You copy a phone number off a screenshot. You quote an error message from a video pause frame. You lift a paragraph out of a scanned PDF that will not let you select text. A good screen OCR tool turns any pixel on your monitor into a plain-text string you can paste. The seven picks below all do that job, and they cover Windows, macOS, and Linux across free, open-source, and paid tiers.
What to look for in a screen OCR app
Good screen OCR is not just about accuracy. Speed of the capture flow matters more than raw recognition score for most people. A few things to weigh:
- Trigger method. Hotkey to draw a rectangle, or full-screen capture, or clipboard image conversion.
- Language coverage. Tesseract-based tools cover 100+ languages. Native macOS Vision is English-heavy but very accurate.
- Offline vs cloud. Cloud services (Google Vision, AWS Textract) are more accurate but send your screen contents to their servers.
- Output handling. Direct to clipboard, to a note, to a searchable overlay on the original image.
- Handwriting and tables. Most tools handle printed text. Handwriting and structured tables are still hit-or-miss.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Paid | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text Grab | Windows OCR with a single hotkey | Windows | Full app free | None | Yes |
| ShareX | OCR inside a screenshot workflow | Windows | Full app free | None | Optional |
| PowerToys Text Extractor | Built-in OCR on Windows 11 | Windows | Full tool free | None | Yes |
| Capture2Text | Manga and vertical text on Windows | Windows | Full app free | None | Yes |
| TextSniper | macOS OCR that respects locked PDFs | macOS | Free trial | One-time $6.99 | Yes |
| Frog | GNOME-native OCR for Linux | Linux | Free | None | Yes |
| gImageReader | Batch OCR across images and PDFs | Windows, Linux | Free | None | Yes |
1. Text Grab, best overall pick for Windows
Text Grab is an open-source Windows OCR app from Joe Finney that uses the OCR engine already built into Windows 10 and 11. Recognition is instant on modern hardware because it runs locally against Microsoft’s engine, and results land straight in your clipboard.
The capture flow is the reason to pick it. Hit the hotkey, drag a rectangle, and the text is copied. No preview, no confirm dialog. There is also a fullscreen mode, a table mode that preserves rows and columns, and an edit window that lets you correct recognition mistakes before pasting.
Where it falls short: Windows only. Language accuracy depends on which Windows language packs you have installed.
Pricing: Free and open source (MIT license). Available on the Microsoft Store or as a portable download.
Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 11.
Download: Microsoft Store · GitHub
Bottom line: If you are on Windows and want one hotkey to grab text from anywhere on screen, Text Grab is the pick.
2. ShareX, best for screenshot workflows that include OCR
ShareX is a mature open-source Windows capture tool with OCR as one of dozens of after-capture actions. The reason to pick it is if you already screenshot a lot and want OCR folded into that same workflow, alongside upload, annotate, and share.
Recognition also uses the Windows OCR engine. You can wire OCR into a shortcut that captures a region, runs OCR, copies the result, and uploads the image, all in one press.
Where it falls short: The settings surface is huge. New users find it overwhelming. If you only need OCR, Text Grab is faster to learn.
Pricing: Free and open source (GPLv3).
Platforms: Windows 7 through 11.
Download: getsharex.com · GitHub
Bottom line: Pick this if screenshots are part of your job and OCR is one of five things you want the same tool to do.
3. PowerToys Text Extractor, best zero-install option on Windows 11
Microsoft’s PowerToys Text Extractor ships as part of Microsoft PowerToys, the same free bundle that includes FancyZones and PowerRename. It maps to Win+Shift+T by default and behaves almost identically to Text Grab.
If you already run PowerToys for other reasons, turning on Text Extractor gives you screen OCR for zero extra install.
Where it falls short: No table mode, no in-place edit window. It is the minimal version of the same idea.
Pricing: Free (MIT).
Platforms: Windows 10, Windows 11.
Download: Microsoft Store · GitHub
Bottom line: The best pick if you already run PowerToys. Otherwise Text Grab is nicer.
