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When you read a scanned document, you can understand what is written. However, for a computer, the scanned image is no different from a picture, as a meaningless assortment of pixels. To convert a scanned document into an editable document, you can use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. OCR software allows you to search through, copy, and modify the file without retyping the text in the file.
Although there is a variety of OCR software, OCR software that supports Hebrew is very limited. This article introduces the top 5 Hebrew OCR software in terms of features, pricing, supported platforms, and limitations. This article also introduces an alternative software that provides a powerful OCR converter, PDFelement.
Comparison of Top 5 OCR Software for Hebrew
OCR software |
Pricing |
Supported platforms |
Limitations |
| ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint |
7-day free trial for individual 30-day free trial for business |
Windows, Mac | Some text may be placed in a text box and you need to manually copy it |
| i2OCR | Free of charge | Online | Poor performance when it comes to multiple pages and line and paragraph spaces |
| i2pdf | Free | Online | Limited formats supported |
| Prizmo |
Prizmo 4: $49.99/year Prizmo 4 - Pro Pack: $74.99/year |
Mac | Only available on Mac |
| OCR Space |
Pro Edition: $19.9/month Pro+ Edition: $29.95/month |
Chrome, Firefox, Edge | Limited languages supported |
ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint
ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint for Windows and Mac can turn a hard copy paper into an online editable document. It allows you to edit the text, change the file format, and adjust the image.
Pros: It performs well in scanning and recognizing Hebrew. It can transform the input as a PDF from a scanner to the output as a PDF or Word format.
Cons: The pricing is relatively high. The cost varies depending on the purpose of download for individuals or businesses, ranging from $69 to $165. You can choose a 7-day free trial as an individual or a 30-day free trial as a company.
In addition, if the exported file is a Word file, you may find some of the text inside a text box. This makes it difficult to copy the information from the text box and paste it into the main text.
Here is how you can use ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint:
Step 1Start a new task
Place your document on a scanner and open the application on your computer. Alternatively, if you store your file on the computer, you can directly select the file as the source.
Step 2Select a format and language
Choose your desired format in the QUICK CONVERSATION section, such as PDF Document, Excel Spreadsheet, Word Document, or HTML Document. Then, you can select Hebrew as the document language.
Step 3Set the importation
When you preview the file, you can adjust the Scan Mode, Color Depth, Resolution, and Scan Area. After you confirm the settings, click Scan.
Step 3Finish importing and export the file
After the document is scanned, click Finish Import. Then, save the file to your computer as prompted.
i2OCR
i2OCR is a free online OCR tool that can extract editable Hebrew text from images and PDFs.
Pro: i2OCR provides over 100 recognition languages and is free of charge.
Con: Some users shared that i2OCR can be a bit troublesome to use. You need to copy-paste each page. If a user uploads a file with multiple pages at once, each page must be copied and pasted separately.
i2OCR also does not understand line or paragraph breaks, which would require manual modification.
i2pdf
i2pdf PDF to Word provides a collection of online PDF tools, including Sign PDF, Watermark PDF, PDF to CAD, PDF OCR, and others.
Pro: i2pdf allows you to convert PDF to Word and text for free.
Con: i2pdf only supports the PDF format. Plus, you cannot connect it to a scanner.
Prizmo
Prizmo for Mac can process documents from a camera or scanner in OCR and PDF format.
Pro: You can use Prizmo for scanning as well as other purposes. It can recognize any picture you take, such as a poster or an ad.
Con: It has two versions, both of which incur a high fee. Prizmo 4 is priced at $49.99 per year and provides unlimited on-device OCR, unconstrained access to text, and removal of a watermark in exports.
Prizmo 4 - Pro Pack costs $74,99 annually and provides more functions such as Neural network-based translation in 22 languages, Automator Action, and Custom Export Scripts.
In addition, Prizmo is only available on Mac.
Follow these steps to use Prizmo:
Step 1Drop a picture or text
Drag and drop a picture or text to the interface. You can also open a file or connect Prizmo to a scanner.
Step 2Modify the image
You can crop and select the required area of the image. Then, click Dimensions, Lens, or Adjust in the bottom toolbar of the interface to modify the image if needed.
Step 3Set the language
Set the language to Hebrew.
Step 4Start OCR
Click OCR to start the OCR process.
Step 5Edit the text
When Prizmo finishes the process, the information will automatically appear on the right side of the page. You can cut, copy, and paste the text.
OCR Space Plug-in
OCR Space Copyfish can extract text from images, videos, and PDFs. OCR Space Copyfish provides an OCR Space plug-in that allows you to obtain text from a webpage easily.
Pro: The OCR Space plug-in supports Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It is user-friendly and provides results in seconds.
Con: The standard free plan supports only 25 OCR languages. You need to upgrade to Pro Edition for $19.95 monthly to unlock Hebrew and automatic OCR language detection. Additionally, automatic translation is included only in Pro+ Edition, which costs $29.95 per month.
Check the following guide to use the OCR Space plug-in in Chrome:
Step 1Download the plug-in
Download the OCR Space plug-in in your desired browser.
Step 2Select the OCR Space tool
Find the plug-in icon in the upper-right corner of the page and click the icon. Select the OCR Space tool icon.
Step 3Select the text
Select a text that you want to grab as prompted. You can find the selected text enclosed in a red box.
Step 4Set language
Click the settings icon and set Input Language (OCR Language) to Hebrew.
Step 5Check the result
Check the OCR text in the bottom left window on the page. You can click Copy to clipboard to directly copy the information.
A Great OCR PDF Tool Supports Other Languages — PDFelement
If you are limited by the features of the five previously mentioned software, Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor is a great alternative to consider. PDFelement supports both Windows and Mac and allows you to edit PDFs and modify scanned PDFs.
PDFelement not only extracts accurate and high-quality information from documents but also preserves the layout and formatting elements, including headers, footers, graphics, footnotes, and others.
The trial version provides basic functions and can be downloaded and used for free. This version also supports over 20 popular languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and many more. You can also convert, combine, and edit PDFs with templates.
PDFelement offers high-quality services, and the paid version is at a low cost. Plus, the paid version provides free 1GB of document cloud storage, preserving your file safely.
You can use PDFelement OCR in four simple steps:
Step 1Select OCR PDF
Find Home on the left side of the page. Then, click OCR PDF to start a new task. Note: The first time you use PDFelement, you must download the built-in OCR component. Click Download as prompted, and wait for several seconds.
Step 2Confirm the recognition settings
Select a file from your computer. Choose the document language and set the page range, dpi, and type. Then, confirm the settings and click Perform OCR.
Step 3Edit the document
After the recognition, click Open. You can modify the file using the toolbar at the top of the interface.
Step 4Export the document
Once finished, click the icon on the Form tab page, then click Export Data, as shown in the following figure. Then, select where you want to save the file.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an online OCR tool, you can choose from i2OCR, i2pdf, and OCR Space. Each software has different pros and cons.
Additionally, if you use OCR for business, you can consider ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint and Prizmo. Both applications offer business versions with a variety of features. However, if you are hesitant because of the high cost of these applications, you can choose a better alternative – PDFelement.
PDFelement provides advanced features at a reasonable price. With PDFelement, you can use OCR and edit PDF using various PDF tools in one software.