OCR.space

OCR.space is an OCR service for converting images and PDFs into editable text through a browser or API, with an offline self-hosted edition. It suits developers and teams automating document processing, particularly when searchable PDFs or local deployment matter. Its free allowance is useful for modest workloads, but small file and page caps make paid tiers important for larger documents.

Overview

The browser tool accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, and PDF files without registration, while the API returns extracted text in JSON and processes images and multi-page PDFs. The API can also create searchable PDFs. OCR.space Local runs offline on a PC, in a data center, or in virtualized and cloud environments such as AWS AMI or Microsoft Azure, making it the clearest fit for organizations that cannot send documents to a hosted service.

Uploaded documents are deleted after processing; searchable PDF downloads remain on OCR.space servers for 60 minutes before deletion. The company says it is GDPR compliant, and PRO PDF and Enterprise users can obtain a signed GDPR data processing agreement at no additional cost. The service is available 24/7, but only PRO and PRO PDF carry a 100% monthly uptime guarantee; free users have no uptime guarantee.

Key features

The API's three OCR engines offer useful choice. Engine 2 is the default, while Engine 3 supports handwriting, tables, and more than 200 languages. Engine 3 cannot currently produce searchable PDFs, so users who need searchable output must choose another engine. For receipts, invoices, and other table-structured documents, the API's isTable option is recommended.

Searchable PDF generation is valuable for making scans searchable, but the free tier adds an “Generated by OCR.space” watermark. The free plan separately allows 2,500 Engine 3 conversions alongside 25,000 Engine 1 and 2 conversions. Integration examples cover Postman, cURL, C#, iOS, Java for Android, Node.js, Python, C++/QT, Ruby, and JavaScript; SDK language support also includes PHP, Swift, Objective-C, and Delphi.

Support is available through a contact form, email, and a community forum monitored by tech support and OCR developers. That gives users several routes to help, while priority tech support is reserved for paid plans.

Pricing

The Free plan costs free and allows 25,000 requests per month, files up to 1 MB, PDFs up to 3 pages, and 500 requests per day per IP. It includes searchable PDFs with a watermark. This is a workable starting point for small API workloads, but the 1 MB and 3-page limits can rule it out for ordinary large scans.

PRO costs $30 a month, billed monthly, with a yearly pre-paid option at a 20% discount. It raises the file limit to 5 MB and includes 300,000 monthly requests, but retains the 3-page PDF cap. The 100% monthly uptime guarantee and priority tech support make it a sensible step up for steady workloads that fit those document limits.

PRO PDF costs $60 a month, billed monthly, with the same 20% discount for yearly prepayment. It keeps the 300,000-request quota while raising limits to 100 MB+ and 999+ PDF pages. This is the better fit for long or large PDFs; the higher price buys capacity rather than more monthly requests.

Enterprise starts at $999 a month, with custom pricing by quote. It offers custom requests, 100 MB+ files, 999+ PDF pages, custom OCR fine tuning, and unlimited conversions limited by hardware capacity. It is aimed at organizations needing tailored processing or volume beyond PRO PDF, not users simply seeking a larger standard quota.

OCR.space Local is a one-time payment with custom pricing through sales. It has the same features and API parameters as PRO PDF, runs locally and offline, and is intended for deployments where hosted processing is unsuitable. The free plan is the only tier with a stated request-per-day-per-IP cap; the paid plans still impose their stated monthly quotas where applicable.

Platforms

OCR.space supports web, API, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use. The browser tool needs no registration, while Local covers offline installations. This range suits both individual browser use and application integrations, though desktop or mobile platform availability alone does not change the plan's file and page limits.

Who it's for

OCR.space is a strong match for developers building OCR into software, teams processing structured documents, and organizations that need searchable PDFs or offline deployment. Engine 3's handwriting and language support broadens its use beyond clean printed scans. It is less suitable for users who routinely process large PDFs on a low-cost plan, or who require searchable PDFs specifically from Engine 3.

Pros and cons

• Useful free API quota: 25,000 monthly Engine 1/2 conversions plus 2,500 Engine 3 conversions provide room to evaluate or run modest workloads.
• Meaningful document options: searchable PDFs, table-oriented processing, and Engine 3 handwriting support address more than basic text extraction.
• Offline deployment: Local runs without contacting the Internet, while matching PRO PDF features and API parameters.
• Sharp low-tier limits: Free files top out at 1 MB and 3 PDF pages; PRO raises file size but still limits PDFs to 3 pages.
• Engine trade-off: Engine 3 handles handwriting and broad language coverage but cannot create searchable PDFs.
• Watermark and service assurance: Free searchable PDFs carry a watermark, and the free plan has no uptime guarantee.

Alternatives

Choose Tesseract OCR if you want a free, Apache License 2.0 open-source OCR engine across its supported platforms. OCRmyPDF is a free self-hosted option for Linux, macOS, Windows, and API use, but depends on external OCR and PDF tools. PaddleOCR may suit mobile-oriented use; its Official API Free Tier has a daily document parsing limit of 20,000 pages.

Veryfi Invoices OCR API is the more specialized alternative for invoice processing, though its Starter plan has a $500/mo minimum commitment. EasyOCR, docTR, and Kraken are free alternatives for readers comparing OCR tools on their supported platforms. For API pricing by page, Mistral OCR charges $4 / 1000 pages for OCR processing and $5 /1000 Annotated Pages for Document AI processing.

For broader comparisons, browse OCR API Software and PDF API Software.

Verdict

Choose OCR.space if you need a practical OCR API with searchable PDF output, structured-document options, and a path from free usage to offline deployment. Its strongest case is the combination of varied engines and deployment choices; look elsewhere if large PDFs must fit the cheapest tier or if Engine 3 must produce searchable PDFs.