OCR for Dolibarr: stop typing supplier invoices by hand

A supplier invoice arrives as a PDF, and the numbers inside it still have to be typed into Dolibarr by hand: supplier, tax ID, date, lines, tax breakdown, totals. Core Dolibarr keeps the file but does not read it, so the typing is yours. Easy OCR is a module from EasySoft Tech S.L. that reads the PDF and pre-fills Dolibarr's supplier invoice form, so a person only checks and confirms.

Does Dolibarr read supplier invoices by itself?

No. Core Dolibarr stores the PDF of a supplier invoice as an attached document, and you enter the supplier, invoice number, date, lines and tax breakdown yourself. The file is kept; the data inside it is not extracted.

That gap is where the weekly work lives. A bookkeeper with dozens of supplier invoices a month retypes the same fields again and again, from layouts that change with every supplier, and every figure has to match the PDF.

OCR closes that gap: the module reads the document, proposes the values, and a person confirms them in Dolibarr.

What "OCR" means here

OCR stands for optical character recognition: turning the image of a page into text a program can work with. The useful part is not the raw text but the mapping: knowing which value is the invoice number, which column is a line, and which figure is the tax total.

What Easy OCR does with a supplier invoice

You upload the PDF or a scan of the invoice. The module extracts the supplier, the tax ID or VAT number, the invoice number and date, the lines, the tax breakdown and the totals.

Those values pre-fill Dolibarr's native supplier invoice form. You compare them with the PDF on screen, correct what needs correcting, and validate. The invoice is created as an ordinary supplier invoice, with the PDF attached.

No spreadsheet in between, and no file to import.

Native, not bolted on

The module works with Dolibarr's own third-party records and supplier invoice screens. A supplier it has not seen can be created from the invoice; one you already have is matched to the existing record.

It is available in 8 languages, and EasySoft Tech S.L. states it is compatible with Dolibarr v16 to v23.

Classic mode and AI mode

Both modes end in the same place: a Dolibarr supplier invoice you have reviewed. They differ in how the document is understood.

Classic mode: select the fields once per supplier

Classic mode is included and free, and it runs inside your own Dolibarr. The module renders the PDF in the browser with PDF.js, and you draw a rectangle over each piece of data you want: supplier name in the header, invoice number beside it, total at the bottom. Those rectangles are saved as a template for that supplier, so later invoices from the same supplier are read the same way without drawing anything again.

It keeps a history of processed invoices and needs no external service for the basic flow.

AI mode: the whole invoice, no setup per supplier

AI mode reads the whole document automatically, including varied or scanned layouts, without configuring anything per supplier. There is no template to draw for each new layout.

Documents are processed over HTTPS on servers in the European Union and are not stored there. A free plan of 10 pages per month lets you test it; paid plans cover higher volume.

Which mode do I need?

Look at your supplier list before you look at the feature list.

• Few suppliers, stable layouts. Classic mode covers it, at no cost, inside your installation.
• Many suppliers, or layouts that change. AI mode removes the per-supplier setup needed before the first invoice is read.
• Scans and photos rather than generated PDFs. This is where a fixed template struggles most, and where automatic reading earns its place.

The two are not exclusive: AI mode for the long tail, classic templates where a layout is stable and volume is high.

What happens to my documents?

In classic mode, the PDF is rendered and read inside your own Dolibarr installation; that flow does not send the document to an external service.

In AI mode, the document is sent over HTTPS to servers in the European Union and is not stored. That is the vendor's stated handling of the service; if your organisation has rules about where documents may be processed, check them before turning AI mode on.

Either way, the PDF ends up attached to the invoice in Dolibarr, where your team already looks for it.

What it does not do

OCR is not perfect, and the module does not claim otherwise.

• Bad scans, unusual layouts, handwritten notes and multi-page annexes are where reading fails or returns something close but wrong.
• You always review before validating. The form is filled for you; the decision to accept it is not.
• It does not decide the accounting entry, choose the expense account, or replace the person who checks the invoice.
• It does not read your mailbox. You upload the document; the module does not fetch it.

How do I start?

Pick one supplier you invoice every month with a stable layout. Process a few invoices in classic mode, draw the fields, and compare what the module proposes with what you would have typed. When it reads correctly, add the next supplier.

If your difficult invoices are the varied or scanned ones, use the free AI plan on those first: they tell you more about fit than the easy documents do.

There is also a free 10-step guide, written in Spanish, that walks through setup and the first templates: OCR for Dolibarr in 10 steps.

FAQ

Does Dolibarr have OCR built in? No. Core Dolibarr attaches the supplier invoice PDF and you enter the data yourself. Reading the document requires a module, and Easy OCR is one.

Do I need a template for every supplier? Only in classic mode, where you select the fields once per supplier and reuse the template. AI mode reads new layouts without one.

Can it read scanned invoices, not just digital PDFs? Yes. A clean scan reads better than a photo taken at an angle, and anything unclear still needs your review.

Does it fill the invoice directly in Dolibarr? It pre-fills Dolibarr's supplier invoice form, which you review and validate.

Read your next supplier invoice instead of typing it

EasySoft Tech S.L. publishes the Easy OCR page for Dolibarr, which describes the module and its two modes; the page is in Spanish. If you run Odoo Community instead of Dolibarr, the OCR for Odoo Community article covers the same idea on that platform.