NAPS2 vs OCR Console

NAPS2 is free, open-source software for scanning documents and saving them as PDF, TIFF, JPEG, or PNG. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and supports WIA and TWAIN drivers with flatbed or automatic document feeder scanners, including duplex scanning. Users can reorder, interleave, rotate, crop, deskew, and adjust scanned pages’ brightness and contrast. OCR makes scans searchable, supports more than 100 languages, and can add text recognition to imported PDFs. NAPS2 can share scanners across a local network using ESCL, including with compatible Android and iPhone apps, but it must remain running on the server for sharing to work. It can send email through Gmail and Outlook, with the email address and secure sending token kept on the user’s computer and sent only to the relevant provider. Optional developer tools include a command-line interface for automation and a .NET scanning library. The free plan has no ads or restrictions, though OCR results cannot be saved directly to a text file.

OCR Console is a Windows command-line program that turns scanned images and PDF files into editable formats such as DOCX, PDF, and XML. It can run unattended from workflows, servers, and batch scripts, or be invoked through command parameters and event-driven workflows. Based on the OmniPage engine, it preserves tables, numbering, and graphics. Batch jobs can split multi-page sets by page count, barcodes, or separator words, and rename files using recognized text or barcodes. Inputs include JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, JBIG, XPS, and PDF. Outputs include CSV, RTF, TXT, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, XML, XPS, and PDF/PDF-A 1–3, with PDF and XPS availability depending on version. TWAIN scanners, automatic feeders, duplex scanning, and 37 OCR languages are supported. Barcode recognition includes listed one- and two-dimensional formats. A fully functional 30-day trial is requested through the contact form. Desktop licenses cover up to 25,000 pages monthly.