MarkItDown vs 
Docling
MarkItDown vs Docling compared for 2026 — features, license, ease of use, performance and which one to choose. Turn any office document into clean Markdown vs IBM-grade document understanding.
Updated regularly · curated by olud.ai
MarkItDown vs Docling at a glance
| Spec | MarkItDown | Docling |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document AI & OCR | Document AI & OCR |
| Type | Document converter (Python CLI) | Document parsing toolkit |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Runs locally | Yes | Yes |
| Primary language | Python | Python |
| Ease of use | Beginner | Intermediate |
| Best for | anyone preparing office documents for RAG or a long-context prompt | teams building document pipelines for RAG |
| GitHub stars | 166.9k | 63.4k |
How MarkItDown and Docling score
| Criterion | MarkItDown | Docling |
|---|---|---|
| Popularity | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Maintenance | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Ease of use | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| Privacy | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| License freedom | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Scores are computed automatically from public signals — GitHub stars (popularity), recent commit activity (maintenance), license type (freedom), local-first design (privacy) and onboarding complexity (ease of use). Indicative, not a verdict.
What each one is
MarkItDown
MarkItDown is a Microsoft tool that converts PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images and audio into Markdown, so documents can be fed to a language model without the formatting noise that wastes tokens and confuses retrieval.
- One command for a dozen document formats
- Runs entirely locally: no document leaves your machine
- Maintained by Microsoft, with LangChain and AutoGen integrations
Docling
Docling parses PDFs, DOCX, PPTX and images into structured representations with layout, tables and reading order, designed to plug straight into RAG frameworks.
- Rich structured output: layout, tables, reading order
- First-class integrations with LangChain and LlamaIndex
- Backed by IBM Research, MIT-licensed
Key differences
MarkItDown is document converter (Python CLI), while Docling is document parsing toolkit. MarkItDown leans more beginner-friendly, whereas Docling is more suited to intermediate users. In short, MarkItDown fits anyone preparing office documents for RAG or a long-context prompt, and Docling fits teams building document pipelines for RAG.
Which should you choose?
Choose MarkItDown for anyone preparing office documents for RAG or a long-context prompt. Choose Docling for teams building document pipelines for RAG.
There is rarely one winner — many setups use both. The right pick depends on your hardware, your team's skills, and whether you value simplicity or control.
Frequently asked questions
Is MarkItDown or Docling easier to use?
MarkItDown is generally the easier of the two to get started with, while Docling rewards more setup with more control.
Are MarkItDown and Docling free?
MarkItDown is free and open source (MIT), and Docling is free and open source (MIT). Neither charges for the core software.
Can I run MarkItDown and Docling locally?
MarkItDown: yes · Docling: yes. Both can be used without sending your data to a third-party cloud where their setup allows.
MarkItDown vs Docling — which should I pick in 2026?
Choose MarkItDown for anyone preparing office documents for RAG or a long-context prompt. Choose Docling for teams building document pipelines for RAG.
People also compare
Explore more open-source AI
Browse thousands of open-source AI tools, models and projects — all curated in one place, updated daily.
Explore the directory →