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ABBYY FineReader logo

ABBYY FineReader

By ABBYY Free to try Editors' Rating

Key Details of ABBYY FineReader

  • Turn images and PDF into editable and searchable files
  • Last updated on 04/17/20
  • There has been 1 update within the past 6 months
  • The current version has 0 flags on VirusTotal badge_icon
The Download Now link will direct you to a form on the developer's site that you must fill out before download.

Editors' Review

Download.com Staff Jun 23, 2014

ABBYY FineReader Professional is a powerful program that lets you convert your scanned documents and image files into Word, PDF, or other formats. Scan items directly, or use files you already have saved on your computer, and once the program has done its work, you'll be able to search and edit them with ease.

Pros

Excellent interface: This app features a smooth and streamlined interface that makes its features accessible to users of all experience levels. Large buttons denote the various actions you can carry out, including Scan to Word, Scan to PDF, Image to PDF, and Quick Open, among others. The program walks you through the process of initiating the scan, adding pages, and completing the process nicely, and once the recognition phase is completed, your new document will open automatically.

Selection options: In addition to Word and PDF output options, you can also select from several other useful formats. Scan to ePUB, and Scan to HTML are options listed under the More tab, and you can also choose to save scans as images and then convert them later to either Word or PDF.

Cons

Complicated installation: The installation process for this app was long and a bit confusing. There were multiple steps, and instructions weren't always clear about what to do next. There was a Help manual, which explained things clearly, but it didn't seem like it should be necessary to consult the Help document just to open the app. Installation also took nearly 15 minutes to complete.

Frequent mistakes: Even in a very basic page of a document, there were still several errors, most of them involving letters being substituted for numbers. These seemed to happen when the font was slightly different in certain areas, and although some errors are understandable and expected, it doesn't bode well for the results of this recognition technology working on more complex documents.

Bottom Line

ABBYY FineReader Professional provides a valuable service, especially if you often have to work with scanned documents. It will always require you to go back and edit the documents it produces, but depending on the types of documents you're working with, these edits may not be extensive. The free trial is good for 30 days or 100 pages, whichever comes first, and it only allows you to save three pages at a time. The full version costs $169.99.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of ABBYY FineReader Professional 12.

Full Specifications

What's new in version 15.0 Release 4

  • Full document preview for PDFs in Windows Explorer and Microsoft Outlook: scroll through the pages before opening the document.
  • Faster PDF opening
  • Improved table and text extraction from PDFs: better usability, improved retention of text formatting.
  • New, informative FineReader 15 update notifications in Windows 10: click "Download" to run the update or "Learn More" to find out what's new in it.
  • New in-product update notification with "Update Available" button.
  • Various bugs fix.

General

Release April 17, 2020
Date Added April 17, 2020
Version 15.0 Release 4

Operating Systems

Operating Systems Windows, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
Additional Requirements None

Popularity

Total Downloads 107,237
Downloads Last Week 137
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User Reviews

2.7/5
3 User Votes
5 Star
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Developer's Description

ABBYY FineReader 14 is an all-in-one PDF and OCR software application. It supports business professionals from various departments in coping with a variety of daily tasks when working with scanned paper documents and PDFs. Convert PDFs and Scans: Find relevant information locked in paper and image-based documents faster and easier, prepare documents for archiving. Convert scanned documents to editable formats with superior accuracy. Edit and Comment PDFs: Work with PDF documents of any kind - whether scanned or digitally created - easier than ever before. Edit, comment and protect, fill out PDF forms, collaborate with colleagues and create PDFs. Compare Documents: (available only in FineReader 14 Corporate and Enterprise) Detect relevant differences in text between two versions of the same document, regardless of their format e.g. compare the scan (PDF or image) of a signed contract to its original in Word format. Automate Conversion: (available only in FineReader 14 Corporate and Enterprise) Schedule automated processing of your documents - prepare batches of documents for long-term archiving or convert into formats for further editing.
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