DECEMBER 2019 MACWORLD 69mmmmh
Prizmo 5
PROS- Fast, high-quality document
scans. - Autoshoot allows capturing
documents without user
interaction.
CONS - Watermarks on exported
image, PDF documents in
free version. - Limited on-device OCR,
text-to-speech (free version
only).
PRICE
Free (in-app purchases)
COMPANY
Creaceed
removes the “Made
with Prizmo”
watermark splashed
across the lower
right corner of
exported image and
PDF files. That’s an
egregious limitation
for an app whose
sole purpose is
capturing
documents, so we
consider this
“optional” upgrade
a mandatory
purchase. The
upgrade unlocks
features otherwise
limited in the free
version, like processing business
cards, on-device OCR, and Text
Reader, which displays
recognized text in readable form,
even reading it aloud to you.
Lastly, a separate
subscription-based Cloud OCR
feature starting at $1 per month
offers improved accuracy in 26
languages, but we didn’t find it
significantly more reliable than
the on-device method, especially
now that version 5.1 adds
support for Apple’s quite good
built-in OCR. Cloud OCR
subscribers also have access to
handwriting recognition, which
was hit or miss in our tests, and
only works in English.BOTTOM LINE
When it comes to mobile
scanner apps, Prizmo 5 is
unmatched for its fast,
streamlined workflow and
high-quality scans, but be
prepared to pay up if you
want unlimited on-device
OCR or to share documents
without a watermark. ■Once a document has been converted with optical character
recognition, Prizmo 5 users can further refine, read, or have text read
aloud. (iPad version shown here.)