Get DocFila — free on iOS & Android
Scan, sign, edit, translate, and store your documents in one app. Free to download, with optional paid features. No ads.
Or open the web app in any browser.
Understand OCR versus structured document extraction. Learn how to check invoice fields, handle missing data and choose the right DocFila workflow.
Document extraction turns information in a file into named fields, such as an invoice number, vendor, date or total. OCR recognizes text in an image. Structured extraction adds meaning to that text so a person can review and reuse individual values. An extracted value still needs checking against its source.
If you only need words to copy, start with image-to-text OCR. If you need an explanation rather than fields, use the Document Explainer. Creating a new draft is a different task, covered by the AI document generator.
Suppose a sample invoice reads INV-1042, has a net amount of 100.00 and tax of 19.00, and shows a total of 119.00. A useful extraction separates these into invoice number, net amount, tax and total. These are illustrative values, not a measured DocFila benchmark.
Compare each field with the original. Confirm the currency, decimal separator, invoice date and due date. Check that 100.00 + 19.00 = 119.00. Keep missing values marked as missing; do not fill gaps by guessing. A matching total alone does not prove that all line items are correct.
For invoice work, explore FinFlow, which is part of the Premium and Pro plans, and the invoice extraction workflow. Inspect the fields your version returns before relying on a particular export.
1. Keep the original. For paper, capture the full page, remove glare and check that small print is readable.
2. Choose the output you need: recognized text, structured fields or a plain-language explanation. These are different operations.
3. Review the result alongside the source. Check names, identifiers, dates, currencies, totals and any absent values.
4. Save or export the reviewed result using the options available in that workflow. Reopen it before sharing or using it in another system.
DocFila's scanner reads text on the device, using Apple Vision on iOS and Google's ML Kit on Android, for Latin, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Devanagari text. Turning text into named fields can be a separate step on a different path. FinFlow's invoice extraction, for example, sends the invoice text to Google's Gemini model through DocFila's servers. It needs a Premium or Pro plan and does not run when your AI setting is Off or Local only.
It is not accurate to describe every extraction step as local or every AI action as free. Read AI data handling, privacy information and current plans before processing sensitive documents. The on-device versus cloud OCR guide explains the tradeoffs to check. A locally captured scan does not establish that every later action on it also runs locally.
Blur, handwriting, cropped edges and unusual layouts can produce incomplete or incorrect text. Similar characters such as 0 and O can change identifiers. Multiple totals can be confused with each other. A confident-looking answer is not a substitute for checking the original.
If a value is unclear, retain the original and correct the field manually or request a clearer source. Do not use an unreviewed extraction to approve a payment or accept a contract obligation.
Keep going with the document workflow that matches this page. Open the tool you need, then finish the file in DocFila.
Scan, sign, edit, translate, and store your documents in one app. Free to download, with optional paid features. No ads.
Or open the web app in any browser.