What it does
Sparrow reads business documents such as invoices, receipts, bank statements and forms, and turns them into structured data a computer can use. It uses machine learning and vision AI models that can read images.
Developers send documents through its API and get checked data back. It also supports workflow agents for multi-step jobs, and a web page where you can drag and drop files.
Its makers say it can run on your own infrastructure with no outside AI calls, using backends such as Apple's MLX or Ollama. An online version can also be tried.
Who it's for
Businesses and developers who need to automate data entry from documents.
Can I use it without coding?
Developers only. It's an API-first platform set up and used by developers, though it has a web interface. New to this? Start here.
Can I run it?
- Cost
- Free, with optional paid extrasThe open-source version is free; the makers also sell a hosted or pro version.
- Runs on
- Mac, Linux, Server, Cloud
- Computer
- Works best on a powerful computer or one with a graphics card (GPU)
- Privacy
- Your choice: run it on your device or use an online service
- API key
- Not needed
Try it
Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?
Before you install
- Only download from the official GitHub page. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
- License (GPL-3.0): Free to use; if you share a changed version, you must share your source code too.
- More on staying safe