Instabase Converse uses AI to scan and help you interact with your documents. There’s no need to download a separate app — go to aihub.instabase.com in your browser, open Converse, and upload your documents.

Unlike other OCR apps, you can use Converse to gain context about your documents and transform your text into other formats. For example, you can ask Converse to “Summarize this document” or “Turn X, Y, Z into a table.”

You can copy and paste extracted text anywhere you like or download it as a spreadsheet. The advantage is that you can tell Converse exactly what you want, helping you save time by not needing to search for or edit information.

Converse supports over 160 languages and is trusted by some of the world’s largest financial services companies.

Pricing

You can try Instabase Converse for free with its test documents. To convert your own documents into text, create a free Instabase account, which comes with 500 consumption units. The number of units used depends on the number of pages in the document and which large language model you’re using. Once you run out of the initial 500 units, you can purchase additional units at a rate of $1 for 100 units.

Adobe Scan can scan different types of documents, such as books, forms, ID cards, business cards, and even whiteboards. However, you’ll need to select the type of document you’re scanning, since it isn’t able to automatically detect it. 

If you have the Adobe Acrobat app, you can also fill in and sign scanned documents. 

You’re only able to get so far with Adobe Scan, since the free version limits you to scanning up to 25 pages per document. Complex scanning needs might require a different solution.

Pricing

Adobe Scan is free to use, but you’ll need to create an account. If you find yourself needing more advanced features, like exporting the scanned documents as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, combining multiple scans into one PDF, compressing PDFs into smaller sizes, or protecting PDFs with a password, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium version of the app.

Microsoft Lens is a user-friendly OCR phone app that can capture and extract text from various documents. Select the type of document you’re scanning (e.g., tables, photos, forms, business cards, whiteboards), and then tell the app what to do with the information it extracts. 

Some options include:

This app works best for Microsoft users, since it integrates with other Microsoft products like OneDrive, Word, and PowerPoint.

Pricing

Microsoft Lens is free to download and use.

Apple Notes comes pre-installed on Apple iPhones. Aside from creating notes, users can also scan menus, receipts, business cards, and other documents to extract and include the text in their notes. It’s simple and user-friendly, involving very few steps.

Scanned text is automatically saved as a note. From there, you can edit and format the note to your liking.

Pricing

Apple Notes is free to use.

CamScanner is an OCR phone app that can convert documents, PowerPoint presentations, whiteboards, tables, IDs, and books into text. The app supports 40 languages and can extract large amounts of text from images. You can translate text into other languages, edit text in the scanned document or image, and sync your documents across all of your devices.

Pricing

CamScanner is free to download and use, with the option to create an account. Users can upgrade for more storage and features, like removing watermarks from PDFs, exporting as Word documents, and creating collages. The premium plan is available as a monthly subscription.

Text Scanner [OCR] is an Android-only app that lets you take a picture of the text you want to scan. You can then edit the extracted text and save it as a text file or PDF. 

Users say that while the app does its job well, there are a few downsides. The app is ad-heavy unless you upgrade to a paid plan, with video ads appearing after each scan. There’s also no crop tool for you to select which text you’d like to extract, so you’ll either need to scan the entire document, position your camera so that only part of the document is captured, or select only the text that you want after it’s converted.

Pricing

Users can get up to 10 scans for free, which is pretty limiting if you need OCR as part of your regular workflow. For unlimited text scanning, you can upgrade to the premium version (available as a monthly subscription, annual subscription, or one-time fee), which also gets rid of the ads.

Text Fairy is an OCR phone app that extracts text from images. It allows you to copy, edit, and export the extracted text as a PDF for easy sharing. It also supports multiple languages (most of which have to be downloaded separately) and integrates with Google Translate for text translation.

There are a few drawbacks to Text Fairy. First, it can’t read handwriting, so you’re limited to using it for printed documents. Because it’s a free app, there are ads embedded in the user experience, which can be annoying and impact your productivity.

Pricing

Text Fairy is a free app. However, users can pay $4.99 to remove advertisements within the app.

Tiny Scanner is a free image and document scanning app for Android and iOS devices. But to unlock its OCR capabilities, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version of the app. Tiny Scanner’s free OCR can only be applied to two pages, which is just enough to test the app before you buy it.

Free limitations aside, Tiny Scanner recognizes handwriting and printed text in different languages. Users can copy and edit extracted text and export files as PDFs, text files, or Word documents. The app automatically detects page edges to save time on cropping and editing. However, it’s not always accurate. You can also protect your documents with a password in the app for added security.

Pricing

The Tiny Scanner app is free and includes OCR for only two pages, so you’ll need to upgrade if you plan to use it for OCR going forward. Upgrading also gives you access to more advanced features, like scanning IDs, editing and signing documents, and exporting text without limits. The premium plan is available as a monthly subscription, annual subscription, or a one-time fee.

Pen to Print specializes in converting handwriting to digital text, and it makes the process fast and simple. It’s a great choice for those who still love the feel of paper and pen but also the convenience and benefits of digital. The app works for print, cursive, and messy handwriting, as well as documents with printed text.

One of its unique features is transforming handwritten forms into editable documents. Create a template for your form, then upload the handwritten form and Pen to Print will recognize the fields and extract the data in them.

Pen to Print supports all Latin script languages. Once you copy and edit the extracted text, you can export it to other platforms and formats, including email, Google Docs, tables, and even forms.

Pricing

Pen to Print is free but has extremely limited capabilities. You can only extract, edit, and save text after scanning your document. You cannot edit, copy, share, or export the text after it’s saved.

For the app to truly be useful, you’ll have to upgrade for more advanced features, like exporting the text. Plans are available as a monthly or annual subscription or as a one-time lifetime fee.