# PaddleOCR vs scalar

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

| | PaddleOCR | scalar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 85/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in OCR | #3 of 13 in API |
| GitHub stars | 91 869 ✓ | 16 335 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +428 ✓ | +156 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 8 | 46 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.7.0 · 11 Jun 2026 | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

PaddleOCR scores 85/100 against 76/100 for scalar, so it is the safer default.

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for PaddleOCR.

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

PaddleOCR is growing faster right now (+428 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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