7 Best OCR Apps for Images, PDFs & Photos to Text (2026)

You want to transcribe the text in images, photos, and screenshots and turn it into text right away!

Typing out the text from images and PDFs by hand is a lot of work… Isn't there a tool that can read it automatically?

In that case, we recommend using the latest AI tools for OCR!

Printed documents, handwriting, and foreign-language documents can all be converted to text with high accuracy.

OCR tools come in several types: web apps that work in the browser alone, apps that read photos directly on a smartphone, and PC software that can process large volumes of documents offline. Support for handwriting, vertical text, and foreign languages also differs from tool to tool.

In this article, we compare 7 recommended transcription apps with OCR for images, PDFs, and photos by differences in free allowance, supported formats, supported languages, handwriting, and vertical text.

Start with the comparison table to get the big picture.

Comparison of OCR Apps for Transcribing Images, PDFs, and Photos into Text (2026)

The table summarizes free allowances and supported formats. Details on each app follow below the table.

*Prices and free allowances are as of March 2026. For the latest information, please check each service's official website.

Let's take a closer look at each app.

7 Recommended OCR Apps for Transcribing Images, PDFs, and Photos into Text

1. Mr. Transcription

The image transcription (OCR) tool “Mr. Transcription” is a web app where AI automatically performs OCR transcription just by uploading a file.

Because it runs in the browser, you can use it on a PC, smartphone, or tablet.

It supports not only images and PDFs but also audio and video, and its strengths are support for 100 languages and handwriting recognition.

You can try it free for up to 10 images per day without registering, so it's a good first choice if you're looking for an OCR tool!

It also has a feature that other OCR apps lack: OCR for vertical text! (Learn more about vertical-text OCR here)

For newspapers, magazines, books, and more, it automatically detects columns, headings, and photo captions in vertical text and transcribes it correctly.

With other tools such as Google Docs, column text is recognized mixed in with the body text, but with Mr. Transcription you don't need to do that tedious editing.

You can also apply an AI summary directly to the OCR result (Learn more about the AI summary here).

From 3-line summaries and meeting minutes to content analysis and Q&A generation, you can handle everything you do with the text after conversion in a single service.

That's why we recommend Mr. Transcription for OCR of images and PDFs!

Why not try “Mr. Transcription” for free?

2. Google Docs

Google Docs is an OCR method you can use for free with a Google account. When you upload an image file to Google Drive and choose “Open with > Google Docs,” character recognition runs automatically.

It supports more than 200 languages.

It can also read handwriting.

When we tried it with a test image, the recognition accuracy was more than sufficient for a free tool.

However, there is a 2 MB limit on the size of files you can upload.

If you want to process high-resolution images or multi-page PDFs, consider using it together with other tools.

[Free] 4 Easy Ways to Transcribe with Google Docs

For anyone who wants to make the most of Google Docs voice typing, we explain in detail how to transcribe in real time, convert audio data to text, create minutes for web meetings, and extract text from images and PDFs.

3. Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft's note-taking app OneNote comes with a built-in OCR function that reads text in images and converts it to text.

Just right-click an image → choose “Copy Text from Picture”, and the recognized text is copied to the clipboard.

Particularly handy is transcribing text from screenshots.

Paste a screenshot of a web page or app screen into OneNote and run OCR, and you can easily extract on-screen text that can't be copied.

PDFs are supported too: if you insert a PDF into OneNote as a “printout,” each page is loaded as an image, and you can extract the text page by page with OCR.

It's available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and you can use it for free even without a Microsoft 365 subscription, which is another plus.

If you already use Office products, there is almost no setup effort.

Microsoft OneNote official website

4. LINE (OCR text recognition)

LINE, which many people use on their smartphones, also has an OCR function that reads text from photos taken with the camera and images attached to chats.

Because you don't need to install a new app, it's ideal for casual use such as “I want to read this text right now”.

It also has a translation function, so it's handy for reading menus and signs when traveling abroad.

LINE official website

5. Adobe Scan

Adobe Scan is a free scanner app with OCR.

When you photograph a document with the camera, it automatically detects and corrects the edges to create a high-quality PDF.

