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  1. Stackups
  2. Utilities
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  4. Pdf Tools
  5. OpenPDF vs PDFShift

OpenPDF vs PDFShift

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

OpenPDF
OpenPDF
Stacks3
Followers29
Votes0
GitHub Stars4.1K
Forks673
PDFShift
PDFShift
Stacks3
Followers8
Votes0

OpenPDF vs PDFShift: What are the differences?

## Introduction

1. **PDF Library Options**: OpenPDF is a free Java library that can create and manipulate PDF files, while PDFShift is a web service that converts HTML to PDF.
2. **Programming Language**: OpenPDF is written in Java, making it ideal for Java developers, whereas PDFShift can be used with any programming language that can perform HTTP requests.
3. **Real-time Conversion**: PDFShift offers real-time HTML to PDF conversion services, allowing users to instantly convert webpages to PDF files, while OpenPDF requires implementation and setup in the Java environment.
4. **Cloud-based Service**: PDFShift is a cloud-based service, eliminating the need for local installations and enabling easy accessibility from any platform or device, unlike OpenPDF, which requires local installation and configuration.
5. **Advanced Features**: PDFShift provides advanced customization options such as watermarking, password protection, and page size adjustments, providing a more comprehensive PDF conversion experience compared to OpenPDF.
6. **Scaling Capabilities**: PDFShift offers the ability to handle large-scale PDF conversions efficiently, making it suitable for high-volume conversion needs, while OpenPDF may require additional optimization for handling extensive conversion tasks.

In Summary, OpenPDF and PDFShift differ in terms of programming language compatibility, real-time conversion capabilities, service deployment methods, advanced features, and scaling capabilities.

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Advice on OpenPDF, PDFShift

Cesar
Cesar

Jun 24, 2020

Needs advice

Users are uploading huge PDF files of more than 100MB on our platform. We are creating several tools to manage those files, but keeping the raw file will eat up space, as we are handling several of them. After upload, they will be mainly keep stored for future use.

I am looking for a tool to compress and optimize those PDFs, like a library or an external API that can process that for us.

Thanks

20.8k views20.8k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

OpenPDF
OpenPDF
PDFShift
PDFShift

OpenPDF is a free Java library for creating and editing PDF files with a LGPL and MPL open source license. OpenPDF is based on a fork of iText.

It provides developers with a tool to convert their HTML documents to PDF with high-fidelity. Packages are available for Node.js, Python, and PHP and the API allows any programming languages to be used.

-
High-fidelity PDF;Compatible with CSS3 and web fonts;Easy and quick learning curve;PDF protection and encryption;PDF Watermarking;Fast and reliable
Statistics
GitHub Stars
4.1K
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Forks
673
GitHub Forks
-
Stacks
3
Stacks
3
Followers
29
Followers
8
Votes
0
Votes
0
Integrations
Java
Java
PHP
PHP
Ruby
Ruby
Java
Java
Python
Python
JavaScript
JavaScript
C#
C#
Golang
Golang
cURL
cURL

What are some alternatives to OpenPDF, PDFShift?

DocRaptor

DocRaptor

DocRaptor makes it easy to convert HTML to PDF and XLS format. Choose your document format, select configuration options and make an HTTP POST request to our server. DocRaptor returns your file in a matter of seconds. We provide extensive documentation and examples to get you started, and our API makes it easy to use DocRaptor to generate PDF and Excel files in your own web applications.

Pandoc

Pandoc

It is a free and open-source document converter, widely used as a writing tool and as a basis for publishing workflows. It converts files from one markup format into another. It can convert documents in (several dialects of) Markdown, reStructuredText, textile, HTML, DocBook, LaTeX, MediaWiki markup, TWiki and many more.

AllInOneTools

AllInOneTools

AllInOneTools is a lightweight, developer-focused web platform that provides utilities for PDF processing, image optimization, text manipulation, SEO analysis, and Google AdSense workflows. It is designed for developers, indie hackers, and website owners who need fast, browser-based tools to support development, optimization, and monetization tasks. The platform emphasizes performance, privacy-friendly processing, and zero-installation workflows for modern web projects.

Inkfluence AI

Inkfluence AI

Plan, write, and publish books, PDF guides, workbooks, and audiobooks with AI workflows. Customize branding and export instantly.

DocXtract

DocXtract

AI-powered OCR and document extraction API converts documents to structured JSON in seconds. 98%+ accuracy for invoices, Aadhaar, PAN, salary slips & 20+ document types. Pay per page.

PDFGate

PDFGate

PDFGate is a developer-focused PDF API for generating and managing PDFs from applications. It supports HTML-to-PDF conversion, fillable PDF form fields, and a growing set of PDF utilities designed for backend workflows. The API is built for reliability and precision, making it suitable for invoices, contracts, reports, and other transactional documents. PDFGate emphasizes modern API design, predictable rendering, and features often missing from simpler HTML-to-PDF services, such as native support for interactive form fields. It is designed for teams that need more than basic PDF generation, with a roadmap that includes digital signatures, SDKs, and additional PDF processing endpoints.

Cipher Tools Hub

Cipher Tools Hub

Free online tools and developer APIs for PDF processing, image optimization, data formatting, and security tasks

TemplateFox

TemplateFox

Generate professional PDFs from HTML templates via API. Create invoices, reports, certificates and more with our fast, reliable PDF generation service.

ReelScribe — AI Transcription

ReelScribe — AI Transcription

Transcribe videos and audio to text instantly with ReelScribe – the fast, accurate, and unlimited AI transcription tool. Convert MP4, MP3, or any video to text and subtitles in 145+ languages. 99.8% accuracy. Download transcripts as DOCX, PDF, TXT, or SRT.

Shared with VideoCompress

Shared with VideoCompress

Fast, free, and easy-to-use video compressor with no watermark and no usage limits.Reduce file size without losing quality for MP4, MOV, AVI, and more.

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