OCR PDF, free, no sign-up
Make a scanned PDF searchable free: Filo reads the text on each scanned page and adds it under the image, so you can search, select and copy.
Make a scanned PDF searchable free: Filo reads the text on each scanned page and adds it under the image, so you can search, select and copy. No account.
- Text pages read in your browser
- Scanned pages deleted when it finishes
- No sign-up, no email
- Text pages read in your browser
- Scanned pages deleted when it finishes
- No sign-up, no email
- 4.8 rating · 100K+ downloads
OCR PDF: how it works
Your scanner or phone saved the document as pictures inside a PDF. It looks fine, but you can't search it for a word, select a line, or copy a number out of it.
Step 1: Select your PDF
Choose the scanned PDF you want to make searchable.
Step 2: Read the scanned pages
Pages that already contain text are kept as they are in your browser. Scanned pages are read with OCR on our server: the PDF is sent over an encrypted connection and deleted when the conversion finishes.
Step 3: Download
Save a PDF that looks the same, with an invisible text layer you can search, select and copy.
Filo vs iLovePDF and Smallpdf
Full comparisons →| Filo | iLovePDF | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where your file goes | Text pages stay in your browser · scanned pages use a secure server pass, deleted when it finishes | Processed on its servers, deleted within two hours | Uploaded to its servers, deleted after one hour |
| Free use without an account | Yes, 3 free conversions in total | Yes, with limited processing | Yes, usage limits may apply |
| Phone app | Free for life, with no daily limit | Free download with limited daily tasks · Premium for more | Free within a daily task limit · Pro for more |
| Paid plan | Optional on the web · the app is free for life | Premium from US$4 a month, billed yearly, or US$7 monthly | Pro subscription with a 7-day free trial |
Based on each service's public free plan, checked November 2026.
Sources
- iLovePDF security: Files processed on the platform are automatically and permanently deleted within two hours of being processed.
- iLovePDF pricing: Free plan: limited document processing and limited batch processing. Premium: US$4 a month billed annually (US$47 a year) or US$7 billed monthly.
- iLovePDF terms: Free Account as an unregistered user; Premium only as a registered user.
- iLovePDF on the App Store: Free with in-app purchases (Premium monthly and yearly); the developer states free users get limited daily tasks in the app.
- Smallpdf Compress PDF: Files are deleted automatically after one hour; try it for free with no sign-up; usage limits may apply; iOS and Android apps.
- Smallpdf on the App Store: Free with in-app purchases; free within a daily task limit; Smallpdf Pro subscription with a free 7-day trial.
OCR PDF, answered
All FAQs →Will the PDF look different?
No. Every page keeps its original image. The text Filo reads is placed invisibly under it, in the same spot, so search and selection line up with what you see. Files made with a free web conversion also get a small Filo mark in one corner. A PDF that is already searchable comes back unchanged.
Which languages does it read?
English and other languages written in Latin letters, plus Arabic, with no language to choose. Clean, straight scans give the best results, and OCR can misread a character now and then, so check names and numbers.
Is the file uploaded?
Only when it has scanned pages. A PDF with scanned pages is sent over an encrypted connection, those pages are read on servers, and the file is deleted when the conversion finishes. The searchable PDF is built in your browser.
Do I need the app to use this tool?
Pages that already contain text are read in your browser. If the PDF has scanned pages, it is sent over an encrypted connection, those pages are read on servers, and the file is deleted when the conversion finishes. No account needed. On the web you get 3 free conversions; the Filo app is free for life, with no daily limit.
