CamScanner alternative for OCR in your browser
CamScanner has an online version. Pick FastOCR if you want the text from a photo or PDF on a computer, with no app and no account. Pick CamScanner if you scan paper with your phone camera or want its other Premium tools.
Drop your file here
PDF, PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP, HEIC
PDF up to 1 GB · images up to 20 MB
Tips for a clear photo
- Lay the page flat.
- Use even light, with no shadows.
- Turn off the flash to avoid glare.
- Fill the frame with the page.
Where FastOCR wins
Nothing to install, no sign-up for images
Images need no sign-up: 3 a day as a guest, unlimited with a free account.
Searchable PDFs that copy correctly in any script
In our tests the text layer copied correctly in 16 of 16 scripts. Arabic, Urdu and Hebrew paste in the right order.
Columns read in order
On pages with columns, the text comes out column by column instead of line across the whole page.
Where CamScanner wins
Scanning paper with a phone
CamScanner is built around the phone camera, and runs on iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, macOS, Windows and the web.
More than OCR
Premium adds PDF to Word, ID photos, more cloud storage and folders, and removes ads and watermarks.
- No install
- FastOCR needs no app. CamScanner also has a web app and a free Image to Text tool that run in the browser.
- Searchable PDF
- FastOCR makes a searchable PDF with a text layer and no watermark. PDFs use your page quota (50 free pages a month).
- Works in the browser
- Both run in a browser. FastOCR also takes PDFs and shows the text next to the page.
FastOCR and CamScanner, side by side
CamScanner facts checked on October 21, 2026. Each links to the page it came from.
| Feature | FastOCR | CamScanner |
|---|---|---|
| Browser version | Yes, nothing to install | Yes: web, desktop and mobile apps (source) |
| Free OCR | 3 images a day as a guest, unlimited with a free account, 50 PDF pages a month | Free plan includes "limited OCR uses"; no number is given (source) |
| OCR languages | 100+ | "Over 40" on its Image to Text page (source) |
| Watermark | None | Premium removes watermarks and ads (source) |
| Platforms | Any browser | iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, macOS, Windows, web (source) |
Questions about CamScanner
Does CamScanner have an online version?
Yes. CamScanner lists a web app and a free Image to Text tool that runs in the browser. FastOCR does the same job for images and also reads PDFs.
Is CamScanner OCR free?
CamScanner says its free plan includes limited OCR uses and does not state a number. FastOCR gives 3 images a day without an account and unlimited with a free one.
Does FastOCR put a watermark on my text or PDF?
No. Text and searchable PDFs come out clean.
Can I use FastOCR to scan paper with my phone?
Open fastocr.org in your phone browser and pick a photo. FastOCR reads the photo, but it is not a scanner app. For a stack of paper pages, CamScanner is the better fit.
Keep reading
Last updated October 21, 2026. Competitor details come from their own pages, linked above, and can change. What published research says about OCR accuracy.