pytesseract

Python-tesseract is a python wrapper for Google's Tesseract-OCR

pytesseract Permissive license Apache License 2.0 Active ★ 6,381 v0.3.13 released 2024-08-16

Install

pytesseract on PyPI

pip

pip install pytesseract

uv

uv add pytesseract

poetry

poetry add pytesseract

Package facts

License	Apache License 2.0 (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.8)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	2 — packaging, Pillow
Maintenance	actively maintained — 727 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-07-13
First released	2014-02-06
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: pytesseract-0.3.13-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: python-tesseract, OCR, Python

License :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy

About pytesseract

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

Python Tesseract

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/pytesseract.svg :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pytesseract :alt: Python versions

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/github/release/madmaze/pytesseract.svg :target: https://github.com/madmaze/pytesseract/releases :alt: Github release

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/pytesseract.svg?color=blue :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pytesseract :alt: PyPI release

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/conda/vn/conda-forge/pytesseract.svg?color=blue :target: https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/pytesseract :alt: Conda release

.. image:: https://results.pre-commit.ci/badge/github/madmaze/pytesseract/master.svg :target: https://results.pre-commit.ci/latest/github/madmaze/pytesseract/master :alt: Pre-commit CI status

.. image:: https://github.com/madmaze/pytesseract/workflows/CI/badge.svg?branch=master :target: https://github.com/madmaze/pytesseract/actions?query=workflow%3ACI :alt: CI workflow status

Python-tesseract is an optical character recognition (OCR) tool for python. That is, it will recognize and "read" the text embedded in...

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AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

pytesseract is a Python wrapper for Google's Tesseract-OCR engine that extracts text from images and generates structured output like bounding boxes, confidence scores, and searchable PDFs.

Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (packaging and Pillow). Actively maintained with recent commits and strong GitHub presence. Supports Python 3.8–3.12 and PyPy.

Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Usage

pip install pytesseract

import pytesseract

text = pytesseract.image_to_string('test.png')
print(text)

Requires Google's Tesseract-OCR engine installed on the system; pytesseract.pytesseract.tesseract_cmd must point to the executable if not in PATH.

Verdict: pytesseract is a well-maintained, actively developed OCR wrapper with low dependency friction and permissive licensing. No known vulnerabilities. Primary blocker is the external Tesseract system dependency, not the Python package itself.

Needs verification

Whether 727 days since last release reflects maintenance lag or stable, feature-complete status
Performance characteristics and accuracy for specific OCR use cases
Compatibility with different Tesseract versions and language packs

optical character recognition pythonextract text from imagesocr wrapper tesseractimage to text conversiontesseract python bindingdocument text extractionocr engine wrapper