AI-powered OCR tools are a redundant term. By definition, OCR itself is an application of AI, so any OCR tool is, by extension, an AI tool. Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s understand what an OCR tool is used for.
Today, OCR tools are typically used for extracting text from images. That’s why they are also called image-to-text converters. In this article, we have listed five of the best OCR tools available to the public today.
We will list their features, accuracy, and any drawbacks they might have. Let’s check them out.
Imagetotext.me is a great OCR tool. It has a bunch of great features that cement its place in the top five. Let’s check them out.
Features:
- It supports batch processing (up to 5 images, 4MB each).
- It supports the following image formats: PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, JPEG, and PDF.
- You can input images in four different ways: copy and paste, drag and drop, URL (for online images), and the standard upload method, where you browse your files to select an image for input.
- It is free and doesn’t have mandatory registration or login.
- Supports multiple languages.
Accuracy:
We tested the tool with two images, one that has clean text and one that has handwritten text. The images we used are:
Here are the results for these images.
As you can see in the results, accuracy is quite good. There are a few minor mistakes, such as the misplacement of a word and two words are missing, but overall, the text has been extracted pretty well.
You can edit the output to make it identical to the input, and that will take just a few seconds. Much faster than manual transcribing.
The next tool on the list is imagetotextconverter.net. This one is similar to the first tool we discussed, but it also has some differences. Let’s check out its features to see what it offers.
Features:
- It has batch processing for up to 5 images (4 MB each).
- It lets you crop images after they have been uploaded. So, you can cut out areas that you don’t want to extract text from.
- It lets you input images in various ways, i.e, copy-paste, upload, drag’n’drop, etc.
- “Download All” feature that lets you download all extracted text as a zip file.
- Supports multiple languages.
- It has no usage limits.
- It is free to use.
Accuracy:
While the features are great, the tool is not useful if it is not accurate. So, let’s see how well it performs.
The images used for testing are the same as before. Here are their results:
As you can see, the results are quite good. There are only two minor mistakes that can be easily edited before downloading. So, this OCR tool can save you a lot of time and effort when digitizing or extracting text.
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Picturetotext.info
Picture to text is a surprise addition to this list because it is quite new. That’s why it is not that high on the SERPs, but its results and features are nothing to sneeze at. That’s why it made the list. Let’s see what makes it so special.
Features:
- Allows for 10 images to be batch processed, 5 MB each. That’s a higher limit than any other tool on this list. Just that alone makes it a good contender for the top 5.
- In premium accounts, the size limitation is raised to 10 MB each.
- Free accounts have no usage limits
- Allows for editing in the preview
- Supports multiple languages.
- Has copy and download shortcuts.
Accuracy:
Now let’s see if its results are good as well. The images used for testing are the same as before. Here are the results:
It’s pretty good. Just a few minor errors that can be easily fixed with a grammar checker.
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DNSChecker.org
The next tool on our list is the Image to text converter by DNS Checker (.org). This one is a surprise because the website typically dabbles in networking tools. So, an OCR tool is quite non-standard for its kit. Nevertheless, it is a great tool. Let’s check out its featureset.
Features:
- It lets you edit the images after upload. Allowed actions include: rotate, mirror, flip, and crop.
- Lets you simultaneously input five images or fewer.
- Users can edit the output in the preview before copying or downloading.
- Supports multiple languages.
- Copy and download options are included in the output screen.
- It is free and has no usage limits.
Those are some great features, but as usual, the accuracy is what makes or breaks these kinds of tools. So, let’s check it out.
Accuracy:
The same images have been used for testing, and the results are as follows:
The results are very similar to what we have seen with other tools. As you can see, there are very minor errors that can be easily corrected with some editing. So, it is a convenient tool for quick text extractions.
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Imagetotext.com
The final tool on our list, but by no means the least, is Image to text(.com). This tool has various nifty features and is the only one in this list that has a very different UI (the rest all seem inspired by each other). Let’s see what it has to offer.
Features:
- It supports batch processing. Users can enter as many images as they like, provided that their total size doesn’t exceed 10.5 MB. This makes it uniquely suited to quick yet small extractions in bulk.
- Supports formats like JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, etc.
- It is free to use.
- Has a great and simple UI that is easy to understand.
- Doesn’t have limits on how many times you can use it.
Accuracy:
So, the features are all great, but as usual, the true test of an OCR tool is in its accuracy. We have tested image-to-text (.com) with the same images as before. Here are the results:
As you can see, it has the least amount of errors compared to the rest. And it allows editing in the output as well. So, it is a great option.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, the top five OCR tools compared. They offer similar features and have a similar accuracy as well. So, you can’t go wrong with using any of them.
