# openpencil vs PaddleOCR

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

| | openpencil | PaddleOCR |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 85/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #1 of 4 in OCR |
| GitHub stars | 9 415 | 91 912 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +814 ✓ | +471 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 8 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.7.0 · 11 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

PaddleOCR scores 85/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.

openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for PaddleOCR.

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

## Details

- [openpencil](https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil.md)
- [PaddleOCR](https://selfhost.directory/project/paddleocr) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/paddleocr.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/openpencil-vs-paddleocr