# PaddleOCR vs youtube-dl

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

| | PaddleOCR | youtube-dl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 85/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in OCR | #6 of 12 in Video |
| GitHub stars | 91 901 ✓ | 402 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +460 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 8 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.7.0 · 11 Jun 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

PaddleOCR scores 85/100 against 51/100 for youtube-dl, so it is the safer default.

PaddleOCR ships more often: 8 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for youtube-dl.

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

PaddleOCR is growing faster right now (+460 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/paddleocr-vs-youtube-dl