# Nowen Reader vs PaddleOCR

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Nowen Reader | PaddleOCR |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 51/100 | 85/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 19 in Ebook Management | #1 of 4 in OCR |
| GitHub stars | 180 | 91 864 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +423 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 ✓ | 8 |
| Latest release | v1.2.3 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.7.0 · 11 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

PaddleOCR scores 85/100 against 51/100 for Nowen Reader, so it is the safer default.

Nowen Reader ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for PaddleOCR.

If you want the quickest setup, Nowen Reader is easier to run; PaddleOCR needs more configuration.

PaddleOCR is growing faster right now (+423 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Nowen Reader](https://selfhost.directory/project/nowen-reader) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nowen-reader.md)
- [PaddleOCR](https://selfhost.directory/project/paddleocr) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/paddleocr.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/nowen-reader-vs-paddleocr