Best OCR API Software in 2026
Updated
In short: OCR.space is ranked #1 of 27 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Tesseract OCR and OCRmyPDF. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Tesseract OCR. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon Textract AnalyzeExpense at $0.01/mo.
OCR APIs help software read text and extract information from documents. To compare the options, consider handwriting OCR, table and structure extraction, maximum file size, and asynchronous processing. SDK languages can indicate how an API may fit your development environment, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer points of comparison for access and cost. The ranking opens with OCR.space, Tesseract OCR, and PaddleOCR, and also includes Mistral OCR and OCRmyPDF. Weigh the listed capabilities and limits against the documents your application needs to handle.
27 OCR API software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
6 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OCR.spaceWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $30/mo | 6.8 | |
| 2 | Tesseract OCRWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 3 | OCRmyPDFWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | PaddleOCRAndroid · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | Veryfi Invoices OCR APIWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $500/mo | 6.5 | |
| 6 | Amazon Textract AnalyzeExpenseWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $0.01/mo | 6.4 | |
| 7 | EasyOCRWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 8 | Mistral OCRWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $4/mo | 5.4 |
| 9 | docTRWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 10 | KrakenMac · Linux · API | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 11 | ocrsWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 12 | Regula Document Reader SDKWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 13 | Apryse OCR SDKWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 14 | Asprise OCR SDKWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 15 | Dynamsoft Label RecognizerWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 16 | SuryaMac · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | Handwriting OCRWeb · API · Extension | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $1,916/mo | 5.1 |
| 18 | Microblink BlinkIDWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | Scanbot Data Capture SDKWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 20 | Anyline OCR SDKWeb · Windows · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 21 | API4AI OCRNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 22 | Calamari OCRLinux · Self-hosted · API | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 23 | PDF.coWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $8.99/mo | 5.0 |
| 24 | ConvertAPIWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 25 | TaggunWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which OCR API software is ranked first on Freedom251?
OCR.space is ranked #1 of 27 with a score of 6.8. Tesseract OCR is second and OCRmyPDF third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Amazon Textract AnalyzeExpense has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.01/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.