The 7 Best OCR Websites to Extract Text from Images and PDFs Online

Likely, you are ever put into a situation where you need to copy scanned PDF text or add text to a scanned document. Chances are you just need some free OCR tools to break out of the plight. OCR tools help to convert text in images or PDFs into editable status.

After being processed by OCR websites, the text can be copied, pasted, searched, or edited. We have selected the best 7 OCR websites in the market to simplify your work and ease your nerves.

👉 Before starting, get PDFgear, the best free OCR software for Windows and Mac.

Comparing the Top 3 OCR Websites

OCR Website	Feature	Pricing
FreeOnlineOCR	It provides accurate OCR service. It automatically rotates pictures and supports low-resolution images.	Free
OnlineOCR	It deals with images of different formats and can give results in text, Word, or Excel format.	$19.95 /mo.
i2OCR	It supports over 100 languages and multiple format output. It’s simple and easy to use.	Free

FreeOnlineOCR

FreeOnlineOCR is a powerful OCR tool that provides an accurate optical character recognition (OCR) tool that specializes in digitizing scanned PDF documents. It leverages advanced OCR technology to identify text in PDFs or pictures and convert it into searchable, editable formats. Being free and quick in reaction, FreeOnlineOCR is an ideal OCR tool both for work purposes and personal use.

Pros:

• Intuitive and concise web interface.
• Easy to handle OCR conversion with just a few clicks.
• Provides a desktop version for more convenient use.

Cons:

• A bit slow in processing large files.

Pricing: Free

Go to FreeOnlineOCR Website

OnlineOCR

OnlineOCR is a simple free web-based OCR (optical character recognition) tool that can efficiently extract text from images in BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIFF formats. It has no frills but gets the basic OCR conversion job done for occasional scanning needs. It works right within your web browser without needing to install any software. A drawback is that it cannot handle PDFs or formats other than images.

Pros:

• Support various language recognition.
• Support Word, Excel, and Text files as OCR output.

Cons:

• Too many ads on the web page.
• 15M is the maximum file size for users without premium.

Pricing: $19.95 /mo.

Go to OnlineOCR Website.

i2OCR

With the help of the free online OCR program i2OCR, users may extract text from photos and PDF files. i2OCR’s ability to handle images is one of its best capabilities. JPG and PNG image formats are the only ones that many free OCR providers support. However, i2OCR does not require any prior conversion to process PDFs. This facilitates the digitization of documents based on PDFs.

Pros:

• i2OCR supports over 100 languages.
• i2OCR lets you output your results in PDF, Word, Text, and other formats.
• i2OCR provides a direct link to Google Docs.

Cons:

• To OCR PDF files, it requires an extra step to extract the text.

Pricing: Free

Go to i2OCR Website.

OCR.Space

OCR.Space provides a free API for OCR conversion of scanned documents like forms, invoices, receipts, and images to machine-readable text. It uses advanced algorithms to provide industry-grade text recognition accuracy. The service offers paid plans for handling batches, faster processing, and higher monthly volumes. The API is easy to integrate into your own applications.

Pros:

• Precise and quick results.
• Clear marks for content from each page.

Cons:

• Too much to read on the page.
• For PDFs, only the first page is shown in the preview.

Pricing: $60.00/mo.

Go to OCR.Space Website.

NewOCR

NewOCR offers a generous free tier OCR API along with affordable pricing tiers for more features like batch processing, faster speeds, and higher monthly volumes. The API uses advanced AI for text recognition in documents. Integrations are offered for common languages and frameworks. A key benefit is cost-effectiveness for low to medium-OCR workloads.

Pros:

• Simple and handy for new users.
• Support images, PDFs, Word, and other document formats for recognition.

Cons:

• Words are too small on the web page.
• UI looks old-fashioned.
• Slow in reaction.

Pricing: $0.5 per recognition.

Go to NewOCR Website.

ImageToText

ImageToText is a simple and OCR-focused online tool for you to extract text from images or PDFs. You can rotate images after uploading them to the web. Preview is offered for you to compare the OCR results with the content in the original document. It just takes seconds for the tool to analyze the image or PDF.

Pros:

• The single function saves you time in understanding how it works.
• Concise and to-the-point UI, friendly for beginners.

Cons:

• Allows to upload up to 3 images at once.
• Sometimes slow in processing images.
• Cannot handle poor quality or complex image scans well.

Pricing: Free

Go to ImageToText Website.

Docsumo

Docsumo is a free online OCR tool, a program and a Chrome extension that allows users to convert scanned documents and images into editable and searchable text files. Besides, it also helps with converting PDF to Excel or image. Docsumo provides free service to some extent and it’s web-based, and simple to use for basic OCR needs.

Pros:

• Supports customized premium plans.
• Shows count-down while processing OCR.
• Free service for documents up to 200 pages or 50 Mb and 3 tasks per hour.

Cons:

• High price, not suitable for personal use.

Pricing: $500+/mo

Go to Docsumo Website.

FAQs

What is an OCR website?

An OCR (Optical Character Recognition) website is an online platform that uses OCR technology to convert scanned images, PDFs, or printed text into editable and searchable digital text. These websites help users extract text from various file formats, making it easy to edit, analyze, or store the content.

How does OCR technology work?

OCR technology works by analyzing the shapes and patterns of text within an image or scanned document. It identifies individual characters by comparing them to a database of known characters, then converts the recognized characters into digital text.

Advanced OCR systems use machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve accuracy and handle various fonts, languages, and document layouts.

Are OCR websites accurate?

The accuracy of OCR websites depends on the quality of the input image or document, the OCR technology used, and the website’s ability to handle different languages, fonts, and layouts.

Modern OCR engines can achieve high accuracy rates (over 95%) when processing high-quality images and standard fonts. However, accuracy may decrease with low-quality images, handwritten text, or uncommon fonts.

How can I improve the accuracy of OCR results?

To improve the accuracy of OCR results, ensure that the input image or document is of high quality. This includes having a high resolution, good contrast between text and background, and minimal distortion or noise.

Additionally, using a website that supports the specific language and font of your document can improve recognition accuracy.

Are OCR websites secure?

The security of OCR websites varies depending on the platform. Some websites prioritize user privacy and data security, offering features like SSL encryption, secure file storage, and automatic file deletion after a certain period.

It’s essential to review a website’s privacy policy and security measures before uploading sensitive documents.

Conclusion

OCR websites provide an invaluable service by unlocking text trapped within images and PDF documents. They eliminate the need for manually re-typing imaged documents, which is extremely time-consuming. Scanned books, documents, and screenshots become searchable and editable after being processed.

With continually improving accuracy, OCR web tools are becoming an essential component of the digital document processing ecosystem. If you use them wisely, you will be more productive both in work and in life.