Comparison

Docling vs Marker

No leader: the top candidate Docling has only 0.32 confidence (low), below the 0.35 needed to declare a winner. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Docling58
Marker49
Score
vioscaleAI score
Docling58 / 100low · 32%
Marker49 / 100high · 76%
Pricing
Free tier
Docling✓
Marker✓
Model
Price level
Doclingfree
Markerfree
Transparent
Docling✓
Marker✓
Integrations
Count
Docling1
Marker7
Adoption
Dependent repos
Docling0
Marker0
Github stars
Docling68,824
Marker40,445
Activity
Commits last 30d
Docling100
Marker6
Release
Cadence days
Docling2
Marker6
History
Docling20 items
Marker20 items
License
Spdx
DoclingMIT
Language
Primary
DoclingPython
MarkerPython
Market
Availability
Marker–
Content
Faq
Docling6 items
Marker7 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for ai data extraction agents. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Architecture model
DoclingOpen source library
MarkerOpen source library
PDF and multimodal image OCR parsing
Docling✓
Marker✓
Web scraping to markdown or json
Docling-
Marker✓
Tabular layout preservation for complex tables
Docling✓
Marker✓
Strict json schema forcing and validation
Docling-
Marker-
Fine tuned document layout analysis models
Docling✓
Marker✓
Native chunking and vectorization for rag
Docling✓
Marker-
Javascript rendering for spa web scraping
Docling-
Marker✗
Human in the loop hitl confidence review queue
Docling-
Marker-
Zero data retention privacy guarantees
Docling✓
Marker✓
SOC2 type ii
Docling-
Marker-
Mit or apache permissive oss license
Docling✓
Marker✓
Pricing model
DoclingFree open source
MarkerFree open source

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Docling

A document processing platform that transforms diverse document formats into structured representations with detailed understanding of layout, structure, and content. It supports integration with AI systems and provides both cloud-based and local processing options.

Independently observed

Marker

A tool that transforms PDFs into structured markdown and JSON formats using advanced machine learning models for layout analysis and optical character recognition. Supports integration with various language models including Claude, Gemini, and OpenAI-compatible APIs.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Docling

Open sourceFree tier

Open source project, free to use

as of verify ↗

Marker

Open sourceFree tier

Free open source (research, personal, startups <$5M). Commercial licensing available.

  • Open SourceFree
    • PDF to markdown/JSON conversion
    • Layout analysis with OCR
    • Table recognition
    • LLM integration support
  • CommercialContact sales
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Docling✓
Marker✗
CLI
Docling✓
Marker✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Docling✓
Marker✗
Self-hosted
Docling✓
Marker✓
Air-gapped
Docling✓
Marker✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Docling

8 total
  • LangChain
  • LlamaIndex
  • Crew AI
  • Haystack
  • OpenContracts
  • Apify
  • Label Studio
  • Semantica
Independently observed

Marker

9 total
  • Gemini
  • Claude
  • OpenAI
  • Azure
  • Vertex
  • OpenRouter
  • Ollama
  • Azure OpenAI
  • Google Vertex AI
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Docling or Marker: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.