PDFelement-Powerful and Simple PDF Editor
Get started with the easiest way to manage PDFs with PDFelement!
The traditional method of handwritten documentation is becoming a thing of the past. With the booming IT market, there are now quick and convenient tools for converting handwriting to text. These apps offer remarkable benefits, allowing you to digitize handwritten materials in professional, academic, and personal contexts into standard typeface.
In this article, we’ll guide you in selecting the best handwriting-to-text conversion app by comparing their features, pros and cons, and providing step-by-step instructions on how to use each one.
Comparison of Apps
Converting handwritten materials into digital text is simple with handwriting to text converter apps. Here’s a quick comparison of the best tools to help you choose the right one:
Applications |
Supported OS |
Pricing |
Supported Languages |
Why Should You Pick |
| Microsoft Office Lens | iOS, Android | Free | 21 | Cloud storage, format portability, multiple mode selections |
| Microsoft OneNote | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Free | 50 | Multimedia support, third-party integration, real-time collaboration |
| PDFelement | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Free Trial Yearly: $79 Perpetual: $129 |
13 | High-precision response, multi-device compatibility, best PDF features |
| Text Scanner (OCR) | Android, iOS | Free | 50 | 100% accurate, high-speed task response, sleek interface |
| Pen to Print | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Starter: $9.99 Advanced: $59.99 Pro: $99.99 |
Latin | Batch conversion, scans old documents, high-quality text conversion |
| GoodNotes 5 | Kindle, Android, iOS | $7.99 | 14 | Note templates, iPad screen sharing, read-only mode |
Detailed App Reviews
The software market brings a diversity of choices for an app that turns handwriting into text. Let us have a look at the apps mentioned above:
1. Microsoft Office Lens
The Microsoft Lens program is a remarkable tool for capturing data from whiteboards, documents, handwritten memos, business cards, etc. You can conveniently get the information in digital form without manual typing. Apart from being the best app to convert handwriting to text, this tool can also digitize drawings, equations, and sketches. The digitized information can be saved and exported to different platforms.
How to Use:
1. Choose the capture material
In the app’s welcome screen, swipe left or right at the bottom to choose the capture material. You can select from the Photo, Business Card, Actions, Documents, and Whiteboard options.
2. Capture or import an image.
3. Adjust the borders of the captured image to make it look as desired. You can also capture and edit multiple images together. There are options to add, delete, filter, crop, rotate, and reorder the images.
4.Save and share. You can save the edited images to the device gallery as a PDF file or export them to Microsoft accounts like PowerPoint, Word, OneDrive, etc. Make a choice and click Save.
Pros
Easy walk-through tutorial
High-speed task response
Retains the documents' original characteristics
Generates high-quality digital output
Cons
Limited editing options
Delayed customer service
Confusing and messy interface
Color distortions in OCR output
Reviews and Comments: Microsoft Lens is a reliable app that turns writing into text with great ease. The major highlights of this tool are its amazing image quality and beautiful font colors. The app generates digitized text that is perfect for office use.
2. Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a convert handwriting-to-text app with excellent features to take digital notes. You can efficiently work with and store any kind of documentation in this program. The digital notes are convenient to print, organize, and share. The documents are easily searchable for finding the required information. The tool stores your digital notes in cloud spaces for quick and convenient access.
How to Use:
1. Navigate to the Draw tab in the top ribbon of the app’s welcome screen.
2. Click Lasso Select.
3. Head to the Tools tab and select a highlighter or pen to start writing notes.
4. Drag a selection on the handwritten text.
5. Head to the Draw tab again and select Ink to Text.
Pros
Multimedia compatibility
Real-time collaboration
Third-party integration
User-cohesive interface
Cons
Limited free storage
Limited text editing options
Limited search function
Reviews and Comments: OneNote is an excellent tool to digitize handwritten text and create notes. You can arrange and print notes or access them from various devices. However, the limited free storage of 5B is a drawback of this application.
3. PDFelement
Next on the list is Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement. This tool effectively addresses a wide range of PDF-related tasks, allowing you to easily edit, convert, organize, annotate, and protect your PDF documents. As a multi-platform solution, it offers quick and convenient access. Plus, its OCR feature can convert handwriting into digital text in just a few simple steps.
