# OCR-SOFTWARE

> An OCR API for large document volumes: send a PDF, a scan or a multi-page TIFF, get every page back with text, a place and a confidence for every line or word, depending on the mode (JSON, text, Markdown, hOCR, searchable PDF). Reading modes are named and versioned, and the human picks the mode. Use the hosted API at https://api.ocr-software.com (an API key comes on request, free), or download the service and run it on your own hardware; then your documents stay on your machines. Private use and tests are free under the EULA that comes with the download. Productive use in a company, operation for third parties, support and maintenance need [a contract with us](https://ocr-software.com/contact/).

Start with the agent guide. The OpenAPI file is the exact source for fields and error codes.

## For agents

- [Agent guide (Markdown)](https://ocr-software.com/docs/agents.md): key, dry run, job, poll, result formats, bucket jobs, errors and retries, limits
- [API key for the hosted API](https://ocr-software.com/contact/#api-key): free on request; the base URL is https://api.ocr-software.com
- [OpenAPI file](https://ocr-software.com/openapi.json): every endpoint, field and error code
- [API reference (Markdown)](https://ocr-software.com/docs/reference.md): the same API as text, with parameters, fields, errors and a call per endpoint, generated from the OpenAPI file

## For humans

- [Home, English](https://ocr-software.com/): what the service reads, the evidence, the limits
- [Download: install it on your own hardware](https://ocr-software.com/docs/install/#download)
- [Docs](https://ocr-software.com/docs/): first call, integrate, production, fix errors, with curl and Python examples
- [API reference](https://ocr-software.com/docs/reference/): every endpoint, field and error code, generated from the OpenAPI file
- [Gallery: a public test page read step by step, with the JSON answer](https://ocr-software.com/gallery/)
- [About: the history of OCR since 1913 in 13 short scenes with a voice](https://ocr-software.com/about/)
- [Contact: what to ask about and what the first message needs](https://ocr-software.com/contact/)
- [Blog: measurement notes](https://ocr-software.com/blog/)
- [OCR pipelines: fixed, versioned, named, and which one fits which page](https://ocr-software.com/docs/pipelines/)
- [Output formats: JSON, text, Markdown, hOCR, searchable PDF, by pipeline](https://ocr-software.com/docs/formats/)
- [Own server: run by us](https://ocr-software.com/offer/own-server/), [your own pipeline](https://ocr-software.com/solutions/custom-pipeline/), [a language model on top](https://ocr-software.com/solutions/llm-on-ocr/): price on request
- [OCR to JSON](https://ocr-software.com/blog/ocr-to-json/), [plain text](https://ocr-software.com/blog/ocr-to-markdown/), [Markdown](https://ocr-software.com/blog/ocr-to-markdown/), [hOCR](https://ocr-software.com/blog/hocr-output/), [searchable PDF](https://ocr-software.com/blog/searchable-pdf-from-scans/)
- [Blog: from bare metal to production](https://ocr-software.com/blog/bare-metal-to-production/)

## Legal (German version governs)

- [Imprint, in German](https://ocr-software.com/legal/de/impressum/)
- [Privacy notice, in German](https://ocr-software.com/legal/de/datenschutz/)
- [Terms and conditions, in German, binding](https://ocr-software.com/legal/de/agb/)
- [Third-party software, in German](https://ocr-software.com/legal/de/drittsoftware/)