Comprehensive Evaluation of Python Text Extraction Libraries in 2025: Which One Reigns Supreme?

Discover the latest insights from an in-depth benchmarking study comparing leading Python document processing tools.

In the constantly evolving landscape of Python-based document processing, choosing the right text extraction library can significantly impact your project’s efficiency and reliability. In 2025, I undertook a detailed, data-driven analysis of four prominent Python libraries—Kreuzberg, Docling, MarkItDown, and Unstructured—to inform developers and researchers about their strengths and limitations.

Why Conduct This Benchmark?

As the creator of Kreuzberg, I aimed to provide an unbiased, transparent comparison of major text extraction frameworks. This extensive analysis encompasses 94 diverse real-world documents, including PDFs, Word files, HTML pages, images, and spreadsheets, totaling approximately 210MB of data. The goal was to evaluate not just speed but also robustness, resource consumption, and ease of deployment.

Libraries Under Review

• Kreuzberg: A lightweight, high-performance library designed for rapid extraction, boasting a community-driven open-source ecosystem. (Size: 71MB, 20 dependencies)
• Docling: Leveraging advanced Machine Learning models from IBM for deep document understanding, albeit with a hefty installation footprint. (Size: 1,032MB, 88 dependencies)
• MarkItDown: A specialized tool for converting Markdown and simple document formats, optimized for straightforward processing tasks. (Size: 251MB, 25 dependencies)
• Unstructured: An enterprise-grade solution capable of handling complex and diverse document types, widely used in business environments. (Size: 146MB, 54 dependencies)

Testing Methodology

The evaluation was meticulously designed to mirror real-world usage:

• Processing a wide array of document formats and sizes, from tiny (<100KB) to enormous (>50MB).
• Multilingual support, including English, Hebrew, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
• No GPU acceleration was used, ensuring a fair CPU-only comparison.
• Multiple metrics assessed: processing speed, memory footprint, success rate, and installation complexity.
• Automated benchmarking via CI/CD pipelines to ensure reproducibility and transparency.

Key Findings

Performance & Speed

• Kreuzberg outpaces all competitors with an astonishing rate of over 35 files per second, demonstrating exceptional capability across document types and sizes.
• Unstructured provides solid reliability with moderate processing speed.