Speed and accuracy are the main aspects to consider when looking for a good OCR Software. You need a solution that is efficient when converting images, PDF files and everything else into editable text (words) and that is highly accurate. With OCR software, you can turn scanned documents into editable text, keeping its original format and layout. It is a practical solution for editing scanned books, documents and more. You can convert the scans to text or word format to be able to edit them. This will save you the hassle of having to retype the document. There are multiple options available, which may cause confusion when you need to find the right option for your needs.

ABBY FineReader PRO

FineReader Pro is the leading option when it comes to converting PDF, scanned files and graphics to Word, Excel and even EPUB. If you need to scan documents that include tables, FineReader Pro is perfect because its output supports tables and columns layout. With FineReader Pro, you can scan files in nearly 200 languages. This is a complete OCR and PDF software that offers great accuracy and efficiency.

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Adobe Acrobat is a paid software that offers more functionality than Adobe Reader as it enables users to create, edit and convert PDF files. It includes OCR capabilities and it supports PDF and graphic files input. The output works for columns, graphics and tables. The Cloud version costs $15 per month, while the Desktop one is priced at $449.

OmniPage Standard

OmniPage is also known as an excellent OCR software that provides highly accurate results. It is possible to save the output in Word, Excel, PDF, Corel and other formats. There are over 100 languages supported including Latin, which makes it an excellent solution for academic purposes. OmniPage is very easy to use and offers a wide range of options to ensure that you can easily edit scanned documents. It is available from $149.99.

Readiris Pro

This is a paid software that covers all the features that you need to convert PDF files or graphics to an editable version successfully. You can convert the files to editable plain text in Word, Excel, Apple Pages and more. Readiris Pro can read tables and columns, and it offers a great level of accuracy. It keeps layout and formatting and there are more than 100 languages supported.

ABBYY FineReader Online

If you prefer not to install software on your computer, you can opt for the web version of ANNY FineReader. The free version allows you to convert up to 10 pages and you need to register, although it is free. In order to convert more pages, you will need to opt for a paid subscription and the prices start at $49 for 2,400 pages per year. This OCR solution supports a variety of formats including jpg, jpeg, PDF, tif, bmp, png and dcx. ABBY FineReader supports nearly 200 languages and you can save the results to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Evernote and more.

Boxoft Free OCR

Boxoft Free OCR allows you to concert a graphical file to text file. The software can be connected to your scanned, but unfortunately, it doesn’t support PDF files. There are multiple languages supported including Spanish, English, French, German, Dutch and Italian. The software is capable of extracting texts from graphical files within seconds. However, it doesn’t keep the original format and only delivers plain text. Still, it is a good option if the documents, books you want to convert don’t have tables.

Free OCR to Word

Free OCR to Word by TechCandy saves you the hassle of retyping the whole text that you need. You can convert images to a Word document that can be edited. It is a simple solution to get an editable version of your books, receipts and more. It works for different types of files, including PDF and graphical files. The software cab be downloaded for free, but make sure that you decline the installation of additional software that will be offered once you download Free OCR to Word.

TopOCR

This effective and affordable OCR solution is convenient if you only need to get plain-texts. It costs $5 and it offers incredibly fast performance, but it can’t be used for tables or graphics. You can save the text output in PDF text format and TopOCR also supports a PDF to MP3 converter. It is a simple solution that features image editing, rotate, brightness & contrast and more. It supports multiple languages.

Microsoft OneNote

Although it is recognized mainly as a solution to keep notes, OneNote also supports convenient OCR features. You can copy texts that are included in a graphic or picture. You just need to inset the graphics file to OneNote, right-click on the pictures and select “Copy Text from Picture”. It is possible to save the texts in a clipboard and then you can paste them to Word or other document editing solution.

Free OCR

While Free OCR is not suitable for tables and columns, it allows you to convert graphic files, PDF files and scanned pictures into plain text. It is easy to use and it allows you to rotate images. Free OCR supports almost 30 languages and since it is an online service, it is convenient solution if you don’t want to download and install software.

Simple OCR

As the name suggests, Simple OCR is set to make things easy when you scan and convert books and other documents into editable text file. It is possible to get an unlimited license to scan printed documents. However, if you want to convert hand-written documents, you will only get a license for 14 days. The main downside of Simple OCR is that it doesn’t support PDF file output, pictures or tables.

Captricity

Captricity is one of the best options available and it promises over 99.9 accuracy. You can convert a wide variety of documents, including handwritten documents. The handwriting recognition technology that Captricity offers is so advanced and effective, that the company is trusted by government, healthcare and other organizations. The level of accuracy is quite impressive. It should be noted that it is a solution aimed at business and corporate users as the price is very high.

Evernote

Evernote is a well-known name and it is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. It lets you save notes that could be item lists, texts or graphics. Evernote can search for text in images. The downside is that the text can’t be extracted or copied, it will only be highlighted.

Google Docs

While the main purpose of Google Docs is to offer archiving and collaboration options, it also has OCR capability. If you upload an image to Google Docs, it is possible to convert it to editable text. Just make sure that the “Convert text from PDF and image files to Google documents” is enabled when you upload the file. Once the image is uploaded, you can right click and then click “Open image with” and select Google Docs. The advantages of Google Docs is that it is free and doesn’t require installation. However, it doesn’t support Image & Table or bulk conversion. In addition, you need a Gmail account.

Neuroph OCR

This open-source OCR software is focused on illustrating how neural networks can be used for handwriting recognition. It was developed with Java Programming Language, but it can’t be used directly. It is based on the Java Neural Network framework.

Overall

If you have to deal with paper documents on a regular basis, OCR software is a must-have tool that will enable you to save time and effort. You won’t need to retype the documents as you can simply scan them or take a picture and then with the help of the OCR tool, you will be able to convert them to an editable format. While there are many free solutions available, in order to get the best in features, performance and accuracy, it is advisable to opt for paid software.