# PaddleOCR vs polar

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

| | PaddleOCR | polar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 85/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in OCR | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 91 948 ✓ | 10 437 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +507 ✓ | +158 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v3.7.0 · 11 Jun 2026 | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

PaddleOCR scores 85/100 against 71/100 for polar, so it is the safer default.

PaddleOCR ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.

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

PaddleOCR is growing faster right now (+507 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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