PDF24 alternative for OCR on photos and multi-column pages
Pick FastOCR if you want the text on screen to copy, photos as input, or columns read in order. Pick PDF24 OCR if you only need a free searchable PDF with no limits and can live with ads.
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
The text, not only a PDF
PDF24 OCR gives you a PDF. FastOCR also shows the extracted text beside the page so you can copy it right away.
Columns read in order
On pages with columns, the text comes out column by column instead of line across the whole page.
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.
Where PDF24 wins
Free with no limits
PDF24 says it is free of charge with no limits and no registration, paid for by advertising. FastOCR PDFs use a page quota.
PDF/A and clean-up options
Its OCR tool can save PDF/A and has deskew, background removal and page clean-up before OCR.
A scan in a script many tools skip
A scanned Arabic book page and the text FastOCR read from it. FastOCR reads 100+ languages, and the searchable PDF carries this text as an invisible layer under the scan.
۵۱۲ مرأة كمالات الإسلام مراحل. وهذا لا يقتصر على الإنسان، بل ستجدون أن اكتمال وجود آلاف من الحيوانات الموجودة على الأرض أيضا يتوقف على تلك المراحل الست.
Unedited OCR output for the top of this page, including its mistakes (مرأة for مرآة, and a stray من on its own line). In the searchable PDF the same words sit in an invisible right-to-left layer under the scan.
- No install
- Both run online with no install and no registration. FastOCR needs no sign-up for images.
- Searchable PDF
- Both make a searchable PDF. PDFs use your page quota (50 free pages a month). PDF24 has no stated limit.
- Works in the browser
- Both work in the browser. PDF24 also lists Urdu, Hindi, Hebrew and Persian among its OCR languages.
FastOCR and PDF24, side by side
PDF24 facts checked on October 21, 2026. Each links to the page it came from.
| Feature | FastOCR | PDF24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 50 free PDF pages a month, then packs or a plan | "Free of charge", paid for by advertising (source) |
| Limits | Page quota for PDFs; daily cap for images | "No limits", no time restrictions (source) |
| Account | None for images | "No registration required" (source) |
| Output | Text on screen, searchable PDF | PDF or PDF/A, with optional deskew and clean-up (source) |
| Languages | 100+, detected automatically | A language menu that includes Urdu, Hindi, Hebrew and Persian (source) |
| File handling | Uploaded for processing; see the privacy policy | Deleted from its servers after one hour; servers in Germany (source) |
Questions about PDF24
Is PDF24 OCR really free?
PDF24 says so on its OCR page: free of charge, no limits and no registration, funded by advertising.
Does PDF24 OCR work for Arabic and Urdu?
Its language menu includes Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Hebrew and Persian. Try a page of your own: scan quality matters more than the menu.
When is FastOCR the better choice?
When you want the text itself, not just a PDF, when the input is a photo, or when the page has columns and the reading order matters.
Where do my files go?
PDF24 says it deletes files from its servers after one hour and that its servers are in Germany. FastOCR uploads your file to process it; the privacy policy covers how long it is kept.
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.