# PaddleOCR

Framework · https://godooo.ai/en/framework/paddleocr

> PaddleOCR is an open-source AI framework from Baidu 百度, launched in 2020, made for developers and businesses.

An OCR and document parsing toolkit that turns images and PDFs into text, tables and structure.

Main jobs: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR). It is open source and free to use. You can use it on your own server, offline on your own machine, in the terminal and through an API.

## At a glance

- **Type:** [Framework](https://godooo.ai/en/browse#framework)
- **Made by:** [Baidu 百度](https://godooo.ai/en/org/baidu)
- **Launched:** 2020
- **Galaxy:** [Models & APIs](https://godooo.ai/en/galaxy/builders)
- **Open source:** Yes · Apache-2.0
- **Source code:** [github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR](https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR)
- **GitHub stars:** 90,145
- **How you run it:** Self-host · Runs offline · Terminal · API
- **Made for:** Developers · Businesses
- **Website:** [paddleocr.com](https://www.paddleocr.com)

## What it can do

- **[Document parsing](https://godooo.ai/en/capability/document-parsing)** — main job, _proposed by a machine, awaiting calibration_. “PaddleOCR converts PDF documents and images into structured, LLM-ready data (JSON/Markdown) with industry-leading accuracy.” (read on [github.com](https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR), 2026-09-24)
- **[Text recognition (OCR)](https://godooo.ai/en/capability/ocr)** — main job, _proposed by a machine, awaiting calibration_. “100+ Languages Supported : Native recognition for a vast global library.” (read on [github.com](https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR), 2026-09-24)

## Alternatives

- **[MinerU](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/mineru)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[Docling](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/docling)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[Marker](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/marker)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[Surya](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/surya)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[MarkItDown](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/markitdown)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[Unstructured](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/unstructured)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[LlamaIndex](https://godooo.ai/en/framework/llamaindex)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR)
- **[RAGFlow](https://godooo.ai/en/product/ragflow)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing
- **[PDF Skill](https://godooo.ai/en/skill/pdf)**: Also does: Document parsing
- **[Firecrawl](https://godooo.ai/en/product/firecrawl)** (Open source, free): Also does: Document parsing
- **[Mistral](https://godooo.ai/en/model/mistral)** (Open source, free): Also does: Text recognition (OCR)
- **[Qwen](https://godooo.ai/en/model/qwen)** (Open source, free): Also does: Text recognition (OCR); no code needed

## Connections

- **Uses:** [ERNIE 文心](https://godooo.ai/en/model/ernie)

## Questions

### What is PaddleOCR?

PaddleOCR is an open-source AI framework from Baidu 百度, launched in 2020, made for developers and businesses. An OCR and document parsing toolkit that turns images and PDFs into text, tables and structure.

### Is PaddleOCR free?

Yes. PaddleOCR is open source (Apache-2.0) and free to use.

### Is PaddleOCR open source?

Yes, under the Apache-2.0 license. The source code is at https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR.

### Can PaddleOCR run locally?

Yes. PaddleOCR can run offline on your own machine. It can also be self-hosted on your own server.

### What can PaddleOCR do?

Main jobs: Document parsing, Text recognition (OCR).

### Who makes PaddleOCR?

PaddleOCR is made by Baidu 百度.

### What are open-source alternatives to PaddleOCR?

Open-source ones: MinerU, Docling, Marker, Surya, MarkItDown, Unstructured, LlamaIndex and RAGFlow. Others: PDF Skill.

## Sources

- [github.com](https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR) — checked 2026-09-24
- [paddleocr.com](https://www.paddleocr.com)

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Last updated 2026-09-24 · sources checked 2026-09-24 · Markdown version of https://godooo.ai/en/framework/paddleocr. Every page on this site has one: add .md to its address.