8 Finest Free OCR Software program in 2024

Are you and your enterprise nonetheless drowning in paperwork? Precise bodily paperwork? It’s 2024. Let’s change that.  

Your paperwork nonetheless maintain worth. You, together with employees and stakeholders, would possibly obtain and work on them for a wide range of enterprise choices every single day. By switching to a free optical character recognition (OCR) software program device, you’ll be able to convert non-parsable or post-data format paperwork into editable file codecs and construct an organized knowledge repository.  All this with out paying one other bill!

Companies can even change to the free OCR software program to arrange and handle venture knowledge for crew collaboration.

Let’s have a look at the checklist of the 8 greatest free OCR software program to make doc scanning, modifying, and digitization straightforward and handy.

How can we choose and consider OCR software program on G2?

At G2, we rank software program options utilizing a proprietary algorithm that considers buyer satisfaction and market presence based mostly on genuine consumer critiques. Our market analysis analysts and writers spend weeks testing options towards a number of standards set for a software program class. We offer you unbiased software program evaluations – that is the G2 distinction! We didn’t settle for cost or trade hyperlinks for product placements on this checklist. Please learn our G2 Analysis Scoring Methodology for extra particulars.

8 Finest Free OCR Software program in 2024

OCR software program supplies companies with all-in-one doc assist and administration providers. It allows customers to scan, search, edit, and modify photographs and convert them into editable paperwork. 

These OCR consumer critiques come from G2’s greatest OCR software program class web page. Please observe that within the context of this checklist, distributors providing a trial are thought-about free.

To qualify for inclusion on this class, software program should:

• Course of digital photographs of varied file varieties 
• Seize knowledge from scanned PDFs and convert them into Phrase paperwork
• Determine and parse non-editable plain textual content and convert it into editable textual content
• Set up digital recordsdata both on-premise or within the  cloud 
• Provide engine compatibility throughout Mac, iPhone, Linux, Android, and Microsoft Home windows

This knowledge was pulled from G2 in 2024. Some critiques might have been edited for readability. 

Laserfiche, a doc creation and storage device, digitizes your whole paper path. It’s been a pioneer in offering enterprise content material administration providers to create, edit, modify, and share content material throughout inside and exterior stakeholders. Laserfiche comes with suitable OCR integrations you could deploy to your present content material infrastructure. 

Laserfiche helps digital recordsdata and automates doc scanning and processing in order that paperwork may be shared throughout groups.

What do customers like greatest:

“We love utilizing Laserfiche. It’s an especially secure storage alternative for worker and donor recordsdata that aren’t to be accessed by anybody unnecessarily. We’ve employees that use this each day for his or her position. Implementing and administering it is vitally easy, particularly when employees by accident make modifications they didn’t imply to. Buyer assist is fantastic after we run into one thing that we’ve got a troublesome time supporting ourselves with.”

– Laserfiche Overview, Heidi H. 

What do customers dislike:

“Non-responsiveness on direct emails. No follow-up by sure staff. No customizable views on the monitor. I wish to transfer to the cloud, however I do not wish to lose performance. Cloud or prem, options needs to be the identical – all the time. Do not make us select.”

– Laserfiche Overview, DIANNA D. 

FineReader PDF for Home windows and Mac converts PDFs into file codecs like .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt so you’ll be able to add, parse, edit, and retrieve textual content. It additionally affords on-line OCR  to course of massive volumes of paperwork.

The software program additionally helps present scanned paperwork and converts them into machine-readable textual content. As soon as parsed, you’ll be able to retailer paperwork securely in your cloud storage or on-premise.

What do customers like greatest:

“I discovered FineReader’s free model to be a one-stop all-in-one device when utilizing PDF. To begin with, I just like the clear interface and the way straightforward it’s to make use of. It’s my go-to device every time I would like so as to add a digital signature to my paperwork in PDF format. I additionally like the truth that I can classify my paperwork, as this helps me in organizing my confidential paperwork. As an IT skilled, I’ve had earlier expertise utilizing ABBYY FineReader OCR answer in initiatives, and seeing its seamless integration into the device looks like a recreation changer for me. I simply love the OCR evaluation a part of the device.”