4. Capture2Text, best for vertical scripts and CJK text
Capture2Text is an older Windows OCR utility that predates Windows’ built-in engine and ships with Tesseract data files for 100+ languages, including Japanese vertical text, Chinese, and Korean. Anime and manga readers pick it because CJK vertical recognition still works better here than in most modern rivals.
The interface is dated but the OCR quality on niche scripts is worth putting up with.
Where it falls short: Development stalled years ago. It still runs on current Windows but you should not expect updates. English recognition is slightly weaker than Windows’ native engine.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows 7 through 11.
Download: SourceForge
Bottom line: Pick this if you read a lot of Japanese or Chinese text on screen. Otherwise skip it.
5. TextSniper, best OCR on macOS
TextSniper is a paid Mac app that uses Apple’s Vision framework, the same OCR engine as the Photos app’s Live Text. Accuracy on English is excellent, and it captures from anywhere: screenshots, video pause frames, secured PDFs, or windows that block copy.
The value is not the OCR itself (any Mac app can call Vision) but the polished capture flow and QR-code, math-formula, and barcode extractors bundled in.
Where it falls short: Not free. Language support is whatever Vision supports on your macOS version.
Pricing: One-time purchase around $6.99 on the Mac App Store. Free trial available on the vendor site.
Platforms: macOS 11 Big Sur and later.
Download: Mac App Store · textsniper.app
Bottom line: The default recommendation on macOS if you are willing to pay under $10 once.
6. Frog, best OCR on Linux
Frog is a GNOME-native Linux OCR app built around Tesseract. It captures a region of the screen, runs Tesseract locally, and drops the text into a clean editable window. Language selection is one dropdown. It also opens image files directly.
For desktop Linux users on GNOME or KDE, Frog is currently the least-friction OCR pick.
Where it falls short: Recognition quality is Tesseract’s, which is good but not Vision-tier. GNOME styling can look out of place on other desktops.
Pricing: Free and open source (GPLv3).
Platforms: Linux (Flatpak).
Bottom line: The Linux equivalent of Text Grab. Fast, hotkey-driven, offline.
7. gImageReader, best for batch OCR across many files
gImageReader is a Tesseract front-end for Windows and Linux that focuses on batch OCR: point it at a folder of scans or PDFs, pick a language, and let it churn through the lot. It handles multi-page PDFs, keeps page structure, and exports to text, hOCR, or PDF with a searchable text layer.
You will use it less for screen capture and more for turning a stack of scanned documents into searchable text.
Where it falls short: Screen-region capture works but is clunky compared to Text Grab or Frog. The interface is Qt-heavy and looks dated.
Pricing: Free and open source (GPLv3).
Platforms: Windows, Linux.
Download: GitHub
Bottom line: Use this alongside a fast screen-OCR tool, not instead of one. It shines at bulk work.
How to pick
- On Windows, want one hotkey: Text Grab.
- On Windows, already run PowerToys: stick with PowerToys Text Extractor.
- On Windows, need CJK vertical text: Capture2Text.
- On Windows, ShareX is already in your setup: turn on ShareX’s OCR module.
- On macOS: TextSniper.
- On Linux (GNOME/KDE): Frog.
- Batch OCR on scans or PDFs: gImageReader.
FAQ
What is the best free OCR software for Windows?
Text Grab and PowerToys Text Extractor both use the OCR engine built into Windows and are effectively tied on accuracy. Text Grab has a nicer capture flow and adds table mode; PowerToys Text Extractor is the pick if you already run PowerToys.
Is Tesseract still worth using in 2026?
Yes for Linux, batch OCR, and non-English languages Windows’ native engine does not cover well. Windows and macOS native engines beat Tesseract on English screenshots.
Can I OCR text from a locked PDF?
Yes. A screen OCR tool works on whatever is drawn to your monitor, so it bypasses PDF copy protection. Text Grab, TextSniper, and Frog all handle this case.
What is the best OCR app for macOS?
TextSniper is the default paid pick because Apple’s Vision framework already produces excellent OCR and TextSniper wraps it in a clean capture flow with math and QR extractors.
Does any of this work offline?
Yes. Every pick in this list runs its OCR locally. None require an internet connection or send your screen contents to a cloud service.
