head to head · open source
PaddleOCR vs LiteLLM
PaddleOCR has 92,143 GitHub stars, 11,613 forks, 243 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. LiteLLM has 62,569 stars, 12,940 forks, 5,022 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PaddleOCR leads on adoption by 47% (92,143 vs 62,569 stars). PaddleOCR is written in Python under Apache-2.0; LiteLLM is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. PaddleOCR has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, LiteLLM 21%. LiteLLM was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| PaddleOCR | LiteLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 63K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-16 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 13K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PaddleOCR if
- You weight community size — 92K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick LiteLLM if
- You want the LiteLLM feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and LiteLLM fits your workflow better
About PaddleOCR
Global Leading OCR Toolkit & Document AI Engine English 简体中文 繁體中文 日本語 한국어 Français Русский Español العربية PaddleOCR converts PDF documents and images into structured, LLM ready data (JSON/Markdown) with industry leading accuracy. With 70k+ Stars and trusted by top tier projects like Dify, RAGFlow, and Cherry Studio, PaddleOCR is the bedrock for building intelligent RAG and Agentic applications. 🚀 Key Features 📄 Intelligent Document Parsing (LLM Ready) Transforming messy visuals into structured data for the LLM era. SOTA Document VLM : Featuring PaddleOCR VL 1.6 (0.9B) , the industry's leading lightweight…
read the full PaddleOCR overview →
About LiteLLM
🚅 LiteLLM LiteLLM AI Gateway Open Source AI Gateway for 100+ LLMs. Self hosted. Enterprise ready. Call any LLM in OpenAI format. LiteLLM Proxy Server (AI Gateway) Hosted Proxy Enterprise Tier Website What is LiteLLM LiteLLM is an open source AI Gateway that gives you a single, unified interface to call 100+ LLM providers — OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock, Azure, and more — using the OpenAI format. Use it as a Python SDK for direct library integration, or deploy the AI Gateway (Proxy Server) as a centralized service for your team or organization. Jump to LiteLLM Proxy (LLM Gateway) Docs Jump to Supported LLM…
read the full LiteLLM overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PaddleOCR or LiteLLM more popular?
PaddleOCR has 92,143 GitHub stars and LiteLLM has 62,569. PaddleOCR has the larger community by that measure.
Are PaddleOCR and LiteLLM free?
Both are open source. PaddleOCR is licensed under Apache-2.0, and LiteLLM has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between PaddleOCR and LiteLLM?
PaddleOCR is written in Python and LiteLLM in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, PaddleOCR or LiteLLM?
Choose PaddleOCR if you want the larger community (92,143 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose LiteLLM if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.