OCRmyPDF vs PDFKeeper
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OCRmyPDF
Add a searchable OCR text layer to scanned PDFs
VS
PDFKeeper
Open-source PDF document management system
| Feature | OCRmyPDF | PDFKeeper |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 34,391 | ★ 228 |
| First released | 2015 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Adobe Acrobat | DEVONthink, Mayan EDMS |
Why pick each one
Choose PDFKeeper if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C#
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OCRmyPDF or PDFKeeper better?
OCRmyPDF is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider PDFKeeper if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OCRmyPDF and PDFKeeper free and open-source?
Yes. OCRmyPDF is licensed under MPL-2.0 and PDFKeeper under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OCRmyPDF and PDFKeeper with Docker?
OCRmyPDF: yes. PDFKeeper: check the project docs for container support.