The 7 Best Image-to-Text Apps for Android and iOS

While on a trip, have you ever seen a quote on a poster or a wall? You like the section and want to share it on social media. Unfortunately, there are inappropriate drawings that get in the way. In that case, you need an image-to-text app. Take a photo with your mobile phone, then extract the text. Copy and paste the text on Twitter or put it on a better background before uploading it on Instagram.

As always, you must choose the best option available. In this article, you will see a comparison between the 7 best image-to-text apps.

How We Tested the Apps

Misinformation is never a good thing. So, we tested the apps on this list to ensure that what we say about them is true. How did we test these apps? We considered price, accuracy, speed, and user-friendliness, among other factors.

Here's a quick comparison between the 7 best apps that we identified.

1. PDFelement

PDFelement's OCR feature has received praise from tech reviewing organization TechRadar. On top of that feature, it provides you with other PDF tools to help improve your productivity.

How To Use PDFelement (Mobile) to Convert Images to Text

Step 1 Create a PDF using the picture from which you want to extract the text. Alternatively, go to the Tools tab and then choose Test-only Recognize.

Step 2 Open the PDF using PDFelement.

Step 3 Tap the three dots at the top right of the screen, then select Recognize.

Step 4 Choose Text Only, then tap Next.

Step 5 Select the correct language. You can choose up to three.

Step 6 Wait for the extraction to finish, then tap Go to file.

Step 7 Go to the Home tab to view the text file.

Your other option is to make the scanned PDF editable. Follow the same steps but replace Test-only Recognize and Text Only with OCR PDF.

PDFelement is one of the most reliable PDF tools available, and it includes a powerful text-to-image converter. Indeed, it's a cost-effective product. You can get it on Google Play Store and the App Store.

2. Google Keep

Google Keep is an online note-taking program. It has a built-in OCR, so users can quickly make notes using images.

How to Convert Image to Text Using Google Keeps

Step 1 Tap the image icon at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2 Select Take Photo if you haven't yet saved the photo in your gallery. Otherwise, tap Choose Image. Take the photo or import the one you have saved in your gallery.

Step 3 Tap the image.

Step 4 Tap the three dots at the upper right corner of the screen.

Step 5 Select Grab Image Text.

Step 6 Copy and paste the extracted text as needed.

Google Keeps is a free image-to-text converter app built into a note app. You can download the app from Google Play Store and the App Store.

3. OCR Text Scanner

OCR Text Scanner by Appzys is one of the most reliable apps that convert images to text. It is fast and provides accurate translations. Also, it works how it is supposed to, even before you make any in-app purchases.

How To Convert Image to Text Using OCR Text Scanner

Step 1 Tap the image or camera icon at the bottom right of the screen. The former is for when you already have the image in your gallery. On the other hand, the latter is for when you want to take a new picture.

Step 2 Select the language the text on the image is in.

Step 3 Tap the Check icon at the top right of the screen.

Step 4 Wait for the app to finish extracting.

Step 5 Tap the image to see the extracted text.

4. Adobe Scan

Adobe Scan is a mobile app that allows you to turn your phone into a scanner. You can use it to take photos of printed documents and convert them to PDFs. Then, you can edit those PDFs in other PDF tools.

How To Use Adobe Scan

Step 1 Tap the image icon to import a document or image saved on your phone. Optionally, tap the camera icon to scan new documents.

Step 2 Suppose you chose to scan a new document. Select the correct document type - ID card, book, business card, whiteboard, or document.

Step 3 Tap Back after taking a photo to scan more pages for the PDF you are making.

Step 4 Tap the thumbnail at the bottom right of the screen.

Step 5 Edit the document if you want, then tap Save PDF at the top right corner of the screen.

Step 6 Open the PDF you just made on another PDF tool with editing tools.

5. Microsoft Lens

Microsoft Lens, previously known as Office Lens, is an app that allows you to make digital versions of printed documents. It also allows you to extract text from images.

How To Use Microsoft Lens to Convert Image to Text

Step 1 Swipe left near the bottom of the screen to go to "Actions" mode.

Step 2 Tap English at the top center to select the language the text on the picture is in.

Step 3 Take a photo or select a photo from your gallery.

Step 4 Adjust the border to ensure all essential text is in the frame.

Step 5 Tap Continue.

Step 6 Wait for the extraction to finish, then copy & paste the extracted text as needed.

Microsoft tool is a fantastic image-to-text app for Android and iOS that provides more than an OCR tool. You can get it from Google Play Store or App Store.

6. CamScanner

CamScanner is a fast OCR tool that lets you quickly convert images to Text, Word, Excel, or Powerpoint.

How To Use CamScanner to Convert Images to Text

Step 1 Tap the camera icon at the bottom right.

Step 2 Take a photo with the text you want to convert inside the frame.

Step 3 Adjust the borders to include only the necessary text.

Step 4 Tap Next.

Step 5 Tap To Text.

Step 6 If you want to edit or copy the extracted text, tap Recognized Text. Otherwise, tap Export.

7. Text Fairy

Text Fairy is a free OCR app that allows you to export converted files as PDFs.

How To Use Text Fairy to Convert Images to Text

Step 1 Take a photo by tapping the shutter icon at the bottom center. Alternatively, tap the image icon at the bottom to select a photo from your gallery.

Step 2 Adjust the borders so that only the text you want to be extracted remains in the picture.

Step 3 Tap the button at the top to select the correct language.

Step 4 Tap OK.

Step 5 Wait for Text Fairy to finish scanning.

Step 6 Copy & Paste the text as needed.

Text Fairy is a free Android tool that does not always work but is exceptionally accurate.

How To Convert Images to Text on a Windows PC/Mac

PDFelement has versions for Windows and macOS. As mentioned above, it has a powerful OCR tool. It has unrivaled accuracy and a built-in translator tool. Furthermore, it supports dozens of languages, such as Czech, Turkish, and Dutch, on top of more common ones.

Conclusion

Converting images to text is made easy with lots of image-to-text apps to choose from. Google Lens, Text Fairy, and others are free. Meanwhile, premium options like PDFelement equip you with an impressive arsenal of helpful tools.