# scalar vs Apache Tika

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

| | scalar | Apache Tika |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 68/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 13 in API | #1 of 2 in Data Extraction |
| GitHub stars | 16 336 ✓ | 4 114 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +147 ✓ | +15 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 46 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

scalar scores 76/100 against 68/100 for Apache Tika, so it is the safer default.

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Tika.

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

scalar is growing faster right now (+147 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [scalar](https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar.md)
- [Apache Tika](https://selfhost.directory/project/tika) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/tika.md)

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