picatext
picatext is a lightweight optical character recognition (OCR) tool for macOS that extracts text from images, screenshots and on-screen content. Unlike cloud-based OCR services, picatext performs all text recognition locally on the user's Mac, making it useful for handling sensitive documents, working offline, or maintaining privacy. The app is designed for quick text extraction workflows and is accessible from the menu bar. While its OCR accuracy is modest compared to cloud-based solutions like Google's Lens, users value its local-only processing and low system overhead.
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1 suggestionWe could not confirm whether picatext has a native Apple Silicon build. The app is small and inexpensive (available for around $4), but the vendor's website and public information are sparse — there are no recent release notes or architecture announcements visible in search results. Contact the developer at de.softwareinmotion.com to ask whether a native Apple Silicon version exists or is planned before macOS 28 ships in September 2028. An Intel-only build will stop working on that release. If the vendor is no longer actively supporting the app, consider Text Lens, which offers similar on-screen OCR functionality and is actively maintained with native Apple Silicon support. The AlternativeTo comparison page lists several OCR alternatives worth exploring as a contingency.
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