marker vs GLM-OCR
Document conversion and OCR tools compared
marker converts PDFs and other supported documents into structured formats such as Markdown, JSON, HTML, and chunks. GLM-OCR recognizes text and layout in images and PDFs; it offers hosted API access as well as self-hosted inference, while marker emphasizes configurable conversion workflows.
marker: Convert Documents into Structured Text
Marker converts PDFs and other documents into Markdown, JSON, HTML, or chunks, preserving structure such as tables, equations, and images. It suits developers building document-processing workflows who can run its local models and inference backend.
GLM-OCR: Recognize Text and Structure in Documents
GLM-OCR is a multimodal OCR model and SDK for extracting text and layout from complex documents. Use it through a hosted API or deploy the pipeline with supported inference servers for local control.
| marker | GLM-OCR | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Python | Python |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Stars | 40.2k | 7.5k |
| Forks | 2.9k | 669 |
| Last analyzed | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 3, 2026 |
Key differences
- marker supports PDFs and additional formats including DOCX, XLSX, HTML, and EPUB with extra dependencies; GLM-OCR processes images and PDFs.
- marker can produce Markdown, JSON, HTML, or chunked output; GLM-OCR returns Markdown and JSON layout details.
- marker uses text-layer extraction, layout detection, OCR, and selective vision-language model use; GLM-OCR combines a compact vision-language model with layout analysis and parallel region recognition.
- marker offers local inference through options including vLLM or llama.cpp; GLM-OCR supports hosted MaaS and self-hosted inference with vLLM or SGLang, plus guides for Ollama and Apple Silicon.
- Both projects use Python and Apache-2.0 code licensing, but marker notes separate modified OpenRAIL-M terms for its model weights, while GLM-OCR identifies its model as MIT-licensed and its integrated PP-DocLayoutV3 component as Apache-2.0.
- marker has 40.2k stars and 2.9k forks; GLM-OCR has 7.5k stars and 669 forks.
Choose marker if you…
- need conversion across PDFs and other supported document formats into several output formats.
- want customizable processors or renderers and a local conversion workflow.
- need batch conversion, a Python API, or a small local API server.
Choose GLM-OCR if you…
- want a choice between hosted OCR access and self-hosted inference.
- need to process images and PDFs with structured Markdown or JSON results.
- want a CLI or Python SDK and modular components for a custom pipeline.
This comparison is generated with AI from the OSRepos analyses of both projects. Always check each project's repository and documentation before choosing.