ExtractFoxExtractFox vs ABBYY FineReader
Pick ABBYY FineReader if you want desktop OCR software that converts whole documents to editable Word or Excel files offline. Pick ExtractFox if you want the data from a scan as a clean table in the browser: no install, two free without signup, then $9 a month for 100 files or $5 once for 50.
By ExtractFox team · Updated
The short version
ABBYY FineReader PDF is desktop OCR and PDF editing software for Windows and Mac: it recognises the text on scanned pages and rebuilds them as editable Word, Excel or searchable PDF files, keeping the page layout. ExtractFox doesn't rebuild the page. It reads a scan, photo or PDF and returns only the fields or table rows you asked for, typed and ready to download as Excel, CSV or JSON. FineReader is the better copy of the document; ExtractFox is the better spreadsheet of its data.
Side by side
| Feature | ExtractFox | ABBYY FineReader |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Browser and REST API | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Price | From $9/mo, or $5 once for 50 | From €99/year (Windows), €69/year (Mac) |
| Free option | 2 without signup; 5/mo with account | 7-day trial |
| Output | Only the fields or rows you choose | Whole document, layout kept |
| Scanned PDFs and photos | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export to Excel | .xlsx, .csv, .json | Editable Excel file |
| Edit and annotate PDFs | — | ✓ |
| Works offline | — | ✓ |
Why teams switch from ABBYY FineReader
A table, not a reconstructed page
OCR-to-Excel keeps the page: headers, footers and merged cells land in the sheet with the numbers. ExtractFox returns one row per transaction, line item or receipt, with the columns you named.
Nothing to install
FineReader is a desktop app licensed per seat. ExtractFox runs in any browser, including on a phone, and over an API.
Pay for what you extract
If you only convert a few documents a month, $5 for 50 extractions that never expire costs less than a yearly licence.
Pricing
ExtractFox
Two extractions without an account, 5 a month with a free one. Starter $9/mo for 100 extractions, up to Scale $149/mo for 4,000. One-time pack: 50 for $5.
ABBYY FineReader
FineReader PDF Standard (Windows) €99 a year, €267 for 3 years or €16 a month; Corporate €165 a year or €24 a month; FineReader PDF for Mac €69 a year. One seat each, 7-day trial without payment.
For pulling data out of scans into a spreadsheet, ExtractFox is cheaper and needs no install. For editing PDFs and converting whole documents offline, FineReader is the tool.
When ABBYY FineReader is the better pick
Pick FineReader if you need to edit PDFs, convert whole documents to Word as well as Excel, or keep every file on your own computer without sending it to a web service.
Sources
Everything said about ABBYY FineReader on this page comes from these pages, checked on the date shown.
- ABBYY FineReader PDF pricing · checked October 9, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Best tool to extract data from scanned pdf to excel
If you want the data as a ready table, ExtractFox: upload the scan, choose the fields or describe them, and download .xlsx. If you want the whole page rebuilt as an editable file on your desktop, ABBYY FineReader PDF (from €99/year on Windows).
Best free online ocr to convert pdf to excel
ExtractFox runs in the browser with two extractions free and no signup, then 5 a month with a free account, on scanned and digital PDFs up to 50 MB. FineReader has a 7-day trial and is desktop software, not an online tool.
Extract tables from pdf to excel without copy paste
Upload the PDF to ExtractFox's PDF to Excel tool, pick the table or describe the columns, and download it as .xlsx. FineReader converts the pages to an Excel file you then tidy up.
Does ExtractFox replace FineReader for editing PDFs?
No. ExtractFox only extracts data; it doesn't edit, annotate or convert PDFs to Word.