If you wish to extract text from images or scanned documents, then you need to perform an OCR on the document. There are many such software programs that can help you make the text in an image readable and searchable.
But with the advent of AI, the accuracy of OCR has increased up to 95%+, making the text extraction more efficient. This guide will help readers choose between the best AI-Powered OCR software and tools.
What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR)?
The Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, is a useful technology that helps convert the unreadable text within images into a readable format that can be read by a PC or smartphone. Once the conversion is done, the resultant text can be copied, edited, and shared as text without having to type it all again manually.
The OCR Scanner app identifies the patterns drawn on the image that form the numbers or text. It then compares the patterns with its database and matches them with the existing characters in the patterns.
Benefits of Choosing the Right OCR Software
The most important benefit of OCR is saving time and effort. If you hire someone to type all the text in an image or scanned documents, then you will have to hire someone who will take time to manually type out the text. Instead, using an OCR will help scan all the existing documents that are available as images. Here are some other benefits.
- OCR helps to avoid repetitive tasks and prevent manual data entry.
- It also helps to improve the data accuracy by extracting information directly from the source.
- The text or data can be processed faster with the help of OCR, and improve workflow efficiency.
- The labor costs are reduced with OCR technology.
- The documents that undergo OCR become searchable and editable files.
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best AI-Powered OCR Software/Tools
As we mentioned earlier, there are many OCR software available in the market that have AI integration. It becomes confusing to choose one software from the rest of the tools. To clear such doubts, here are some factors you must consider before purchasing the software.
- The OCR software must be accurate when converting handwritten notes, low-quality images, and complex layouts.
- It must convert the images as fast as speed is an important factor when high-volume document processing is involved.
- The tool must be able to integrate with your existing ERP or document management system.
- The user interface must be intuitive and help boost the user experience.
- A good OCR will support multiple languages.
- The OCR software may not be free, but it should not burn a hole in your pocket.
List Of Best AI-Powered OCR Software/Tools
We have listed the best tools that can perform OCR and are powered by AI.
1. Systweak PDF Editor
Systweak PDF Editor is a complete PDF management software that provides OCR capabilities to make the text of a scanned image readable and searchable. The final output of the OCR scanning is a PDF document with editable text. This saves time and effort to type the text content of the scanned image.
It is very simple to convert any scanned document into a searchable PDF. You need to open the PDF in Systweak PDF Editor.
Select the OCR option.
Complete the OCR process.
The text within the PDF is now selectable.
Price – $48.97/Yearly or $99.95 for lifetime.
2. Adobe Acrobat Pro
Adobe Acrobat Pro allows users to use the text recognition module in their software on a scanned image. This allows users to copy and highlight the recognized text. The entire document becomes searchable, and users can search for a word or a phrase within the document.
Price – $19.99/Monthly
3. Chat GPT
ChatGPT is an AI search engine that can be used to perform OCR by uploading the images of scanned documents and then extracting that text into a digital, editable format. Users can analyze the extracted text without needing separate OCR software.
Price – Free
4. Azure AI Vision
The OCR feature of Azure AI Vision extracts printed and handwritten text from images and documents in multiple languages. It provides structured text output for use in search, indexing, document processing, and accessibility solutions.
Price – On Request, depending on package.
5. Microsoft 365 Copilot app
The OCR (Optical Character Recognition) feature in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app allows users to capture text from images, documents, whiteboards, or handwritten notes and convert it into editable, searchable digital content. This makes it easy to copy, share, and use text directly in Word, OneNote, PowerPoint, or PDF formats.
Price – On Request, depending on package.
6. ABBYY FineReader
The OCR feature in ABBYY FineReader converts scanned documents, images, and PDFs into editable and searchable formats with high accuracy. It supports multiple languages, preserves formatting and layout, and enables efficient text extraction for editing, sharing, and archiving.
Price – $99/Year
7. Google Vision AI / Document AI
The OCR in Google Vision AI and Document AI extracts printed and handwritten text from images and documents in many languages with high accuracy. It detects text in complex layouts, preserves structure, and outputs machine-readable data for use in document processing, search, and automation workflows.
Price – On Request, depending on package.
8. Amazon Textract
The OCR feature in Amazon Textract automatically extracts printed and handwritten text from scanned documents and images. It can also detect tables and forms for document processing and automation.
Price – On Request, depending on package.
Conclusion On The Best AI-Powered OCR Software/Tools
We have listed the best AI-Powered OCR tools in this guide for you. You can choose the best tool that suits your needs, and depending on the various factors like cost, features, requirements, etc. Do write to us in the comments section about which software you choose and why.
FAQs
Q. What is replacing OCR?
OCR as a technology cannot be replaced, but simple software that includes OCR is being replaced by cloud-based services like Amazon Textract, Google Cloud Vision, Tesseract, etc.
Q. Can OCR be 100% accurate?
Most OCR Software provides 98 to 99 percent accuracy per page. This means that in a page of 1,000 characters, 980 to 990 characters will be accurate. There is no OCR software that can provide 100% accuracy. The level of accuracy decreases based on Handwriting.
Q. Why is OCR difficult?
The OCR technology is sensitive to the image/scan quality. If the input material is poor due to low resolution, bad lighting, low contrast, etc, the OCR technology cannot accurately recognize the text.
Q. Does AI Improve OCR?
AI enhances the OCR technology by making the process smarter, faster, and more reliable. Even if the scans are of low quality, the AI algorithms can reduce errors in recognition while scanning.
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