OCR software for Windows that reads images, PDFs and screenshots

You can use every tool 7 times for free, counted separately per tool, so you get 7 files with Tesseract and another 7 with Paddle Classic. The 7 uses are a lifetime total and do not reset. Free screenshots, exported images and recordings carry a watermark. After that, a license costs $18 for one year or $49 for lifetime.

Open the OCR screen, drop in a JPG, PNG, BMP or TIFF file, pick an engine and a language, and press Run OCR. The text appears next to the file with a confidence percentage. Copy it or save it as a .txt file.

Yes. Add the PDF to the OCR screen. The app can read the text already embedded in the PDF, run OCR on scanned pages, or decide by itself page by page. The output is separated by page.

The optional Paddle AI engine is the one built for handwriting. It is hidden until you turn it on in Settings, and it needs a one-time model download of about 0.9 to 3.6 GB depending on the size you choose. Results depend on how clear the handwriting is, so test it with your own pages during the free uses.

Right-click the tray icon and choose Scan Region, then drag over the part of the screen you want. The text is copied to your clipboard. You can also take a screenshot from inside the OCR screen and add it to the file list.

Not entirely. First launch needs internet to verify your email address with a 6-digit code, and each language or model downloads the first time you use it. The app also checks its license online at each launch. Once the files are on your PC, the OCR itself runs locally and your documents are not uploaded.

First launch asks for your email address and a 6-digit code. The app checks its license online at each launch and sends usage data to our server: which tools you open, the app version, PC details and IP address. If the server cannot be reached the app still opens, and a paid license keeps working for 24 hours after its last successful check.

OCR, PDF editing, merging, converting, image tools, screenshots and recordings are processed locally. The one exception is Searchable PDF, which sends the PDF to your own Azure account.

The installer is about 451 MB. Each Tesseract language (about 10 MB) and each Paddle Classic model (about 10 to 80 MB) downloads the first time you use it. Paddle AI is off until you enable it in Settings, and its model is a one-time download of about 0.9, 1.2 or 3.6 GB. It can use an NVIDIA graphics card with a further 1.5 GB pack; on other PCs it runs on the processor.

OCR results are copied or saved as plain text (.txt), not Word or Excel files. The built-in engines do not create searchable PDFs. Edit PDF retypes text inside existing text and adds content on top; it does not reflow paragraphs, fill forms or redact. Convert Files does not handle Excel or PowerPoint. It needs 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) or Windows 11.