– FineReader PDF for Home windows and Mac Overview, Sreyas V.

What do customers dislike:

“In some circumstances, utilizing Abbyy’s PDF to Dwell PDF conversion might have a foul impact on the doc print high quality (decision) and its file dimension.”

– FineReader for Home windows and Mac Overview, Yohai C.

TextIn processes and aligns texts from non-editable file codecs into an easy-to-understand and correctable file format. This doc customization and alteration device captures, extracts, and modifies textual content recordsdata based on the consumer’s discretion.  It additionally automates document-based workflows throughout groups to extend transparency and visibility.

TextIn is understood for clever picture and doc processing and may analyze, kind, and classify knowledge throughout a number of industries. 

What do customers like greatest:

“I like that it might probably scale back the quantity of paper that you must carry round – you’ll be able to simply scan every thing. I additionally like that it auto-crops the picture and you may edit utilizing filters. I additionally like having the ability to save photographs in several file codecs.”

– TextIn Overview, Aarifah B. 

What do customers dislike:

“It generally crops abruptly as an alternative of cropping the required web page. It all the time places the watermark emblem on the backside of the web page. It doesn’t enable optical character recognition, and within the pdf file, it saves the web page as a picture as an alternative of textual content.”

– TextIn Overview, Dev A.

Ephesoft affords database automation and administration providers for companies utilizing synthetic intelligence (AI). The top-to-end file automation promotes crew collaboration, venture administration, and team-wide doc accessibility. Ephesoft works on mushy copies of PDF recordsdata and extracts essential knowledge from the textual content. It additionally has a number of add-ons like kind indentation, textual content alignment, and quotation assist.

What do customers like greatest:

“We recognize a number of qualities of Ephesoft. Specifically, the software program is a wonderful and user-friendly manner to assist us manage and interpret knowledge that was much less helpful in its earlier format. The platform additionally saves money and time by routinely figuring out all file varieties and processing strategies, which reduces the necessity for human intervention. We’re additionally followers of how adaptable the interface is; we have made a number of modifications to make it work higher for our wants. All this makes Ephesoft a precious asset to our crew as a result of it may be adopted rapidly with out requiring specialist information or expertise.”

– Ephesoft Overview, Stephanie W. 

What do customers dislike:

“It is slower than different on-line classification and extraction instruments. Additionally, a number of options that Ephesoft advertises are discouraged by its skilled providers and assist employees. Lastly, it takes substantial effort to maximise the answer’s potential, and the time required to replace can rapidly add up.”

– Ephesoft Overview,  Shanil Ok. 

Nanonets assist scan, add, edit, re-scan, and re-save paperwork in an organized repository. It affords AI automation to autocorrect doc textual content and spotlight inconsistencies in content material. Nanonets additionally has an intuitive cell app that lets you scan, save and edit PDF paperwork with ease instantly from cell units. Its massive storage capability and quite a few doc modifying and formatting options make it suitable throughout platforms.

Nanonets’ clever AI automation supplies providers to 34% of Fortune 500 firms.

What do customers like greatest:

“Because of Nanonets we have been in a position to digitally course of advanced invoices and affirmation orders. The AI’s self-learning capabilities have been probably the most exceptional function for us – with the mannequin enhancing constantly as extra knowledge was offered.”

– Nanonets Overview, Nadim A. 

What do customers dislike:

“The mannequin coaching at first could be a bit tedious and arduous to visualise correctly, particularly for giant and complicated recordsdata, similar to monetary statements from suppliers from a number of nations. However as soon as every thing is about up, it’s effectively well worth the coaching time.”

– Nanonets Overview, Charles E. 

Rossum’s (previously Elis) AI-assisted knowledge extraction device captures invoices. This platform can assist accounting and bookkeeping professionals refine their workflows. Customers can import PDFs or scans of invoices, and Rossum routinely extracts the related knowledge right into a structured format with out the necessity for templates. Information can then be conveniently validated throughout the interface, and exported for additional processing utilizing one of many device’s software program integrations like  Netsuite or Quickbooks Desktop Professional. 

