ABBYY FineReader PDF: edit PDFs and turn scans into text

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ABBYY FineReader PDF is desktop software for working with PDFs and scanned documents. ABBYY has been making optical character recognition (OCR) software since 1989, and that's what sets FineReader apart: as well as editing, signing and converting ordinary PDFs, it can turn a scan, a photo of a page or an old paper document into text you can edit and search. It suits students digitising notes and reading lists, people sorting out household paperwork, and small offices that want a lower-cost alternative to the big-name PDF editors.

You buy directly from ABBYY's FineReader website as a download, with no box to wait for. Prices on the site are listed in euros, and the plans are subscriptions that renew automatically.

What's worth a look

Here are six options from the FineReader range, with the prices shown on ABBYY's site today:

For most Windows users the choice is between Standard and Corporate. FineReader PDF Standard at €99 a year covers editing, protecting and converting PDFs plus OCR for scans. Corporate, at €165 a year, adds document comparison, which spots the differences between two versions of a file even when one is a scan, and Hot Folder, which converts batches of documents automatically. Mac users get FineReader PDF for Mac at €69 a year, which focuses on OCR and conversion with a smaller set of PDF editing tools. If all you need is to copy text out of a screenshot or a web page that won't let you select it, the €9.99 Screenshot Reader is a one-off purchase rather than a subscription.

Current offers

We don't have any discount codes for ABBYY at the moment, but there are a few ways to keep costs down on the site itself. There's a free 7-day trial of the Corporate edition with full PDF features and OCR results saved for up to 100 pages, and no payment is needed to start it. The FineReader PDF Viewer is free for viewing, searching, commenting on and filling in PDF forms. Longer plans also cost less per year: Standard is €267 for three years, compared with €99 a year on the annual plan, and Corporate is €446 for three years against €165 a year.

How to save more

• Start with the free trial and check which features you actually use. If you never compare documents or batch-convert files, Standard will do the job for less.
• Commit for longer if you know you'll keep using it. The three-year plans work out at €89 a year for Standard and just under €149 a year for Corporate.
• Don't pay for more than you need. The free Viewer handles reading and form-filling, and Screenshot Reader is a cheap one-off if you only need to grab text from your screen.

Products, prices and offers checked on the store's own website on 11 Oct 2026. Prices and stock can change.

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