OCR processing converts it into a PDF in which you can search and copy text.

You can choose a capture mode such as document, book, business card, or whiteboard, and distortion and glare are corrected automatically.

Scanned PDFs are saved automatically to Adobe Document Cloud and can also be accessed from a PC or tablet.

The OCR function is available in the free version too, but it is limited to 25 pages per month.

With a paid plan (Adobe Scan Premium), OCR is available for up to 100 pages, and you can also use file merging and compression features.

Linked with the Acrobat Reader app, you can annotate, highlight, and sign scanned PDFs as they are.

Ideal for anyone who wants to handle everything from scanning documents to using them with a single smartphone.

Adobe Scan official website

6. iPhone Text Recognition Feature (Live Text)

This is an OCR function built into iPhone (iOS 16 or later), iPad, and Mac.

No app installation is needed at all; you can recognize and copy text directly from the camera or the Photos app.

Using it is very simple.

When you point the camera at text, a text recognition icon appears at the bottom right of the screen.

Tap the icon, and you can select, copy, translate, and search the text in the image as it is.

You can extract text in the same way from images already saved in the Photos app.

It also recognizes handwriting, and because text is converted in real time just by holding up the camera, it is ideal when “you want to copy the text in front of you right now”.

Apple Support – Live Text

7. Yomitori Kakumei Ver.17

Yomitori Kakumei is a standard piece of OCR-only PC software sold by Sourcenext.

The latest Ver. 17 includes “AI Total Assist,” an integration with ChatGPT.

The AI can correct OCR mistakes such as confusing the letter O with the digit 0, and it can also summarize OCR text.

It is also strong at recognizing faxes, low-quality copies, and handwriting, and its high OCR accuracy is another characteristic.

Because it is software you buy, there are no running costs, and it can be used offline (the AI assist function requires an internet connection), which is another point in its favor.

Yomitori Kakumei Ver.17 official website

How to Choose an OCR App That Works for You

We have introduced 7 apps, but you may still wonder, “So which one should I choose?” Use the guide below, organized by purpose, as a reference.

If you're unsure, we recommend trying Mr. Transcription first.

Mr. Transcription is the only service that supports images, PDFs, audio, and video and also offers vertical-text OCR and AI summaries all in one place.

[3 Steps] How to Transcribe Photos, Images, and Screenshots into Text

Next, using the image page of the representative web app tool “Mr. Transcription” as an example, we walk through concrete steps for turning images, photos, and screenshots into text with OCR.

How to OCR an Image with Mr. Transcription

With Mr. Transcription, OCR transcription of images, photos, and screenshots takes just 3 easy steps!

1. Mr. Transcription – go to the site
2. Upload an image, photo, or screenshot (or take one with your smartphone camera)
3. Click the “Transcribe” button and copy the result that appears

With these 3 steps, the conversion to text is done in a few seconds to a few minutes.

To OCR a PDF, use the PDF page instead of the image page.

Let's look at each step in detail.

[Step 1] Go to Mr. Transcription

Official website: Mr. Transcription

First, go to the Mr. Transcription website.

On any device that can connect to the internet, such as a smartphone, PC, or tablet, you can use it anywhere from a browser.

[Step 2] Upload the image (or take a photo on the spot)

Upload the image, photo, or screenshot you want to transcribe.

*If you want to OCR books or printed material, photograph them with your smartphone or digitize them with a scanner beforehand.

Scanning gives higher accuracy.

When photographing, take care that light does not reflect off the surface of the paper.

The key to better OCR accuracy is to use the sharpest image possible.

Recognition accuracy may drop with blurry images or extremely idiosyncratic handwriting.

On a PC

There are two ways to upload from a PC.

1. Drag and drop the image into the frame
2. Click “Select Audio/Image” and choose the file

On a Smartphone or Tablet

On a smartphone, you can choose where to upload from.

To take a photo on the spot and OCR it, choose “Camera”.

After taking the photo, tap the OK button and it will be uploaded.

To upload an existing file, choose “Choose File” (iPhone) or “Files” (Android), then select the image file.

