Browser OCR vs Cloud OCR
Browser OCR keeps images on your device when supported. Cloud OCR uploads by default. ScanText uses browser-first with optional temporary server fallback deleted in ~60 seconds.
📌 June 2026 — ScanText team
Every free OCR site claims privacy; few explain where your file goes. Browser OCR runs Tesseract (or similar) inside your tab with WebAssembly — the image bytes often never leave RAM. Cloud OCR uploads to a server farm, processes, returns text, and may retain files for minutes or months. This 2026 guide compares both models so you can choose for receipts, IDs, homework, and work screenshots. ScanText defaults to browser OCR; competitors like i2OCR, OnlineOCR.net, imagetotext.info, and iLovePDF use cloud-first workflows.
How browser OCR works
Your browser downloads a WASM build of Tesseract. The image stays in memory; text is rendered in a textarea. No API key, no account — ideal for one-off tasks on work laptops with DLP policies.
Limits: very large images or old phones may fall back to server OCR. ScanText shows when Higher quality triggers upload.
Cloud OCR — iLovePDF, i2OCR, OnlineOCR
**iLovePDF:** uploads files; OCR on scans often Premium. Strong for PDF merge, weak for privacy-first image OCR.
**i2OCR:** one image per free run, 30-minute server retention stated. Good language list, dated UX.
**OnlineOCR.net:** hourly guest limits, cloud processing. Fine for casual use, not for sensitive IDs.
ScanText targets users who want cloud-quality text without default upload — see our iLovePDF OCR Alternative (Free).
Comparison table (2026)
| Tool | Default upload? | Free OCR depth | Arabic/ Hindi focus |
| ScanText | No (browser first) | High — 30-page PDF | Dedicated pages |
| iLovePDF | Yes | OCR often Premium | Generic |
| i2OCR | Yes | 1 image/run | Thin locale pages |
| imagetotext.info | Yes | Ad-supported | EN-centric |
Pick browser OCR when compliance or personal privacy matters; pick cloud when you already trust the vendor and need their PDF suite.
Tools
Guides
FAQ
- Often similar for one image; cloud may batch faster but costs privacy.
No account · No install
Browser OCR (Local Processing)
ScanText OCR →