# PaddleOCR vs Postal

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

| | PaddleOCR | Postal |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 85/100 ✓ | 72/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in OCR | #3 of 16 in Mail Server |
| GitHub stars | 91 868 ✓ | 16 898 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +427 ✓ | +74 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 8 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v3.7.0 · 11 Jun 2026 ✓ | 3.3.7 · 3 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

PaddleOCR scores 85/100 against 72/100 for Postal, so it is the safer default.

PaddleOCR ships more often: 8 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Postal.

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

PaddleOCR is growing faster right now (+427 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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