What do customers like greatest:

“The most effective factor about Rossum is the saved keystrokes. I imply, that is the entire level of this. From a developer perspective, Rossum’s pretty open method to permit for modification of the UI and the way knowledge is processed via Rossum was the true promote level. My firm has very particular wants, and the flexibility to scale the UI up or down on the fly is unimaginable and straightforward.”

– Rossum Overview, Connor S.

What do customers dislike:

“Rossum may be improved by studying how one can learn Excel paperwork, and generally the repeated behaviors we educate Rossum are ignored. Rossum can also be restricted to studying “straight” strains of information. If there was a method to tilt the grid to learn orders which can be misaligned, that will be appreciated.”

– Rossum Overview, Steven S. 

Base64.ai is an ML-powered knowledge extraction and automation device that generates editable studies and tables from massive paperwork. Base64.ai intelligently captures knowledge and labels it internally to create newer paperwork. This simplifies enterprise workflows and hurries up transactional processing between shoppers and distributors.

Base 64.ai additionally verifies and validates textual content earlier than transferring it into a unique format. It ensures that the the worth and authenticity of the textual content are maintained.

What do customers like greatest:

“The superior AI fashions have enhanced efficient adaptation to new doc format and knowledge extraction from completely different kinds. It allows my crew to make well timed choices from dependable insights obtained from extracted knowledge. I’ve been in a position to implement many initiatives throughout the set timelines on account of correct knowledge that I acquire from completely different knowledge sources.”

– Base64.ai Overview, Ruth C.

What do customers dislike:

“There are downtime incidents which have disrupted knowledge workflows, affecting all the knowledge pipeline.”

– Base64.ai Overview, Andrew S. 

DocuClipper summarizes textual content from PDF recordsdata and inserts it into WORD paperwork. It helps a number of file variants like .png, .jpg, or different picture recordsdata and reads inline textual content. A number one OCR device, DocuClipper is straightforward to make use of and likewise affords OCR tutorials for newbies to be taught extra.

DocuClipper can even scan and seize multi-page invoices and bodily textual content recordsdata containing important banking or bank card knowledge.

What do customers like greatest:

“I used DocuClipper for changing my shoppers’ financial institution statements and bank card statements to Quickbooks On-line format recordsdata. It was very easy and correct, not like different software program that I’ve used for comparable functions. General, it’s a very intuitive, user-friendly software program. It’s extremely really helpful in case you are working with PDF statements. I haven’t explored it absolutely, however to this point, it is nice.”

– DocuClipper Overview, Javeria Z.

What do customers dislike:

“It could be nice to have a pay-as-you-go plan for smaller companies that do not want it constantly however nonetheless want it for infrequent initiatives. I do not want it sufficient to warrant the price of the annual plan. I wanted DocuClipper for one venture and needed to pay the month-to-month payment after which cancel the subscription. I do not want this system a lot, however once I do, it is available in very useful and saves me a ton of time.”

– DocuClipper Overview, Stephanie Ok. 

The highest-listed OCR software program on G2 is Adobe Acrobat, FineReader PDF for Home windows and Mac, Rossum, and DocuClipper.    

Is free OCR software program secure to make use of? Does it compromise knowledge privateness?

Free OCR software program is encrypted software program that enables entry through safe authorization. It authenticates customers through their genuine account and a one-time generated password that provides extra safety layers to your app. Additional, it prevents unauthorized customers from making modifications to your file by producing a password Unicode that locks sure paperwork.

Construct your digital ledgers

Free OCR packages create a easy transition from arduous copies to an digital output format, providing you with the ability to regulate knowledge based on organizational requirements. They get rid of the effort of paper payments and invoices and automate your knowledge for easy processing. Whether or not you’re working with distributors, clients, or a brand new associate, your transactional data needn’t be scattered into stacks of paper. 

 Learn the way free PDF editors can allow you to transform, edit, and modify PDF docs from a non-editable to editable format and ease your work hassles. 

Edited by Aisha West