10 Best OCR Software of 2024

OCR usage spans from converting books to automating invoices. Modern optical character recognition (OCR) systems can read handwritten documents, low-quality photographs, and misformatted scans with speed  and accuracy. This enables intelligent document processing and allows OCR software to do more than extract data.

Additionally, optical character recognition (OCR) software helps to digitize paper documents. The challenge is choosing the best OCR solution for your needs and preferences. Choose from these top 10 optical character recognition software alternatives to go paperless with your company’s daily activities.

What is OCR Software?

Nowadays, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a popular and cutting-edge technology. OCR tool converts scanned paper documents, PDF files, and digital camera pictures into editable and searchable data. These technologies extract text from documents using complicated algorithms, allowing users to access and edit content electronically.

Why Do We Need OCR Software?

In contrast to  text documents, photos contain text that word processors cannot read or comprehend. Optical character recognition (OCR) technology serves as a solution, which can transform picture text into usable text data for other commercial applications.

How to Choose the Best OCR Software?

Here are some tips for choosing the best OCR software:

●    Right for Your Industry:

Bank, insurance, law, invoicing, and other paperwork exist. An efficient OCR programme must be efficient for processing your industry’s papers.

●    Embed Good Performances:

Effective OCR software should adeptly handle all your papers with  character, field, and document automation serving as key  performance indicators. Most horizontal OCR tool kits primarily excel in the character metric.

●     Facilitate Seamless Integration:

Choose an API that aligns with your IT environment best for optimal integration with your code. The API should possess volume-capacity and parallelizablity  to handle high concurrent volumes.

List of Top 10 OCR Software

Here we have listed the top 10 OCR Software based on our research:

1.  Microsoft OneNote:

OneNote is Microsoft’s note-taking software. Since 2014, it has been available for free on all platforms outside Microsoft 365. OneNote aims to facilitate freeform knowledge collection and enable multi-user collaboration. It allows users to gather  user remarks, drawings, screen clips, and audio comments. OneNote users can exchange notes online or via a network.

Features:

• Sticky Notes
• Organize your OneNote notebooks
• Immersive Reader

Cost: Free/Freemium Version

2.  Nanonets:

Nanonets automatically classify document data using AI. It is accurate, multilingual, and simple. The program’s AI improves with the use to validate document data quickly. This utility can read purchase orders and invoices as well.

Features:

• Documents help improve AI software by training it.
• Scan, send, or store financial papers
• Additionally, it validates extracted data and speeds up API answers

Cost: Free trial, free version, and $499 monthly subscription available.

3.  Adobe Acrobat Pro:

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is an all-inclusive document processor with robust optical character recognition capabilities. Utilizing the  (OCR) enables it to digitize scanned documents, PDFs, and other pictures, making them searchable and editable.

Features:

• Adding an index
• Help for multiple languages
• Getting the data

Cost: The programme is free for document reading, but OCR functions cost $1.95 monthly.

4.  Rossum:

Rossum manages all incoming documents; AI examines and analyzes all file kinds, making it great at billing. It supports business integrations, code semantics, automated confirmations, edit or correction requests, and provides document conversion warnings.

Features:

• Tools for choosing a zone
• Adding an index
• Help for multiple languages

Cost: Rossum offers both a free trial and a free version. You can contact them to learn more about their tailored pricing structure.

5.  Readiris:

Readiris quickly converts photographs, PDFs, and paper into searchable, editable text. Readiris maintains and converts documents with a click. This program can sign, edit, merge, and convert files quickly. Its innovative OCR data capture technology lets users extract text from images.

Features:

• Processing in groups
• Adding an index
• Changes to text

Cost: Readiris has no demo or free version. The program costs $33.56 for each feature.

6.  Docparser:

Docparser’s Zonal OCR extracts data from document images. It supports  tabular data extraction, unique parsing rules, smart filters, and advanced image preparation. The platform lets users read and transfer parsed documents to Cloud apps using barcode and QR code scanning as well. Quite helpful, right?

Features:

• Getting the data
• Putting together data
• Putting out data

Cost: Docparser offers a free trial and $39 to $149 for startups and enterprises, with enterprise-grade needs accessible upon request.

 7.  ABBYY Flexicapture:

ABBYY FlexiCapture facilitates text tables and form creation through photo/PDF scanning. Businesses can automate administrative tasks, eliminate data entry, and focus on productivity. Users can scan, digitize, retrieve, edit, protect, collaborate, and share documents with digital office productivity tools.

Features:

• AI drives OCR technology
• Processing in groups
• Changes to text

Cost: Freemium

8.  OmniPage Ultimate by Kofax:

OmniPage Ultimate streamlines editing, finding, and sharing tasks. OmniPage streamlines enterprise document workflows and reliably digitizes data—exports business-critical documents to workflows in editable formats. The OCR Scanner system can route many files to any public or private corporate network.

Features:

• Adding an index
• Processing in groups
• Changes to text

Cost: OmniPage Ultimate, a $499 OCR licence, can be installed on two Windows OS PCs.

9.  Google Doc AI:

Google Doc AI can process PDFs, invoices, payment forms, and more. Their inbuilt AI systems eliminate manual checks and increase data accuracy. You can save processing costs, ensure legal compliance, and acquire customer experience insights from diverse documents in a few clicks.

Features:

• Combines Google Graph and parsed data
• Multilingual
• Boost document data with intelligence

Cost: The price for 1000 pages starts at $65

10. Tesseract:

HP developed Tesseract, now maintained by Google. Python OCR accurately reads text using Tesseract, an open-source OCR engine. It accurately extracts and interprets document data using trained LSTM models—GitHub-based legacy app support.

Features:

• Free and open source
• The command line OCR
• Getting the data

Cost: Tesseract is free and open-source.

Conclusion:

Hope you’ve enjoyed this rundown of the top 10 OCR tools. You now understand the top OCR tools that improve user experience. The optical character recognition programme can boost student and business productivity. As previously indicated, OCR systems can automate text recognition and data entry. You’ll save time and receive better outcomes.

Our personal favorite is Microsoft OneNote. It offers a perfect blend of freeform note-taking, collaboration features, integration capabilities, cross-platform accessibility, and OCR functionality that make it a robust choice for users seeking efficient and versatile OCR software.

If you know any other excellent OCR Software that should be added to this list, then feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below!