To upload multiple images at once, do the following.

1. Press and hold an image in the folder
2. Add a checkmark to switch to multi-select mode
3. Select the images you need and upload them

*You cannot upload multiple images taken on the spot with the camera at the same time. Upload them after the photos have been saved in a folder.

[Step 3] Click “Transcribe” and copy the result

Once you have finished selecting images, click the “Transcribe” button.

The image analysis begins, and within a few seconds to a few minutes the OCR processing finishes and the text is displayed.

When the transcription result appears, copy the text you need.

You can edit the result on the spot or save it as a text file.

What's more, with “Mr. Transcription” you can do OCR not only on horizontal text but also on vertical text!

New: Vertical Text Transcription! OCR for Newspapers, Magazines, and Books Is Now Even More Convenient

A new feature lets AI perform high-accuracy OCR on vertical text in newspapers, magazines, and books! Columns, headings, and captions are detected automatically. We explain how to use Mr. Transcription to transcribe for free just by taking a photo with your smartphone.

Data you have transcribed once can be checked and edited at any time from the history!

On this screen, you can also create summaries, analyses, and meeting minutes from the OCR result.

For details on the summary, analysis, and minutes features, see the article below.

[Free] AI Summary and Meeting Minutes Features Now Available in Mr. Transcription! A Detailed Guide

Mr. Transcription now has an AI summary feature and a meeting minutes feature! With this feature, you can easily summarize long text transcribed from audio. Meeting minutes can also be created with the press of a button! Daily work, study, and organizing information will go even more smoothly...

6 Situations Where OCR Apps for Transcribing Images, PDFs, and Photos Are Useful

In what situations are OCR apps actually useful?

Here are 6 main ways to use OCR apps!

• Scan paper documents and materials, transcribe them, and digitize them
• Automatically register information from business cards and address books
• Save handwritten notes and notebooks digitally
• Transcribe photos and convert them to text
• Transcribe books and textbooks and convert them to text
• OCR English (foreign-language) books and translate them

Converting text on paper and in images into text data makes managing, searching, and using it far more convenient.

Let's look at each one in detail.

1. Scan paper documents and materials, transcribe them, and digitize them

One of the most common uses of OCR is digitizing paper documents.

If paper documents created in the past are piling up in a warehouse or on shelves, managing them becomes much easier when you convert them to digital data with OCR.

Paper documents are not only hard to organize and search, but also at risk of being lost to deterioration or disasters.

Once converted to text, they can be full-text searched, and backing them up is easy too.

This offers major benefits for both ease of management and data preservation.

2. Automatically register information from business cards and address books with OCR

If unsorted business cards are piling up on your desk, we recommend digitizing them with OCR and building a database!

Some smartphone apps read business cards with the camera, automatically recognize the name, company, and job title, and register them in a management app.

What matters with business cards is not just exchanging them but organizing and using them properly.

3. Transcribe handwritten notes and notebooks with OCR and save them digitally

For jotting things down quickly or organizing your thoughts, paper notes and notebooks are easier to work with.

That's how many people feel.

OCR transcription is a great fit for those people too!

If you convert the contents of handwritten notes or planners to text with OCR, you can save them as digital data on your PC or smartphone.

Because the text is searchable, your notes are much more useful than if you left them as images!

The Latest AI Also Handles Handwriting OCR

The latest AI OCR tools recognize handwriting with high accuracy, so even hastily written notes can be converted to text.

Handwriting accuracy varies by tool, so the key is to use the comparison table and choose a tool marked “○” for handwriting support.

“Mr. Transcription” supports OCR of handwriting and can read even somewhat scribbled writing.

4. Transcribe photos and convert them to text

For explanatory signs at cultural properties, text written in foreign languages, restaurant menus, posters, and more, the OCR function is helpful when you want to turn text in photos into text!

With an AI transcription app, photos taken with your smartphone are automatically converted to text data just by uploading them.

It is also handy when traveling abroad: extract text from photos of maps and signs and paste it into a translation app.

On both iPhone and Android smartphones, you can take a photo and transcribe it right away.

