Easy Screen OCR

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, a technology that allows us to scan documents precisely and quickly. This means that you can turn your Android device or iPhone into a text scanner in a few steps. However, the availability of so many options makes it quite confused to choose. Read on our guide to learn the top 6 free OCR apps.

1. ScreenOCR for Mobile Phones

Screen OCR is probably the best text scanner available these days. Just by downloading and setting up in a few steps, you can easily scan documents in different formats. The app uses advanced technologies to automatically recognize numbers and characters through the camera. After that, all contents will be processed and converted into plain text in the quickest time. You can even choose to translate the scanned text into different languages or copy it to the clipboard for other purposes.

Pros

• Recognize more than 50 languages
• No payment or subscription
• High-quality and quick operation
• Powered by Google OCR
• Easy to use for everyone
• Upgrade to Pro and get unlimited access
• Support batch process

Android/iOS

Android/iOS supported: Both

2. Office Lens

Office Lens is a built-in feature in Microsoft PowerPoint and Word that enables your phone to take pictures of printed documents or whiteboards. These photos will be then cropped, sharpened, as well as straightened to look nearly the same as scanned images. You can choose to add the resulted pictures to your notes, slides, or word files for working and retrieving later. The whole process only takes you a few seconds. In addition, it is easy to access Office Lens if you have already installed Microsoft Office on your laptops or mobile devices.

Pros

• User-friendly and intuitive interface
• High-quality scanned images
• Added to Office files for working later
• Convert to different file formats

Cons

• You need to install Microsoft Office to use this feature
• It is not a free app

Android/iOS

Android/iOS supported: Both

3. FineScanner

Powered by artificial intelligence, FineScanner is an effective app to scan handwriting or printed documents to text. The scanned files can be available at many formats, including JPEG and PDF. The advanced neural network is able to detect photos with inside text, thus ensuring a precise and quick process. This app supports up to 193 different languages and 12 different output formats without affecting the original quality. There is also built-in file storage so that you can save scanned files with search capabilities and tags. More importantly, it is easy to share and export your files by e-mail or save it in cloud storage, such as Dropbox or Google Drive.

Pros

• Utilize advanced artificial intelligence
• Support many output formats and languages
• Spotlight search and 3D touch support
• Filters and auto-capture
• Built-in file storage
• Share and export in different ways

Cons

• The free version contains many ads
• You can only save five pages with a free version

Android/iOS

Android/iOS supported: Both

4. CamScanner

With CamScanner, you can enjoy scanning anywhere and anytime. Available in 16 languages, this app can convert images and printed documents to text files in a few minutes. All you need is to install the app and a few touches before the phone can do everything automatically for you. After this process, it will synchronize your documents so that they can be instantly available for further editing or use.

Pros

• Easy to share with other people
• Automatically crop the edge
• High-resolution results
• Available for further editing
• Customizable watermark production

Cons

• Free account is limited on storage space

Android/iOS

Android/iOS supported: Both

5. Text Scanner (OCR)

The last recommended app in this list is the Text Scanner (OCR). Featuring advanced technologies, it can recognize any texts with up to 98 percent accuracy. You can have support for up to 92 languages, making it a great option for those who work as translators, journalists, or writers. Scanned files can be saved to your internal storage in specific folders for better organization.

Pros

• Support many languages
• Easy to edit and share
• Crop images before scanning
• Extract texts in different backgrounds
• Simple to use

Cons

• The speed is not as quick as other apps above

Android/iOS

Android/iOS supported: Both

Conclusion

Recent advances in technological development have led to many more options. These six apps are among the best choices that combine speed and accuracy. Think carefully and take your needs into consideration before making the final decision.