ABBYY FineReader PDF review

FineReader PDF is ABBYY's PDF application, and its focus is OCR. The Windows Standard edition opens, edits and organizes PDFs, lets you rewrite paragraphs and edit tables almost as in a Word file, fills forms, adds Bates numbering and stamps, and protects files with redaction, passwords and digital signatures. Its AI-based OCR turns scans and paper into searchable, editable documents, and it can extract text and tables in one click and convert PDFs to Word. The Corporate edition adds document comparison and Hot Folder, which converts up to 5,000 pages a month automatically. A separate FineReader PDF for Mac focuses on OCR and conversion. ABBYY sells yearly and 3-year subscriptions, plus monthly terms on Windows, with volume licensing for teams. The store showed euro prices from our location, so the USD check is pending. If most of your PDFs start as scans, it is the strongest option here.

Who it is for

Office workers who handle many scanned documents and need accurate OCR and conversion.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• AI-based OCR to digitize scans and paper documents
• Edit PDFs like a Word document, including tables and layout
• Compare document versions and extract text and tables
• Bates numbering, stamps, redaction, passwords and digital signatures
• Corporate edition adds Hot Folder automation for up to 5,000 pages a month

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: OCR and conversion are the product's core strength
• Strength: Corporate edition automates batch conversion
• Strength: 1-year and 3-year subscriptions, with a Mac edition
• Weakness: Pricing page shows euros from our location, so the USD check is pending
• Weakness: Mac edition lacks several Windows features
• Weakness: No monthly plan for the Mac edition

Key facts

• Editions: Standard and Corporate for Windows, FineReader PDF for Mac
• Terms: Yearly, 3-yearly or monthly (Windows)
• Hot Folder limit: Up to 5,000 pages a month on Corporate

Where it ranks

ABBYY FineReader PDF is No. 8 in our Best PDF Editors verdict.