OCRmyPDF vs Unstract
Short answer
OCRmyPDF: Command-line tool and Docker image that adds a searchable OCR text layer to scanned PDFs, with a watched-folder service. Unstract: No-code LLM platform that turns invoices, forms and other documents into structured JSON. Both are in our Document processing category.
Choose OCRmyPDF if you want: fewer license conditions (Copyleft (GPL) vs Network copyleft (AGPL)), larger community (35.2k vs 7.4k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
OCRmyPDF publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
OCRmyPDF vs Unstract side by side
| OCRmyPDF | Unstract | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document processing | Document processing |
| What it is | Command-line tool and Docker image that adds a searchable OCR text layer to scanned PDFs, with a watched-folder service. | No-code LLM platform that turns invoices, forms and other documents into structured JSON. |
| License | MPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| License type | Copyleft (GPL) | Network copyleft (AGPL) |
| License conditions | Free for internal and commercial use. MPL-2.0 is file-level copyleft: if you distribute modified OCRmyPDF files, you must release those files' source under MPL-2.0. The demo web service is AGPL-3.0, and Ghostscript, which OCRmyPDF can use, is AGPL-licensed. | Free for internal and commercial use. If you modify Unstract and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer them the modified source code under AGPL-3.0. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 35.2k | 7.4k |
| Last commit | Oct 25, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Latest release | v17.13.0 | v0.199.1 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 8 GB RAM |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | No. Tesseract runs on CPU; the optional EasyOCR plugin is the one that recommends a GPU. | Not required by the platform itself; LLMs are reached through the provider you configure (cloud API or a local server such as Ollama). |
| Est. server cost | Not estimated | from €35.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker (watched-folder service) | Docker Compose (run-platform.sh) |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not applicable | Paid / enterprise only (OIDC paid · SAML paid) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Not documented |
| RBAC | Not documented | Not documented |
| Details | Full OCRmyPDF guide → | Full Unstract guide → |
Key differences
- License: OCRmyPDF: MPL-2.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Unstract: AGPL-3.0 (Network copyleft (AGPL)).
- Official hardware: OCRmyPDF: not published. Unstract: minimum 8 GB RAM.
- Est. server cost: OCRmyPDF: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Unstract: from €35.99/mo.
- Deploy: OCRmyPDF: Docker (watched-folder service) · single container. Unstract: Docker Compose (run-platform.sh) · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: OCRmyPDF: 35.2k. Unstract: 7.4k.
- Last commit: OCRmyPDF: Oct 25, 2026. Unstract: Oct 30, 2026.
- Latest release: OCRmyPDF: v17.13.0 (Sep 28, 2026). Unstract: v0.199.1 (Oct 30, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Document processing; GPU: optional / see notes; Status: Active.
OCRmyPDF vs Unstract: FAQ
OCRmyPDF or Unstract: which should a small business choose?
Choose OCRmyPDF if you want: fewer license conditions (Copyleft (GPL) vs Network copyleft (AGPL)), larger community (35.2k vs 7.4k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). OCRmyPDF publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, OCRmyPDF or Unstract?
OCRmyPDF: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Unstract: from €35.99/mo. Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do OCRmyPDF and Unstract need?
OCRmyPDF: not published. Unstract: minimum 8 GB RAM.
What is the license difference between OCRmyPDF and Unstract?
OCRmyPDF: MPL-2.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free for internal and commercial use. MPL-2.0 is file-level copyleft: if you distribute modified OCRmyPDF files, you must release those files' source under MPL-2.0. The demo web service is AGPL-3.0, and Ghostscript, which OCRmyPDF can use, is AGPL-licensed. Unstract: AGPL-3.0 (Network copyleft (AGPL)). Free for internal and commercial use. If you modify Unstract and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer them the modified source code under AGPL-3.0. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is OCRmyPDF or Unstract more actively maintained?
OCRmyPDF: Active, last commit Oct 25, 2026. Unstract: Active, last commit Oct 30, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Nov 1, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, OCRmyPDF or Unstract?
OCRmyPDF installs via Docker (watched-folder service) (single container); Unstract via Docker Compose (run-platform.sh) (multi-container stack). OCRmyPDF lists 4 known gotchas and Unstract lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- OCRmyPDF self-hosting guide · Unstract self-hosting guide
- All OCRmyPDF alternatives, ranked
- All Unstract alternatives, ranked
- Docling Serve vs OCRmyPDF
- Docling Serve vs Unstract
- MinerU vs OCRmyPDF
- MinerU vs Unstract
- OCRmyPDF vs PaddleOCR
- OCRmyPDF vs Paperless-AI
- OCRmyPDF vs paperless-gpt
- OCRmyPDF vs Paperless-ngx
- PaddleOCR vs Unstract
- Paperless-AI vs Unstract
- paperless-gpt vs Unstract
- Paperless-ngx vs Unstract
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- OCRmyPDF GitHub repository: github.com/ocrmypdf/OCRmyPDF
- OCRmyPDF documentation: ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
- OCRmyPDF license: github.com/ocrmypdf/OCRmyPDF/blob/main/LICENSE
- OCRmyPDF hardware requirements: ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/performance.html
- OCRmyPDF deploy instructions: ocrmypdf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/batch.html
- Unstract GitHub repository: github.com/Zipstack/unstract
- Unstract documentation: docs.unstract.com/unstract/unstract_platform/quick_start
- Unstract license: github.com/Zipstack/unstract/blob/main/LICENSE
- Unstract hardware requirements, Unstract deploy instructions: github.com/Zipstack/unstract#readme
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-25): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.