# A Transkribus alternative for everyday handwriting

Transkribus is built for archives, charging one credit per page for handwritten text recognition, with 50 free credits a month[1]. For family letters, diaries, notes and forms in modern Latin script, LoreAI is a simpler Transkribus alternative. Upload a photo or PDF and download the text as Word, typed out or translated, with no credits to manage.

## What Transkribus is built for

Transkribus is a handwritten text recognition platform for historical documents. Its plans page lists Kurrent, Sütterlin, old German script, cursive handwriting and council minutes among its use cases, with samples such as a letter from Vienna in 1847 and a parish record from 1783[1]. It names archives, universities, museums and research groups as its users, and says over 500,000 people use it[1].

That makes it the specialist tool for old scripts and large archives. If your documents are in Kurrent or Sütterlin, Transkribus is where to start.

## How Transkribus pricing works

- **Free**: 50 credits a month, which Transkribus says is enough for around 50 pages[1]
- **Scholar**: 99 euros a year for 900 credits[1]
- **Top-up**: 250 credits for 59.50 euros[1]
- **Organisations**: 75,000 credits a year or more, priced on request[1]
- **Handwritten text recognition**: 1 credit per page[1]
- **Exports**: Basic formats on Free, all formats on paid plans[1]

Paid prices include Austrian VAT of 20%[1]. Table and field recognition and line detection use credits too[1], so a page with a table costs more than its text alone.

## Transkribus and LoreAI side by side

*Checked on November 5, 2026 against the Transkribus plans page*

| What you need | Transkribus | LoreAI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Built for | Historical documents, archives and research groups[1] | Modern letters, notes, diaries and forms |
| Scripts | Lists Kurrent, Sütterlin and old German script[1] | Print and cursive in the Latin alphabet |
| Free use | 50 credits a month, about 50 pages[1] | 1 page a day with no account, 10 with a free account, and a first app document of 3 pages |
| Paid plans | Scholar at 99 euros a year for 900 credits[1] | Basic $12.99 a month for 200 pages |
| What you download | Basic formats on Free, all formats on paid plans[1] | Typed text, .txt or a Word file with lists and tables |
| Translation | Not listed on its plans page | Into 105 languages, returned as an editable Word file |
| Getting started | An account, credits and a recognition model | Upload a photo, no account for the free tool |

## When LoreAI is the better fit

- **Letters and diaries from the last century.** A grandparent's letters in English, Spanish, Italian or French cursive come back typed out, paragraph by paragraph.
- **You need them in another language.** LoreAI reads the handwriting and translates it into one of 105 languages in the same step, so a letter in Italian comes back as an English Word file.
- **A few documents, not an archive.** No credits, models or projects to set up. Photograph the page and upload it.
- **Forms and records with tables.** Printed labels and handwritten entries come back together, and a register's grid becomes a Word table.

## How to type out a handwritten letter with LoreAI

1. Photograph each page flat and upright in daylight, or scan the letter to a PDF.
2. For one page, upload it to the [free handwriting to text tool](https://www.loreai.org/handwriting-to-text) and copy the text or download Word.
3. For a letter of several pages, or to translate it, upload the PDF to the [LoreAI app](https://www.loreai.org/app) and choose OCR or OCR + Translate.
4. Download the Word file. Names, dates and places stay exactly as written, and non-Latin names are romanized.

Your first document in the app is free, up to 3 pages and 3 MB. The [cursive to text](https://www.loreai.org/cursive-to-text) page has tips for photographing old paper and faded ink.

## When to stay with Transkribus

Stay with Transkribus for Kurrent and Sütterlin, and for archive projects of thousands of pages, which its Organisations plan of 75,000 credits a year or more is built for[1]. Use LoreAI for the modern handwriting in your family papers and paperwork, and for anything you want back in Word or in another language.

## Questions people ask

### Is Transkribus free?

Transkribus has a free plan with 50 credits a month, about 50 pages of handwritten text recognition[1].

### What is a simpler alternative to Transkribus?

For modern handwriting in the Latin alphabet, LoreAI needs no credits or models. Upload a photo and download text or Word, free for 1 page a day with no account.

### Can LoreAI translate a handwritten letter?

Yes. The LoreAI app reads the handwriting and translates it into one of 105 languages, returned as one editable Word file.

### Which tool should I use for Sütterlin?

Transkribus lists Sütterlin and Kurrent among its use cases[1], so use Transkribus for those scripts.

## Sources

1. [Transkribus: Plans and pricing](https://www.transkribus.org/plans), accessed November 5, 2026

By Matt Mountain · Updated November 5, 2026