How to Use:
1. Upload a PDF
There are 2 ways to upload a handwritten PDF file to the app's welcome screen. Either click on the + icon or use the drag-and-drop method. Open the upload file to proceed further.
2. Enable and Perform OCR
A prompt message requests you to perform OCR. Navigate to and click on the Tool tab at the top. Select OCR.
Select Scan to editable text in the OCR dialog window and click Change Language. Select a language for the handwritten material to perform OCR. When everything is ready, click Apply.
3. Convert Handwriting into Text
Hit the Edit tab at the top to customize the document. When finished, click on the Convert tab and choose To Text to directly convert the handwriting file into a text file.
Pros
Accurate OCR output
Lightweight, robust, and functional tool
Impressive layout
High-speed task response
Cons
Document review not available
Occasional app crashes
Difficulties in MS Word conversion
Non-responsive customer support
Reviews and Comments: PDFelement is an excellent software that changes handwriting into text within minutes. You can rely on the tool for a precise conversion process. The tool has a host of utilities for working on PDF-based requirements.
4. Text Scanner (OCR)
Text Scanner OCR is a great iPad app that converts handwriting to text. The tool works best to identify the characters of an image. You can easily access phone numbers and URLs from brochures and magazines. There are features to record memos from whiteboards without keyboard transcription.
The app has a high-speed and accurate character reading functionality. Its OCR tool supports over 50 different languages.
Pros
Almost 100% accurate
Conveniently reads poor-quality images
Sleek and simple interface
Reasonable price
Cons
Multiple pages cannot be scanned
Limited free conversion
Requires bug fixes
Occasional app crashes
Reviews and Comments: Text scanner OCR is an excellent app to scan written notes to text. You can quickly scan handwritten documents in different languages. Accent marks are not a problem for this application. You can click and scan images from the center and overhead positions. The app has matchless conversion accuracy.
5. Pen to Print
Moving ahead, there’s the Pen to Print app that scans handwriting to text with the ability to convert handwritten material into digital text. You can store the scanned handwriting on any digital platform or cloud service. The OCR feature of this app easily recognizes handwriting in a scanned image. The tool allows you to scan school notes, diaries, recipes, meeting minutes, and other handwritten documents.
How to Use
1. Scan a Document
Launch the app on your iOS device and scan a handwritten document. You can take a new image or upload one from the device gallery. Then, tap Crop in the top-right corner to select the exact text for digitization.
2. Check the Text
Go through each line of the selected text. Make changes by tapping Edit below each line. The document is now ready for digital conversion.
3. Convert and Share
Tap Convert to digitize the handwritten text. You can save the result to your device or export it to different platforms. Tap Download to save the digital text locally. The export and share options are available with the app’s premium version.
Pros
Smart working interface
High-quality text scanning and conversion
Free usage available
Simple and convenient to use
Cons
Not compatible with older iOS versions
Export and share require a premium subscription
Contains in-app purchases
Expensive subscriptions
Reviews and Comments: Pen to Print is an advanced handwriting scanner app for digitizing text on iOS devices. The conversion process is quick and simple. The app works well for regular users. However, it does not suit occasional needs because it is quite expensive.
6. GoodNotes
GoodNotes is a note-taking app that helps convert handwritten notes to text and manage digital notebooks. It also allows annotation of PDF files.
The app comes with a trial version for feature analysis. It works well with Kindle, Android, and iOS devices.
Pros
Ready-to-use meeting note template
Features iPad screen sharing
Easy app tutorials
Reasonably priced
Cons
Cannot hyperlink pages
Low-speed task response
Unproductive Toolbar layout
Requires large storage space
Reviews and Comments: GoodNotes 5 is a unique scan handwriting-to-text iPhone and iPad app for taking notes digitally. The tool is also compatible with PDF documentation and works best to address your regular documentation needs. The conversion speed is, however, a compromise for this app.
Conclusion
Handwritten notes and manual typing are becoming outdated. The market offers a variety of apps that scan handwriting to text, making digital documentation easier. These apps not only allow you to create and organize digital notes but also provide additional features for seamless sharing across platforms.
So why wait? Choose any of these tools and say goodbye to the hassle of manual note-taking!
