10 Best Free OCR Tools Online in 2026

What to Look for in a Free OCR Tool

Not all "free" OCR tools are equal. Before committing to one, evaluate on five dimensions:

Accuracy — Does it handle your document type? Printed text, handwriting, and scanned PDFs each require different model tuning.

Privacy — Does your file leave your device? Cloud-based tools upload to third-party servers; browser-based tools process locally.

Speed — How long does processing take per page?

Truly free — No hidden 5-page limit, no "free trial" that charges after 7 days?

No sign-up — Can you use it without creating an account?

The 10 Best Free OCR Tools in 2026

1. DoctorDocs — Best Overall (Browser-Based, No Sign-Up)

DoctorDocs runs Tesseract LSTM entirely inside your browser via WebAssembly. Your document never leaves your device. It covers 10+ specialised OCR scenarios that generic tools miss entirely.

Key tools:

OCR Scanner — general image and PDF text extraction

Handwriting to Text — LSTM-based cursive and print recognition

Prescription OCR — tuned for medical abbreviations and drug names

Receipt Scanner — structured extraction of totals, line items, dates

Screenshot Text Extractor — UI text, code snippets, error messages

Accuracy: 94–99% on printed text, 80–95% on neat handwriting

Privacy: 100% local — verified via browser Network tab

Free limits: Unlimited for browser-based tools; 10 scans/day for cloud AI features

Try DoctorDocs OCR →

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2. Google Lens — Best for Quick Mobile Scans

Google Lens is built into Android cameras and the Google app on iOS. Point your camera at any text and tap to copy. Great for quick, ad-hoc text grabs on the go.

Accuracy: 95%+ on printed text, decent on handwriting

Privacy: Files processed on Google servers — not suitable for sensitive documents

Limitation: Requires a Google account; no batch processing

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3. Microsoft OneNote — Best for Note-Taking Workflows

Right-click any image in OneNote and select "Copy Text from Picture." The OCR runs server-side and pastes extracted text inline.

Best for: Teams already in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem

Limitation: Requires a Microsoft account and the OneNote app; not standalone

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4. Adobe Acrobat Online — Most Accurate for Scanned PDFs

Adobe's OCR engine is industry-leading for complex scanned PDFs — multi-column layouts, mixed fonts, poor-quality scans. The free tier allows a limited number of conversions per month before hitting a paywall.

Accuracy: Best-in-class for print; weak on handwriting

Privacy: Files uploaded to Adobe servers

Limitation: 5 free conversions/month on the free tier; PDF format only

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5. Online OCR (onlineocr.net) — Simple and Functional

A no-frills browser tool that supports 46 languages and outputs TXT, Word, or Excel. 15 free conversions per hour, no account required.

Best for: Occasional use, non-sensitive documents, multilingual text

Limitation: Server-side processing; 5MB file size cap

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6. i2OCR — Free, Multi-Language, No Account

Supports 60+ languages including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, and Cyrillic scripts. Basic interface but reliable for printed text.

Best for: Non-Latin scripts and multilingual documents

Limitation: No handwriting support; older engine with lower accuracy than Tesseract 4.x

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7. Tesseract OCR — Best Open-Source Engine (Self-Hosted)

Tesseract is the open-source engine that powers DoctorDocs and dozens of other OCR tools. If you're technical and need to process documents programmatically or keep everything on-premises, running Tesseract directly is the gold standard.

Best for: Developers, data pipelines, self-hosted environments

Limitation: Requires command-line setup; no GUI; not a web app

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8. Easy Screen OCR — Best for Screenshots (Desktop App)

A lightweight Windows/Mac app that stays in the system tray. Press a hotkey, drag a capture area, and the text is copied to clipboard in under a second. Excellent for extracting text from software UI, error messages, and locked PDFs rendered on screen.

Best for: Power users who frequently extract text from screen content

Limitation: Desktop app required; cloud processing on premium tier

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9. Text Fairy — Best Android OCR App

Open-source Android app using Tesseract. Works offline, no account required. Excellent camera integration with perspective correction for photos of documents.

Best for: Android users who want offline, privacy-first mobile OCR

Limitation: Android only; no iOS version

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10. Apple Live Text — Best for Apple Ecosystem Users

Built into iOS 15+, iPadOS 15+, and macOS Monterey+. Point iPhone camera at text or long-press any image in Photos to copy text. Instant, no app needed.

Best for: iPhone and Mac users for quick text grabs

Limitation: Apple ecosystem only; no batch processing; sends data to Apple servers when using enhanced intelligence features

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Full Comparison Table

Tool	Truly Free	No Sign-Up	Browser/Local	Handwriting	Multi-Language
**DoctorDocs**	✅ Unlimited	✅	✅ Local	✅	Limited
Google Lens	✅	❌	❌ Cloud	✅	✅
MS OneNote	✅	❌	❌ Cloud	❌	✅
Adobe Acrobat	5/month	❌	❌ Cloud	❌	✅
Online OCR	15/hour	✅	❌ Cloud	❌	✅ 46 langs
i2OCR	✅	✅	❌ Cloud	❌	✅ 60 langs
Tesseract	✅	✅	✅ Local	✅	✅
Easy Screen OCR	Limited	✅	Desktop app	❌	✅
Text Fairy	✅	✅	✅ Local	✅	✅
Apple Live Text	✅	❌	Partial	✅	✅

Which Tool Should You Use?

For most people: DoctorDocs — unlimited, no sign-up, truly local processing, covers handwriting and specialised document types.

For sensitive documents (medical, legal, financial): Any local/browser-based tool — DoctorDocs, Tesseract, or Text Fairy. Never upload sensitive documents to cloud OCR services.

For multilingual documents: i2OCR (60 languages) or Google Lens with your account signed in.

For scanned PDFs specifically: Adobe Acrobat Online for the highest accuracy, or DoctorDocs PDF to Text for privacy-first extraction.

For developers building pipelines: Tesseract directly, or the DoctorDocs embed API (Business plan).

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Start scanning for free: DoctorDocs OCR Scanner →