# Docling

MIT-licensed, 64.7k GitHub stars, IBM Research-originated, now under LF AI & Data Foundation. Docling is free, with no paid plan attached, at github.com.

## Facts

- **Pricing tier:** Free
- **Works on:** Self-hosted, CLI, API
- **Works in browser:** No

## Capabilities

- MIT-licensed, 64.7k GitHub stars, IBM Research-originated, now under LF AI & Data Foundation
- Advanced PDF layout + table structure recognition, local execution
- Exports to Markdown/HTML/JSON, integrates with LangChain/LlamaIndex

## FAQ

### What is Docling?

Docling is listed under AI OCR & Document Extraction, in the Research & Learning category on Flocci AI Tools. MIT-licensed, 64.7k GitHub stars, IBM Research-originated, now under LF AI & Data Foundation. It is free, with no paid plan attached, and it lives at github.com.

### Is Docling free?

Docling is listed as fully free — there is no paid tier attached to it in the catalog. That makes it one of the 396 entries on Flocci AI Tools with no upgrade path built in.

### Can I use Docling in a browser, or is there an app?

Docling needs to be installed or self-hosted — it doesn't run in a browser tab. It is available on self-hosting, the command line and an API.

### What can Docling do?

Docling does 3 things the catalog singles out: Mit-licensed, 64.7k github stars, ibm research-originated, now under lf ai & data foundation; advanced pdf layout + table structure recognition, local execution; exports to markdown/html/json, integrates with langchain/llamaindex.

### What is the best free alternative to Docling?

dots.ocr (dots.mocr) is the closest free alternative: it sits in the same AI OCR & Document Extraction sub-category and is free. LangExtract (Google), MinerU and olmOCR also start free. The full list is on the alternatives page.

## Related

- [Docling alternatives](https://aitools.flocci.in/alternatives/docling)
- [AI OCR & Document Extraction](https://aitools.flocci.in/category/research-learning/ai-ocr-document-extraction)
- [Best free AI OCR and document extraction tools](https://aitools.flocci.in/best/best-ai-ocr-document-extraction)
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Source: Flocci AI Tools — https://aitools.flocci.in/tool/docling

Facts last verified: October 2026