--- title: "opendataloader-pdf vs PDFMathTranslate" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf-vs-pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate" tools: ["opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf", "pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate"] --- # opendataloader-pdf vs PDFMathTranslate *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 2026* ## Verdict Pick opendataloader-pdf if opendataloader-pdf is an open-source PDF parsing library in Java that transforms PDFs into AI-ready data by supporting OCR recognition, bounding box generation, and table extraction; pick PDFMathTranslate if a specialized PDF translation tool for scientific papers that maintains original formatting, supporting multilingual translations via multiple services. [opendataloader-pdf](https://opendataloader.org) reports 29k GitHub stars, 2.7k forks, and 82 open issues, last pushed Aug 18, 2026. [PDFMathTranslate](https://pdf2zh.com) has 36k stars, 3.2k forks, and 147 open issues, last pushed Aug 25, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [opendataloader-pdf's repository](https://github.com/opendataloader-project/opendataloader-pdf) and [PDFMathTranslate's repository](https://github.com/PDFMathTranslate/PDFMathTranslate). | | [opendataloader-pdf](/tools/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf.md) | [PDFMathTranslate](/tools/pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | PDF Parser for AI-ready data | PDF scientific paper translation with preserved formats | | Stars | 28,528 | 36,353 | | Forks | 2,724 | 3,244 | | Open issues | 82 | 147 | | Language | Java | Python | | Adopt for | Opendataloader-pdf is an open-source PDF parsing library in Java that transforms PDFs into AI-ready data by supporting OCR recognition, bounding box generation, and table extraction. | A specialized PDF translation tool for scientific papers that maintains original formatting, supporting multilingual translations via multiple services. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Opendataloader-pdf uses Apache License 2.0, making it a fully permissive license that allows easy integration into commercial projects without copyleft obligations. Prior to version 2.0, the tool was | AGPL-3.0 | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Model Training | Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [opendataloader-pdf](/tools/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf.md) | [PDFMathTranslate](/tools/pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 82 | 147 | | Stars delta | +1.1k (30d) | +559 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: opendataloader-pdf - **Adopt for:** Opendataloader-pdf is an open-source PDF parsing library in Java that transforms PDFs into AI-ready data by supporting OCR recognition, bounding box generation, and table extraction. - **License detail:** Opendataloader-pdf uses Apache License 2.0, making it a fully permissive license that allows easy integration into commercial projects without copyleft obligations. Prior to version 2.0, the tool was ## Decision facts: PDFMathTranslate - **Adopt for:** A specialized PDF translation tool for scientific papers that maintains original formatting, supporting multilingual translations via multiple services. ## Choose when ### Choose opendataloader-pdf if… - opendataloader-pdf is primarily Java; PDFMathTranslate is Python. - License: opendataloader-pdf is Apache-2.0, PDFMathTranslate is AGPL-3.0. - Tags unique to opendataloader-pdf: a11y, accessibility, ai, bounding-box. - Also covers Model Training. - - **You require precise control:** Opendataloader-pdf offers detailed features such as bounding box generation and table extraction, which can be crucial when you need precise data positioning from un ### Choose PDFMathTranslate if… - PDFMathTranslate is primarily Python; opendataloader-pdf is Java. - License: PDFMathTranslate is AGPL-3.0, opendataloader-pdf is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to PDFMathTranslate: chinese, document, edit, english. - Also covers Developer Tools. - PDFMathTranslate ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - You need to translate scientific papers in PDF format while preserving complex mathematical notation and layout integrity. ## When NOT to use opendataloader-pdf - - **Non-Java Environment:** Since the tool is primarily developed in Java, it might not be suitable if your primary development environment or application is built around another language. ## When NOT to use PDFMathTranslate - Your use case does not involve translating PDF documents with specific formatting preservation needs such as mathematical equations. - You require a solution that exclusively uses one type of license, incompatible with AGPL-3.0 licensing. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between opendataloader-pdf and PDFMathTranslate? opendataloader-pdf: PDF Parser for AI-ready data. PDFMathTranslate: PDF scientific paper translation with preserved formats. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose opendataloader-pdf over PDFMathTranslate? Choose opendataloader-pdf over PDFMathTranslate when opendataloader-pdf is primarily Java; PDFMathTranslate is Python; License: opendataloader-pdf is Apache-2.0, PDFMathTranslate is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to opendataloader-pdf: a11y, accessibility, ai, bounding-box; Also covers Model Training; - **You require precise control:** Opendataloader-pdf offers detailed features such as bounding box generation and table extraction, which can be crucial when you need precise data positioning from un. ### When should I choose PDFMathTranslate over opendataloader-pdf? Choose PDFMathTranslate over opendataloader-pdf when PDFMathTranslate is primarily Python; opendataloader-pdf is Java; License: PDFMathTranslate is AGPL-3.0, opendataloader-pdf is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to PDFMathTranslate: chinese, document, edit, english; Also covers Developer Tools; PDFMathTranslate ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; You need to translate scientific papers in PDF format while preserving complex mathematical notation and layout integrity. ### When should I avoid opendataloader-pdf? - **Non-Java Environment:** Since the tool is primarily developed in Java, it might not be suitable if your primary development environment or application is built around another language. ### When should I avoid PDFMathTranslate? Your use case does not involve translating PDF documents with specific formatting preservation needs such as mathematical equations. You require a solution that exclusively uses one type of license, incompatible with AGPL-3.0 licensing. ### Is opendataloader-pdf or PDFMathTranslate more popular on GitHub? PDFMathTranslate has more GitHub stars (36,353 vs 28,528). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are opendataloader-pdf and PDFMathTranslate open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (opendataloader-pdf: Apache-2.0, PDFMathTranslate: AGPL-3.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to opendataloader-pdf or PDFMathTranslate? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [opendataloader-pdf alternatives](/tools/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf/alternatives) and [PDFMathTranslate alternatives](/tools/pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate/alternatives) ([opendataloader-pdf markdown twin](/tools/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf/alternatives.md), [PDFMathTranslate markdown twin](/tools/pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf-vs-pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, opendataloader-pdf or PDFMathTranslate? opendataloader-pdf: Very active. PDFMathTranslate: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for opendataloader-pdf and PDFMathTranslate? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [opendataloader-pdf trust report](/tools/opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf/trust); [PDFMathTranslate trust report](/tools/pdfmathtranslate-pdfmathtranslate/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=opendataloader-project-opendataloader-pdf) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_