What is the difference between OCR API and Read API

Question

I've been wandering through the interwebs trying to get a solid understanding of the differences between OCR API and Read API but I am still not 100% confident about my understanding, perhaps a professional could clarify? Thanks!

Answer 1

The OCR API uses an older recognition model, supports only images, and executes synchronously, returning immediately with the detected text. But supports way more languages.

The Read API uses an updated recognition model, takes an image or PDF document as the input and extracts text asynchronously. But supports less languages.

If you are looking for more details you can click here

You can stay updated with the list of supported languages for Computer Vision APIs by clicking here

The pricing for OCR API atm is $1.50 per 1,000 transactions for 0-1M transactions, and it gets cheaper the more transactions you have.

The pricing for Read API atm is $2.50 per 1,000 transactions.

You can stay updated with the pricing for Computer Vision APIs by clicking here

The Microsoft Learn module that @Philipp Walther mentioned is also recommended!

Answer 2

Hello Cryril,

• OCR (Optical character recognition) API is designed for quick extraction of small amounts of text in images.
• Read API is a better option for scanned documents that have a lot of text.

To find out more i recomment the Microsoft Learn Modul "Read text with the computer vision service"

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/read-text-computer-vision/