How to Use SmallPDF OCR? (The Ultimate Guide)

In today’s digital age, PDFs are a common format used to save and share documents. However, many PDFs contain scanned images, which means that they can’t be edited. This is where OCR comes in! With the OCR feature, you can easily convert scanned PDFs to editable files. In this article, we are going to discuss how you can convert scanned PDFs to editable files with SmallPDF OCR, list down the limitations of the tool, and introduce a more affordable and efficient alternative—UPDF OCR. You can download UPDF here and compare it with SmallPDF OCR if you need a better option.

Now, let’s check how to use SmallPDF OCR.

Part 1. How to Use SmallPDF OCR?

In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps for using SmallPDF OCR. With SmallPDF OCR, you can convert scanned PDFs into editable text files, which then can be exported into formats such as Word doc, Excel, etc, for further editing.

Here’s how you can get started with Small PDF OCR:

Step 1: Go to Small.pdf.com and log in or create a new account. Once you’re logged in, click on “PDF OCR.”

Step 2: Upload the PDF file you want to perform OCR on or drag your file into the drop area.

Step 3: Now, SmallPDF will OCR the scanned PDF automatically. Click on the “Download” to download the editable PDF. If you want to convert it to other editable formats, you can click on the “Export As” and select the Word (.docx) format or others to download.

Part 2. Problems with Using SmallPDF OCR

Even though the OCR feature of Small PDF is very useful, it’s important to note that there are some downsides to using this software. Here are some of the problems that you may experience using SmallPDF OCR:

1.    Paid Feature and Expensive Pricing:

One of the biggest issues with SmallPDF OCR is that if the OCRed PDF consists of text in images or scans, you'll need to upgrade to the Pro version to download the complete file in an editable format like Word. The price of the Pro version is USD12/month and USD108/year, which can be quite expensive.

2.    Slow OCR Features

Another issue that most users complain about is that the OCR process takes a very long time to complete, especially when you’re working with large files or documents with images. This can be very frustrating, especially if you’re working with multiple documents.

3.    File Size Limitation

SmallPDF has a limit on the size of the files you can upload for OCR processing. If you’re working with a larger PDF, you may not be able to upload it directly. This can be a problem, especially if your document contains lots of pages or high-resolution images. In such cases, you’ll need to reduce the PDF file size before uploading it, which may require additional steps like compressing the PDF.

Part 3. The Best SmallPDF OCR Alternative

If you’re looking for a reliable alternative to SmallPDF, then UPDF stands out as the best choice. UPDF has an excellent OCR feature that supports 38 languages. It allows you to convert your scanned PDFs into multiple editable formats like Word and Excel. Plus, you can also edit the OCRed PDF directly.

Unlike SmallPDF, UPDF is much more affordable at USD39.99 per year, processes documents within seconds, and can manage large files without any issues!  You can check its price and upgrade here.

Ready to give UPDF a try? Download UPDF today and see how easy it is to work with scanned PDFs. Watch the video or read this review article to learn more about UPDF!

Here’s how to OCR scanned PDF with UPDF:

Step 1: Launch UPDF and upload the scanned PDF you want to OCR.

Step 2: Click on the OCR icon from the right toolbar. Next, select Searchable PDF, choose the document language and adjust other settings. .

Step 3: Next,  Once all the settings are adjusted, click on “Perform OCR.”

Step 4: Once the OCR process completes, the OCRed PDF will open in the UPDF. You can save the editable version of your PDF in Word format by clicking on the “Export PDF > “Word”.

Final Words

In conclusion, SmallPDF OCR is a helpful tool for converting scanned PDFs to editable text files, but it does come with some downsides that can be dealbreakers. If you work with PDFs frequently. UPDF, on the other hand, is a much more reliable and affordable option that is guaranteed to make working with PDF super easy and fun.

Ready to try UPDF? Download it today and see how easy it is to work with OCRed PDFs!