PaddleOCR
Turn PDFs and images into structured Markdown or JSON data for LLMs.
A powerful OCR toolkit bridging the gap between images, PDFs, and LLMs across 100+ languages.
PaddleOCR is a document AI engine that extracts text, tables, and formulas from PDFs and images into structured Markdown or JSON. It suits AI and content professionals building retrieval-augmented generation or agentic workflows.
What it is
It parses complex documents using vision-language models like PaddleOCR-VL and the PP-StructureV3 engine for fine-grained coordinate mapping. It also provides universal text recognition across 100+ languages through unified PP-OCR models.
Who it's for
It suits machine learning engineers and developers building document processing pipelines or RAG applications. It is not built for non-technical users looking for a plug-and-play desktop PDF converter.
Key features
Intelligent Document Parsing
Transforms visual layouts into structured Markdown and JSON formats.
Universal Text Recognition
Supports 50 languages in a single model without requiring model switching.
Structure-Aware Conversion
Extracts detailed coordinate information including table cells and text blocks.
Flexible Inference Backends
Deploys across NVIDIA GPUs, Intel CPUs, Kunlunxin XPUs, and various accelerators.
Up and running in 3 steps
Our honest verdict
What's great
- Supports over 100 languages with unified multilingual recognition models
- Provides fine-grained coordinate mapping for table cells and text elements
- Integrates directly into AI agent ecosystems like Dify and RAGFlow
- Offers multiple model tiers ranging from tiny edge devices to server GPUs
Where it falls short
- Requires significant technical skill to configure, integrate, and run locally
- Running vision-language models at scale demands dedicated hardware resources
- Python-centric ecosystem requires managing dependencies and inference backends
Pricing & license
Free under the Apache-2.0 licence, with no paid hosted option mentioned in the repository. The only cost is running the hardware infrastructure yourself.
Open remote AI-training roles
880 open remote AI-training roles, updated November 15, 2026; most pay $20–$175 an hour. Zekai lists them free; the application goes to the employer’s platform.
Alternatives
Use it, or have us set it up
FAQ
What output formats does PaddleOCR provide?
It outputs structured data in Markdown and JSON formats, complete with layout and coordinate details.
Can I run PaddleOCR on a CPU?
Yes, it supports CPU deployment alongside various hardware backends like GPUs and XPUs.
