as its OCR feature never fails to convert documents to PDF in a matter of seconds. The original document will also remain intact, so there is no need to worry about losing any element from the original document. If you plan to purchase this software, you'll have to prepare a decent amount of money for it.
Pros
- Able to work with Microsoft Office
- Preserves the originality of the document
- Lots of features for editing PDF
Cons
- Pricey for some people
- Features can be too overwhelming
Compatibility: Windows and Mac
5. Readiris Pro
If you're looking for an OCR software that can do everything in one package, then Readiris Pro is another software you ought to watch.
Readiris Pro is the ultimate PDF tool that can have lots of features. With just a few clicks, you can convert PDF, image, or other documents to a readable format that you can also edit. Language is not a problem, as the software is decked with 138 recognition languages, leaving no room for miscommunication.
The software also has other features such as text-to-speech and editing PDF. And it's compatible with all scanners too! Unfortunately, there are too many varieties of the product, making it confusing for first-timers.
Pros
- Has many kinds of formats (even epub)
- Does not modify the original format
- Cloud-sharing option
Cons
- Does not work well with low-quality documents
- The least costly version has the least features
Compatibility: Windows and Mac
6. Free Online OCR
Sometimes we have no time to download software. Don't worry because online OCR websites, such as Free Online OCR, can help you.
As the name stated, Free Online OCR is a free OCR software you can access through a browser. It is as simple as it gets. All you need to do is upload the file (image or PDF) then convert it to the desired format. It's simple, easy to use, and quick. Perfect for those who are in a hurry.
Pros
- Loads quickly
- Easy interface
- Accessible anywhere
Cons
- Hourly limit
- Harder to adapt if the file has a colored background
Compatibility: Windows and Mac (online)
7. Soda PDF Online
Are you in need of online, free OCR software with more variety? Check out Soda PDF Online!
Despite being a browser-based software, Soda PDF is as powerful as standard software. Users can convert files back and forth from all kinds of formats. The OCR feature can recognize and extract text accurately. After the user gets the desired text, he can tweak it in any way he wants because everything is available in Soda PDF Online.
Pros
- Web to PDF conversion
- Able to text in images
- Allow e-signature
Cons
- Sign-up is a must
- Slow support
Compatibility: Windows and Mac
8. OCR Space
For those who need a straightforward application, look no more because OCR Space is here for you. Just like its straightforward layout, OCR Space does everything quickly and fast. You need to upload the file (or paste the URL), choose the language, add more details (if there are any), and start the scanning process. In less than one minute, you will get your text ready and accurate.
Pros
- Receipt scanning, table recognition, and other minor details
- Offer options on how the output will be
- Does not store user data
Cons
- Limited to 5 MB for free users
- No text editor
Compatibility: Windows and Mac
Word Ocr 2016
Conclusion
Best Free Ocr For Mac
OCR software is powerful software that allows us to extract things we need on images on PDF. It will save us plenty of time and better workflow. There is no need to copy things endlessly because you can do everything in a matter of seconds. All you need to do is to find the best OCR software that suits you the most.