Subtitle Edit
Focus: subtitles, captions and video editing. Also in Writing and Workflows, like Online OCR. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds Windows, Linux and Offline. Rated 4.7 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.7Visit
Web App
Online OCR
A free web tool that pulls text out of images and scanned PDFs.
Rating
4.2 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Web
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Online OCR?
Online OCR converts JPG, PNG, GIF and PDF scans into editable Word, Excel or plain text in dozens of languages, keeping the layout where it can. Guests can convert five files an hour, up to 15MB each, completely free and without registering, and nothing needs installing.
Pros: what Online OCR does well
- No sign-up for basic use
- Many languages
- Exports to Word and Excel
Cons: where it falls short
- Five files an hour as a guest
- Ads on the page
Who Online OCR is for
Anyone who needs text from the odd scan or photo without installing software.
Who can skip it
People with sensitive documents or bulk OCR needs.
Online OCR alternatives
Not sold on Online OCR? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Sejda
Focus: pdf editor, convert and compress. Shares pdf with Online OCR. Freemium (Online OCR: Free). Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.5 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.5Visit
Smallpdf
Focus: pdf converter, e-signature and compression. Shares pdf with Online OCR. Freemium (Online OCR: Free). Adds iOS and Android. Rated 4.5 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFree planWeb, iOS
4.5Visit
123apps
Focus: video editor, audio and converter. Shares pdf with Online OCR. Freemium (Online OCR: Free). Rated 4.4 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFree planWeb
4.4Visit
OCRmyPDF
Focus: scanned pdf, command line and open source. Shares ocr with Online OCR. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.7 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
PDFgear
Focus: pdf editor, pdf converter and acrobat alternative. Shares ocr with Online OCR. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds Windows, macOS and iOS. Rated 4.5 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
Free alternatives to Online OCR
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
BentoPDF
Focus: pdf tools, merge pdf and privacy. Also in File Management and Workflows, like Online OCR. Rated 4.7 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.7Visit
Squoosh
Focus: image compression, webp and avif. Also in File Management and Workflows, like Online OCR. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFreeWeb, Offline
4.7Visit
SVGOMG
Focus: svg, optimisation and web performance. Also in File Management and Workflows, like Online OCR. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFreeWeb, Offline
4.7Visit
OmniTools
Focus: online tools, file conversion and self-hosted. Also in File Management and Workflows, like Online OCR. Rated 4.6 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit
readme.so
Focus: readme, markdown and documentation. Also in Writing and Workflows, like Online OCR. Rated 4.6 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit
TableConvert
Focus: tables, csv and markdown. Also in Workflows and File Management, like Online OCR. Rated 4.6 (Online OCR: 4.2).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit
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