Image to Text OCROCR extensions for Chrome, compared.
Last updated: October 2, 2026 · By Gallera Studio, the maker of one of them
We make Image to Text OCR, so this is not a neutral page. It is an accurate one. Every number below is from the Chrome Web Store listing or the developer’s own pages on 2 October 2026, and the page says plainly where the other extensions are better than ours.
The short answer
- Many languages, image stays on your device: OCR – Image Reader. More than 100 languages, recognition runs in the browser.
- The most options in one extension: Copyfish. Area selection, local files and PDFs, more than 200 languages through its cloud engine.
- Text out of a video: Selectext. It is built for paused video frames and needs an account.
- A table that lands in Excel or Sheets as cells, without uploading: Image to Text OCR, ours. English and German only.
- Nothing to install: Google Lens is already in Chrome and sends the selection to Google. The tool on this site reads an image on your device in any browser.
Comparison table
| Extension | Users and rating | Updated | How you pick the text | Where the image is read | Languages | Tables | Account | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image to Text OCR ours | New, no ratings yet | Oct 2026 | Right-click an image, paste a screenshot, or drop a file or PDF | On your device | 2: English, German | As spreadsheet cells | No | Free |
| Copyfish | 700,000 users · 4.0 (1,000 ratings) | Sep 2026 | Select an area of the page; local images and PDFs dropped into the browser | In the cloud by default (OCR.space); on your device with a helper app for Windows and Mac | 200+ with its cloud engine | As text or Markdown | No | Free |
| OCR – Image Reader | 200,000 users · 4.1 (246) | Aug 2026 | Select an area of the page | On your device; language data is downloaded once | 100+ | Not stated | No | Free |
| Selectext | 200,000 users · 4.3 (643) | Sep 2026 | Pause a video and select the text in the frame | On its server | 50+ | No | Yes | Free monthly credits, paid plans for more |
| Image to Text (OCR) | 100,000 users · 2.3 (127) | Jun 2026 | Right-click an image, or crop an area | Needs an internet connection | 100+ | Not stated | Not stated | Free tier, paid upgrade on its site |
| Project Naptha | 100,000 users · 3.6 (1,802) | Jan 2026 | Select text on any image with the cursor | On your device, with a lookup on its server | Latin script only | No | No | Free |
| Copy Text from Picture | 80,000 users · 4.6 (240) | Jul 2026 | Select an area of the page | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | No | Free |
| Table OCR | 10,000 users · 4.0 (48) | Nov 2025 | Upload an image or a PDF | On its server; uploads are deleted daily | 100+ | Excel, CSV, Google Sheets | Not stated | Free trial, then paid |
| Google Lens in Chrome | Built into Chrome | — | Right-click, Search with Google Lens, then select | On Google’s servers | Not stated | Not stated | No | Free |
Users, ratings and update dates as shown in the Chrome Web Store on 2 October 2026. “Not stated” means neither the listing nor the developer’s site says. Each name links to its source.
Where ours is weaker
- Two languages. English and German. Copyfish and OCR – Image Reader read more than a hundred.
- No area selection. You right-click an image, paste a screenshot or drop a file. To read a part of the page that is not an image, you take a screenshot first. Copyfish, OCR – Image Reader and Copy Text from Picture let you draw a box on the page.
- No video mode. Selectext is made for that.
- No track record. It is new. The others have years of use and hundreds of ratings.
- Hard images. Handwriting and photos taken at an angle are hit and miss.
Where it is different
- Tables come out as cells. “Copy as table” puts rows and columns in the clipboard. Paste into Excel or Google Sheets and each value is in its own cell.
- Nothing is uploaded and nothing else is installed. The engine and the language models are inside the extension. No helper app, no account.
- No access to websites. It reads only the image you pick.
- It says when it cannot read. You get “No readable text found” instead of a paragraph of noise.
- It also works without installing. The same engine runs in the online tool.
Notes on each one
Copyfish
The largest and the oldest of the group, made by a9t9 software. You select an area of the page, or drop a local image or PDF into the browser. By default the image goes to the OCR.space service. A local mode exists and needs a separate helper app, available for Windows and Mac. One of its engines can return a table as Markdown.
OCR – Image Reader
Press the toolbar button and draw a box. Recognition runs in the browser; the language data is downloaded once. More than 100 languages. The closest to ours in how it treats privacy, with far more languages and with area selection.
Selectext
Made for video: pause, switch it on, select the text in the frame. It needs a free account, gives a number of credits each month and sells plans for more.
Image to Text (OCR)
Right-click an image and choose its menu item, or crop an area. Its listing says it needs an internet connection. It has the lowest rating in the group: 2.3 from 127 ratings.
Project Naptha
The original idea of the genre: text on every image becomes selectable with the cursor. Latin script only. Recognition is local, and the extension looks up an existing transcription on its server by a hash of the image address.
Copy Text from Picture
The highest rating in the group: 4.6 from 240 ratings. Select an area and the text is copied. Recognition happens in the cloud. Free, no account.
Table OCR
The one to look at for long PDFs with tables. You upload a file and get Excel, CSV or Google Sheets. Files go to its server and are deleted daily, according to the listing. Paid after a free trial.
Google Lens in Chrome
Nothing to install: right-click and choose “Search with Google Lens”, then select text or an area. Chrome’s help page says a screenshot of the page is sent to Google. Google must be the default search engine.
Questions
Which OCR Chrome extension works without uploading the image?
OCR – Image Reader and Image to Text OCR both read the image on your device. Image to Text OCR carries its language models inside the extension. OCR – Image Reader downloads the language data once and then works locally. Copyfish can also read locally, with a helper app for Windows and Mac.
Which extension copies a table into Excel or Google Sheets?
Image to Text OCR copies a table as cells, free and without uploading: choose Copy as table and paste. Table OCR exports uploaded images and PDFs to Excel, CSV and Google Sheets and is paid after a free trial. Copyfish can return a table as Markdown.
Is there a Copyfish alternative that keeps the image on my device?
Yes. OCR – Image Reader reads more than 100 languages locally and works by selecting an area. Image to Text OCR reads English and German locally, works by right-click and copies tables as cells. Copyfish itself has a local mode that needs a helper app.
Do I need an extension at all?
Not always. Google Lens is built into Chrome: right-click and choose Search with Google Lens. The selection is sent to Google. The tool on this site reads an image in any browser with nothing to install, on your device.
How was this comparison made?
User counts, ratings and update dates are from the Chrome Web Store listings on 2 October 2026. Behaviour is taken from the listings, the developers’ documentation and privacy policies. No accuracy benchmark was run, and this page does not claim that any extension reads more accurately than another.
Something here out of date? Write to hello@gallerastudio.com and it will be corrected.
Also for Microsoft Edge
Or try it on this site first: drop an image, copy the text. Nothing is uploaded.