AirLLM vs Docling

A side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and characteristics.

AirLLM

Open-source Python library that runs very large language models on low-memory GPUs by streaming model layers one at a time.

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Docling

Docling is an open-source library by IBM Research that efficiently converts PDF and other document formats into Markdown or JSON.

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AttributeAirLLMDocling
Pricing typeFreeFree
Korean supportNoNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, CUDA-enabled NVIDIA GPUs, Apple SiliconPython Library, CLI, Docker
Open sourceYesYes
API available-Available
SDK-Available
LLM-based--
Multimodal--
AI modelLlama, Qwen, DeepSeek, Mistral, Mixtral, Phi, GemmaDocling Layout Model, TableFormer
GitHub Stars33.8K66.0K
VendorAnima AI LLCIBM Research
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDeveloper Tools
DetailsView View

AirLLM key features

  • Reducing GPU memory usage through layer-wise model streaming
  • Supporting inference of 70B-class models on a single 4GB GPU
  • AutoModel interface based on Hugging Face model IDs
  • 4-bit and 8-bit block-wise model compression
  • Supporting CPU inference and Apple Silicon macOS
  • Supporting various model families including Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, and Mistral

Docling key features

  • Multi-format support (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, HTML)
  • Advanced table structure recognition
  • Lightweight local AI models
  • Markdown and JSON output
  • Integrated OCR support
  • Metadata and hierarchy preservation