We have tested the latest versions of
FineReader,
OmniPage,
ReadIRIS,
TextBridge and
SimpleOCR and have determined that
ABBYY FineReader 10
is the best overall value for business users, while
ReadIRIS is the best Optical Text Recognition for under $150. The key deciding
factors were:
- User interface design
- Page layout reconstruction capabilities
- Extensive language support
- Engine stability when processing large documents
- Helpful (and free!) technical support staff
Though other testing labs have ranked OmniPage's overall accuracy slightly higher, we find the difference is nearly negligible. All
modern Optical Text Recognition have very good accuracy, so we recommend going with the one
that has particular special features like IRIS's
Arabic and Hebrew and
Asian Language versions.
Optical Text Recognition Comparison Guide
There are several Optical Text Recognition solutions available to convert scanned images to
text, Word, HTML or searchable PDF. The differences between them can often
be obscure, leaving many to wonder why some Optical Text Recognition cost about $100 while
others cost $500.
The main features that differentiate Optical Text Recognition are:
- Character recognition accuracy
- Page layout reconstruction accuracy
- Multi-engine voting technology
- Support for languages
- Support for searchable PDF output
- Speed
- User interface
Because of the infinite combinations of document types,
OCR engines and settings, it may be possible that one engine may perform better
with your particular documents than another. For this reason,
ScanStore provides demo downloads for
all its
Optical Text Recognition
with your ScanStore User Account.
Because of this variability and the subjectivity of user interface preferences,
we recommend using the demos to see which performs best with your documents.
Optical Text Recognition
ABBYY FineReader 10 Professional
FineReader Professional is
a highly accurate and easy to use Optical Text Recognition that includes host of
features including digital camera OCR, intelligent document layouts,
image enhancement, barcode recognition and command line integration.
FineReader is our pick for Optical Text Recognition because its document layout
retention will save you much time in reformatting documents you convert
for editing.
ABBYY FineReader 9 Corporate
FineReader Corporate Edition
offers unique concurrent licensing that makes it possible for many users
who need occasional use of OCR to share a small pool of active licenses.
With accuracy comparable to OmniPage, superior technical support
services and a user interface that many users find preferable, we think
FineReader Corporate is the best choice of Optical Text Recognition for business
IRIS ReadIRIS Pro 12
Affordable OCR software for business
and
home users. ReadIRIS Pro provides a extremely accurate OCR
recognition rate at a low cost, but still has some of the advanced
features that higher priced professional Optical Text Recognition includes.
IRIS ReadIRIS Corporate 12
Adds support for files over 50
pages, business card recognition, as well as automatic processing of hot
folders.
Nuance OmniPage Pro 17
OmniPage is widely considered the
fastest, most accurate and fully featured OCR software. OmniPage
17 Professional has a unique new feature that lets you convert any type
of document to searchable PDF or Word.
OmniPage does not have a downloadable
demo. Nuance also does not provide free technical support after the
first call. For these reasons we recommend the ABBYY and IRIS
products instead.
Arabic, Farsi & Hebrew Optical Text Recognition
IRIS ReadIRIS Pro 11 Middle East
OCR software
with support for Arabic, Farsi and Hebrew character recognition.
IRIS ReadIRIS Corporate 11 Middle East
Adds the ability to recognize files over 50 pages, business cards
and monitor a hot folder to automatically process images in the
background.
IRISDocument Arabic Language Pack
Enables Arabic and Farsi character recognition in a server-based
OCR software.
ABBYY FineReader 10 Professional
FineReader
Professional 10 supports Hebrew OCR, but does not include Arabic
or Farsi support.
ABBYY FineReader 9 Corporate
FineReader Corporate
also includes Hebrew character recognition.
ABBYY Recognition Server
Add 30% to the cost of the Recognition Server license to add Hebrew
language character recognition support.
Personal Optical Text Recognition
Nuance
TextBridge
The classic TextBridge engine is still available as
an affordable alternative to high priced engines. It gives you an
ultra-low cost, yet still accurate Optical Text Recognition with out all the extra
features. Allows you to output to web pages, Word documents and
more while retaining the layout of the page, but does not include PDF
output.
**NOT Compatible with Windows Vista**
SimpleOCR
Our own freeware
OCR application provides acceptable accuracy for those who just need to
convert a few pages and can't justify the cost of commercial Optical Text Recognition. Developers can use the
command-line and
SDK versions to integrate SimpleOCR with their custom applications.
ABBYY FineReader Express
ABBYY FineReader Express is a comprehensive OCR software for creating editable and searchable files from scanned documents, PDFs and digital camera images.
Server-Based Optical Text Recognition
ABBYY Recognition Server
Innovative server-based Optical Text Recognition
for
performing centralized enterprise-wide OCR processing. Processor license
allows anyone on the network to submit files for OCR. Complex XML job
specifications can be submitted to control output. Support available for
Arabic and Asian languages.
IRISDocument Server
IRISDocument Server is a lower cost solution compared to
recognition
server, but lacks some of the more advanced features and has slightly lower
accuracy.
Several versions are available with varying
monthly page processing limitations, letting you scale your solution to meet
your budget requirements.
Asian,
Arabic and
Hebrew language packs are also available.
Apple Optical Text Recognition
Nuance OmniPage X for MAC
OmniPage Optical Text Recognition for Macintosh
users. This version does not use the latest OmniPage engine, but
provides good accuracy nonetheless. Once again, Nuance does not
make a demo download available.
IRIS ReadIRIS Pro 11 for MAC
Affordable Optical Text Recognition for
Macintosh users using the latest version of the IRIS OCR engine.
IRIS ReadIRIS Corporate 11 for MAC
Adds support for files over
50 pages, business card recognition, as well as automatic processing of
hot folders.
ABBYY FineReader Express for MAC
ABBYY FineReader Express is a comprehensive Optical Text Recognition for creating editable and searchable files from scanned documents, PDFs and digital camera images.
Chinese, Japanese, Korean & Thai
Optical Text Recognition
ABBYY FineReader 10 Professional
FineReader Professional 10
now includes Chinese, Japanese and Thai languages in their base
package. No special version or add-on is required.
ABBYY FineReader 9 Corporate
FineReader Corporate also
includes Chinese, Japanese and Thai character recognition.
IRIS ReadIRIS Pro 11 Asian
Optical Text Recognition with support for Japanese, Traditional Chinese,
Simplified Chinese and Korean characters.
IRIS ReadIRIS Corporate 11 Asian
Adds the ability to recognize files over 50 pages, business cards
and monitor a hot folder to automatically process images in the
background.
IRISDocument Server Asian Language
Enables Chinese, Japanese and Korean character recognition in a
server-based Optical Text Recognition.
ABBYY Recognition Server
Add 30% to the cost of the Recognition Server license to add
Chinese, Japanese & Korean (CJK) language support. Thai
character recognition language pack is also available, but is sold
separately from CJK.