5. Transcribe books and textbooks and convert them to text (“jisui”)

In “jisui,” scanning paper books and textbooks to create e-books yourself, converting them to text with OCR makes full-text search possible.

With a camera-type document scanner that doesn't require cutting the books apart, it is possible to read printed pages with OCR while the book is lying open.

*Please keep jisui data strictly for personal use and do not hand it to third parties or make it public.

6. OCR English (foreign-language) books and translate them

OCR is also useful when you want to read books and printed material in English or other foreign languages.

If you convert scanned foreign-language text with OCR, you can easily translate it with AI translation services such as DeepL or Google Translate.

If you choose a transcription tool that supports many languages besides English, such as Chinese, Korean, French, and Spanish, you can read books from all over the world.

If you want a tool that supports multilingual OCR, we recommend the one that supports 100 languages: “Mr. Transcription”!

[Guide by File Format] How to Transcribe PDFs, Photos, and Screenshots into Text

To answer the question “Can I OCR this file format too?”, we explain each file format in turn.

Transcribing PDFs and Converting Them to Text

PDFs come in two types: “text PDFs” (PDFs that contain text data) and “image PDFs” (scanned images saved as PDF).

OCR is needed for image PDFs.

The following tools support PDF transcription:

• Mr. Transcription: Upload PDF files directly for OCR; multi-page PDFs are supported
• Google Docs: Upload the PDF to Google Drive and convert it to text with “Open with > Google Docs”
• Microsoft OneNote: Insert the PDF as a “printout” and extract text page by page with OCR
• Adobe Scan: Photograph paper documents with your smartphone to create an OCR-enabled PDF
• Yomitori Kakumei Ver.17: PDF import → OCR → Word/Excel output, all in one batch

These are your options.

To OCR a PDF, we recommend first trying the free allowance (10 images per day) of the PDF transcription (OCR) page or Google Docs.

The flow from uploading to Mr. Transcription to checking the OCR result is explained in detail in How to Transcribe PDFs with OCR.

Transcribing Photos (JPG, JPEG, PNG) and Converting Them to Text

Transcribing photos taken with a smartphone and image files in JPG or PNG format is supported by all of the OCR apps introduced here.

When transcribing from photos, pay attention to three points.

• Where possible, take the photo from the front, without shadows or blur (shooting at an angle may lower recognition accuracy)
• Shoot with sufficient brightness so the text is clearly captured
• As a guideline, use a resolution of 300 dpi or higher (no problem with a standard smartphone camera)

On both iPhone and Android smartphones, just take a photo and upload it straight to an OCR app to convert it to text.

Transcribing Screenshots and Converting Them to Text

Text in screenshots of websites and app screens can also be transcribed with OCR.

It is also handy when you want to extract text from screens or PDFs that cannot be copied, or from protected documents.

These three tools are recommended for transcribing screenshots.

• Mr. Transcription: Upload the screenshot image and easily OCR it
• Microsoft OneNote: Paste the screenshot and right-click → copy text, the smoothest option
• iPhone Live Text: Select text directly from screenshots saved in the Photos app

Summary of the Comparison: Transcribing Images, PDFs, and Photos into Text

In this article, we compared and introduced 7 recommended apps that transcribe images, PDFs, and photos into text with OCR.

For free and easy OCR, we recommend “Mr. Transcription”!

Its wide range of supported formats, multilingual support, handwriting and vertical-text support, and even AI summaries, all in a single service add up to excellent overall strength, which is its real appeal!

• Images, PDFs, audio, video: all-in-one OCR that supports every one of them
• Vertical-text OCR included: automatically detects columns and headings in newspapers, magazines, and books
• AI summary, meeting minutes, and content analysis – use your transcription results as they are
• Support for 100 languages, including English and Chinese documents
• Handwriting recognition is supported too

Typing out images, PDFs, and photos by hand becomes more of a burden the more pages there are, doesn't it?

With an AI-powered OCR app, you can accurately convert photos and scanned documents to text in minutes and use the time you save for other work.

If you can't decide which OCR app to use, why not start by trying “Mr. Transcription” for free?