Best OCR Software in 2026
Updated
In short: OnlineOCR is ranked #1 of 40 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of OCRmyPDF and FreeOCR.AI. The best-ranked option with a free plan is OCRmyPDF. The lowest first paid tier on this page is FreeOCR.AI at $6.67/mo.
For turning documents or images into machine-readable text, OCR options can be weighed by supported inputs and languages, searchable PDF support and Word export. Handwriting OCR may be important for notes or forms, while the monthly page limit helps frame recurring workloads. The ranking starts with FreeOCR.AI, OCRmyPDF and OnlineOCR, with PaddleOCR and Prizmo also among the early entries. Check the primary platform, free-plan availability and paid-from price against the material you need to process. These criteria let you focus on the inputs, recognition needs and output formats that matter in your workflow.
40 OCR software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Searchable PDF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  OnlineOCR | 8.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $9.95/mo | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 2 |  OCRmyPDF | 8.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 3 | FreeOCR.AI | 8.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $6.67/mo | Yes | $10/mo | No | View |
| 4 |  PaddleOCR | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 5 |  Tesseract OCR | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 6 |  OCRFeeder | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 7 | GNU Ocrad | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 8 | docTR | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 9 |  i2OCR | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 10 | ABBYY FineReader PDF | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 11 | ABBYY Screenshot Reader | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | $9.99/mo | — | View |
| 12 |  Scribe OCR | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 13 |  Readiris PDF | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $99/mo | No | $99/mo | Yes | View |
| 14 | Open-Capture | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 15 |  Surya | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 16 | DocuOCR | 6.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | $24/mo | — | View |
| 17 |  EasyOCR | 6.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | No | View |
| 18 |  Prizmo | 6.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 19 |  Tungsten OmniPage | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | Yes | View |
| 20 |  ScanScan | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 21 |  PDFify | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 22 |  NewOCR | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 23 |  gImageReader | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
| 24 |  Copyfish | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 25 |  WatchOCR | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Yes | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which OCR software is ranked first on Inferse?
OnlineOCR is ranked #1 of 40 with a score of 8.4. OCRmyPDF is second and FreeOCR.AI third.
How many of these have a free plan?
2 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, FreeOCR.AI has the lowest first paid tier we found: $6.67/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.