Side by side

Docling vs MinerU

Both stand on pdf converter software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Docling

Free plan APILinuxMac+2

Docling offers broad document conversion options, including local processing and AI framework integrations. Consider whether its local setup or managed-service limits best match your workflow.

Visit Docling

MinerU supports document parsing and conversion across a wide range of formats, with both local and integration-oriented tools. Review the memory guidance and license conditions when planning a deployment.

Visit MinerU

The facts

	Docling	MinerU
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Yes
Runs on	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Pro · Annual: $59.90 a year
Plans published	2	5
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	docling-project.github.io	opendatalab.github.io
On pdf converter software	#3 of 47	#1 of 47

Docling: what it does well

Accepts documents, images, audio, and video.
PDF processing handles layout, tables, and formulas.
Supports several OCR engines.
Can run offline after models are cached.
Free open-source library is MIT licensed.

What to know first

Managed requests have size, rate, and concurrency limits.
Provider terms determine managed-service retention and processing boundaries.
Offline use requires models to be downloaded and cached.

MinerU: what it does well

Accepts a broad range of document formats
Exports to multiple document and structured formats
Offers SDK, HTTP API, CLI, and WebUI
Remote parsing requires explicit configuration

What to know first

Higher-throughput local deployments recommend at least 16 GB system memory
Apple Silicon deployments recommend at least 16 GB unified memory
Commercial-use thresholds apply under the project license

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