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OCRmyPDF

ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io

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Spec score 8.5 #10 of 40 in OCR software

What it is

OCRmyPDF is free software that adds searchable text to scanned PDF files while retaining the original PDF as much as possible. It uses Tesseract to recognize text in page images and produces PDF/A-2b by default, with regular PDF output available as an alternative. Image-processing options such as deskew can adjust pages to support visual quality and OCR accuracy. When a PDF already contains text, its processing modes can stop with an error, skip affected pages, redo OCR, or force OCR across all pages. OCRmyPDF can also be used as a Python library, and plugins can customize processing steps. Installation methods are documented for Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, and Docker; Paperless-ngx and Nextcloud OCR are named as third-party integrations. Results may be poor for low-quality scans or languages not specified for processing, and handwriting is not recognized. The project also notes that accuracy may trail commercial solutions. Its documentation advises processing only PDFs users trust and warns that its example Docker web service has no security measures and is not meant for public internet deployment.

Spec sheet

Purpose
OCRmyPDF adds a searchable text layer to scanned PDF files while preserving the original PDF as much as possible.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Free plan
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Integrations
The documentation identifies Paperless-ngx and Nextcloud OCR as third-party integrations that use OCRmyPDF.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Security
The project advises using OCRmyPDF only with PDFs users trust and says its Docker web service example has no security measures and is not intended for public internet deployment.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
API and plugins
OCRmyPDF can be used as a Python library and supports plugins that customize processing steps.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Commercial use and dependency
The documentation says users should comply with the project and dependency licenses and notes that Ghostscript, which OCRmyPDF requires in some workflows, is AGPLv3 licensed.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Existing text
Its processing modes can error on existing text, skip such pages, redo OCR, or force OCR across all pages.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Handwriting OCR
NoRead 23 Sep 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Image processing
It offers image processing options such as deskew to improve visual quality and OCR accuracy.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Installations
The documentation provides installation methods for Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, and Docker.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Language support
Results may be poor when a document contains languages not specified in the language argument.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Maintainer
The project metadata names James R. Barlow as an author.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
OCR accuracy
The documentation notes that OCR accuracy may trail commercial solutions, handwriting is not recognized, and poor scans can produce poor results.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
OCR engine
It uses Tesseract to recognize text in PDF page images.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Page time limit
By default, OCRmyPDF allows Tesseract three minutes per page and can skip images above a configured megapixel threshold.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
PDF/A
By default, OCRmyPDF generates PDF/A-2b archival PDFs, and users can select regular PDF output instead.Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Primary platform
desktopRead 23 Sep 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Searchable PDF
YesRead 23 Sep 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io
Supported inputs
pdfRead 23 Sep 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io

Plans and prices

OCRmyPDF Free Free software; self-hosted installation; depends on external OCR and PDF tools Read 2 Oct 2026 · ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io

Every OCRmyPDF plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free software for searchable scanned PDFs.
  • Can output PDF/A-2b or regular PDF.
  • Offers deskew and other image processing.
  • Python library and plugin support are available.
  • Installation methods include Linux, macOS, Windows, and Docker.

Limits

  • Handwriting is not recognized.
  • Poor scans can produce poor results.
  • Unspecified document languages can reduce results.
  • Example Docker web service lacks security measures.

Who it suits

OCRmyPDF suits users who need to make scanned PDFs searchable and can work with its documented installation options. It may also suit Python users who want to customize processing with plugins.

Verdict

OCRmyPDF offers several ways to handle existing text and adjust scanned pages, with PDF/A-2b as its default output. Scan quality, language selection, and deployment security are important limits to consider.

Where Specifiction places it

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