IronOCR vs Iris OCR: Which OCR Solution Should Engineering Teams Choose?

Multiple installation methods exist, including advanced NuGet options for enterprise environments.

What's the Fastest Way Using NuGet Package Manager?

NuGet manages dependencies in your project. Access it through:

• Click Tools tab.
• Expand NuGet Package Manager.

• Select Manage NuGet Packages for Solution.

  

• Alternatively, right-click Solution Explorer.

• Select Manage NuGet Packages.

  

Browse for IronOCR and click Install. Enterprise teams should review licensing implementation before production deployment.

How Do I Install Using Alternative Methods?

Download directly from the NuGet website:

1. Visit the NuGet website.
2. Click download package on the right side.
3. Open the downloaded package to install.
4. Reload the solution.

Can I Download Directly From IronOCR's Website?

Visit the Iron Software website and go to IronOCR for .NET. Scroll down and click Download DLL or Download Windows installer. For enterprise deployments, review deployment documentation.

Extract the downloaded zip file or run the Windows installer. Add to your project:

1. Right-click project dependencies in Solution Explorer.
2. Select Add Project Reference.
3. Browse to the downloaded DLL location.
4. Click OK to add reference.

How Do I Use the Command Line Installation?

1. Go to the Tools tab.
2. Expand NuGet Package Manager.

3. Select Package Manager Console and type:

   Install-Package IronOcr

This automatically downloads and installs IronOCR.

What Namespaces Are Required?

Add this namespace to access IronOCR functions. For advanced implementations, additional namespaces may be required.

using IronOcr;

using IronOcr;

Extracting data from images can be challenging. Image resolution and quality significantly impact the accuracy of content extraction. Both libraries offer optical character recognition for text extraction. IronOCR provides DPI settings to improve accuracy.

What's IronOCR's Approach to Image Processing?

IronOCR simplifies reading image content through its IronTesseract class. This example uses a PNG image to read text from an image file:

var OCR = new IronTesseract();
// We use a using statement to ensure resources are freed after use
using (var Input = new OcrInput())
{
    // Add the image from which you want to extract text
    Input.AddImage("test-files/employmentapp.png");
    // Perform OCR to read the text
    var Result = OCR.Read(Input);
    // Output the extracted text to the console
    Console.WriteLine(Result.Text);
}

var OCR = new IronTesseract();
// We use a using statement to ensure resources are freed after use
using (var Input = new OcrInput())
{
    // Add the image from which you want to extract text
    Input.AddImage("test-files/employmentapp.png");
    // Perform OCR to read the text
    var Result = OCR.Read(Input);
    // Output the extracted text to the console
    Console.WriteLine(Result.Text);
}

IronOCR provides specialized methods for passport reading, license plates, and handwritten text. The OcrInput class supports various input formats, including screenshots, photos, and scanned documents. To improve accuracy, you can use the Filter Wizard to automatically adjust image preprocessing settings.

INPUT IMAGE

OUTPUT

IronOCR output matches the original image precisely. The code remains clean and straightforward. For enterprise teams, progress tracking enables monitoring of large batch operations. The OcrResult class provides detailed information about extracted text, including confidence scores and positional data. For low quality scans, IronOCR offers advanced filters to improve recognition accuracy.

How Does Iris OCR Process Images?

Iris OCR software enables scanning paper documents and recognizing text. Select an image file from "From File" in the Home menu. Unlike IronOCR's programmatic OCR input handling, Iris requires manual file selection.

Apply image corrections as needed. Choose the output format in the output file tab. Multiple formats are available, including Word, Excel, PDF, and text files. Save the file and view the extracted text.

OUTPUT

Output comparison reveals clear differences. IronOCR extracted exact text with formatting preserved. Iris OCR maintained formatting but misread the full name and phone number. For high accuracy requirements, IronOCR's result confidence scoring provides quality metrics. The detailed configuration options allow fine-tuning for specific document types.

What Makes IronOCR's Barcode Reading Unique?

IronOCR uniquely reads barcodes and QR codes from images. It detects barcodes and displays values easily, supporting over 20 barcode formats. For specialized applications, IronOCR integrates smoothly with IronBarcode for advanced barcode generation and reading capabilities.

Enable barcode reading and iterate through detected barcodes:

var OCR = new IronTesseract();
OCR.Configuration.ReadBarCodes = true;
// Using statement to automatically dispose of resources
using (var input = new OcrInput())
{
    // Add the image to be processed
    input.AddImage("test-files/Barcode.png");
    // Read the OCR result
    var Result = OCR.Read(input);
    // Iterate through the barcodes detected and display their values
    foreach (var Barcode in Result.Barcodes)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(Barcode.Value);
    }
}

var OCR = new IronTesseract();
OCR.Configuration.ReadBarCodes = true;
// Using statement to automatically dispose of resources
using (var input = new OcrInput())
{
    // Add the image to be processed
    input.AddImage("test-files/Barcode.png");
    // Read the OCR result
    var Result = OCR.Read(input);
    // Iterate through the barcodes detected and display their values
    foreach (var Barcode in Result.Barcodes)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(Barcode.Value);
    }
}

For complex scenarios requiring multithreading, IronOCR automatically improves performance across multiple CPU cores. The library supports abort tokens for canceling long-running operations, crucial for responsive applications.

INPUT IMAGE

OUTPUT

All three barcodes read successfully with hidden text displayed. For inventory systems, this combined OCR and barcode capability simplifies document processing. The data output options include structured formats for database integration.

How Does Iris OCR Handle Barcode Detection?

Iris OCR provides barcode data extraction from images or PDFs. Barcode detection requires manual zone selection. Go to the zones tab and select barcode regions.

Right-click selected regions and copy as data. Save to a word processing file to view data.

Iris OCR software failed to detect hidden text behind the provided barcodes. This manual approach contrasts with IronOCR's automatic detection, impacting productivity for large-scale document processing.

Why Is IronOCR's PDF Processing So Simple?

Reading PDFs in IronOCR requires only changing AddImage to AddPdf:

var OCR = new IronTesseract();
// Using statement for resource management
using (var Input = new OcrInput())
{
    // Add the PDF file to be processed
    Input.AddPdf("test-files/example.pdf");
    // Get the OCR results
    var Result = OCR.Read(Input);
    // Output the extracted text
    Console.WriteLine(Result.Text);
}

var OCR = new IronTesseract();
// Using statement for resource management
using (var Input = new OcrInput())
{
    // Add the PDF file to be processed
    Input.AddPdf("test-files/example.pdf");
    // Get the OCR results
    var Result = OCR.Read(Input);
    // Output the extracted text
    Console.WriteLine(Result.Text);
}

IronOCR supports PDF streams and searchable PDF creation for enterprise document management. The PDF OCR extraction capabilities handle both scanned and digital PDFs efficiently. For specialized needs, you can create searchable PDFs from image-only documents, improving document accessibility and SEO.

OUTPUT

Extracted text maintains PDF formatting. Your team can extract tables with structured data preservation.

For advanced processing, IronOCR offers TIFF to searchable PDF conversion and handles multipage TIFF files smoothly. The image DPI settings ensure optimal quality for various document types.

How Does Iris OCR Process PDF Documents?

Iris software handles PDF reading easily. It supports all digital formats, including PDF. Create searchable formats using Iris OCR. PDFs process as individual page images. Open documents using the From File option. Select page ranges and save in editable formats.

For enterprise teams evaluating multipage TIFF processing or batch operations, understanding platform capabilities proves critical.

OUTPUT