PDFShift

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to PDFShift

A curated collection of the 5 best self hosted alternatives to PDFShift.

PDFShift is a hosted API that converts HTML or web pages into PDFs. Developers submit URLs or raw HTML and can configure headers/footers, page size and margins, authentication, and output options; generated PDFs are returned via a REST API.

Alternatives List

#1
Stirling PDF

Stirling PDF

Open-source PDF platform to edit, convert, OCR, sign, redact, and automate PDF workflows via a web UI and REST API.

Stirling PDF screenshot

Stirling PDF is an open-source PDF platform for editing, converting, and automating PDF workflows through a web interface and a private REST API. It provides a broad toolkit for common PDF operations while keeping documents within your own environment.

Key Features

  • 50+ PDF tools including merge, split, compress, convert, and manipulate PDFs
  • OCR, redaction, and signing tools for document processing workflows
  • Browser-based UI plus server deployment with API access for integrations
  • Automation and reusable workflows/pipelines to batch process documents
  • Enterprise-oriented capabilities such as SSO and auditing (availability may depend on edition)
  • Multi-language interface (40+ languages)

Use Cases

  • Internal PDF processing service for teams that cannot use third-party SaaS tools
  • Automating high-volume document conversions and transformations via REST API
  • Standardizing repeatable PDF workflows (e.g., OCR + compress + redact) for operations

Limitations and Considerations

  • The project is open-core; some enterprise features and offerings may require a paid plan

Stirling PDF fits individuals through enterprises needing a configurable PDF toolkit with both a UI and API. It is especially useful when privacy, compliance, or on-prem processing requirements prevent sending documents to external services.

73.1kstars
6.2kforks
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#2
ConvertX

ConvertX

ConvertX is a self-hosted web file converter supporting 1000+ formats across documents, images, audio/video, ebooks, and 3D assets, with multi-file processing and accounts.

ConvertX screenshot

ConvertX is a self-hosted, browser-based file conversion service that lets you upload files and convert them into many other formats. It provides an easy web UI while orchestrating multiple underlying converter tools for broad format coverage.

Key Features

  • Supports 1000+ conversion formats across documents, images, audio/video, ebooks, data files, and 3D assets
  • Batch processing to convert multiple files in one session
  • User accounts with optional registration control
  • Optional password protection and JWT-based authentication
  • Configurable conversion behavior, including FFmpeg input/output arguments and concurrency limits
  • Automatic deletion of older files on a configurable schedule

Use Cases

  • Internal tool for teams to convert office documents, media, and images without using third-party services
  • Media workflow utility for transcoding and rewrapping audio/video formats via FFmpeg
  • Converting ebooks and document formats (for example, EPUB/PDF/ODT/DOCX) for archiving and portability

Limitations and Considerations

  • Actual format support depends on the bundled converter tools available in the deployment image and their capabilities
  • Resource usage can be significant for large media conversions; concurrency limits and FFmpeg settings may be needed

ConvertX is well-suited for individuals and organizations that need broad file format conversion in a simple web app. It combines a modern TypeScript-based server with proven conversion utilities to cover a wide range of real-world conversion tasks.

15kstars
809forks
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#3
Gotenberg

Gotenberg

Gotenberg is a containerized HTTP API that converts HTML, Markdown, and Office documents to PDF using engines like Chromium and LibreOffice, with options to merge and automate outputs.

Gotenberg screenshot

Gotenberg is a developer-friendly, containerized HTTP API for converting many document formats into PDF and performing related PDF operations. It wraps proven conversion engines so you can run consistent document generation in any environment without installing complex dependencies.

Key Features

  • HTML and URL to PDF rendering via Chromium
  • Office document conversion (e.g., Word, Excel) to PDF via LibreOffice
  • Modular architecture with configurable modules and routes
  • Container-first distribution for reproducible deployments
  • PDF workflows such as conversion and merging
  • Asynchronous processing via webhooks, with configurable headers and HTTP methods

Use Cases

  • Generate invoices, reports, and other PDFs from HTML templates in backend services
  • Convert user-uploaded Office documents to PDFs in a microservice pipeline
  • Automated document generation/processing with webhook-based delivery to storage or downstream systems

Limitations and Considerations

  • Conversion fidelity depends on underlying engines (Chromium/LibreOffice) and document complexity
  • Rendering and conversion can be resource-intensive; capacity planning is important for high throughput

Gotenberg fits well as a stateless document conversion microservice in container-based stacks. Its API-driven approach and modular design make it practical for both simple PDF generation and more automated, asynchronous document workflows.

11kstars
726forks
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#4
BentoPDF

BentoPDF

Self-hostable, privacy-first PDF toolkit that runs fully in the browser for editing, merging, converting, and processing PDFs without server-side uploads.

BentoPDF screenshot

BentoPDF is a self-hostable PDF toolkit that runs entirely in the browser, enabling PDF editing, organization, conversion, and processing without uploading files to a server. It is designed for privacy-sensitive workflows where documents must remain on the user’s device.

Key Features

  • 100% client-side PDF processing for strong privacy (no server-side file handling required)
  • Large collection of PDF tools, including merge, split, rotate, extract, and page organization
  • In-browser PDF editor with annotations, highlights, comments, shapes, images, and search
  • Redaction tools for permanently removing sensitive content
  • Form workflows including creating fillable forms and filling forms (including XFA support)
  • Utilities such as watermarking, headers/footers, page numbers, metadata viewing, and PDF comparison
  • Optional image-processing capabilities (e.g., deskewing) using OpenCV

Use Cases

  • Internal self-hosted PDF utilities for teams handling confidential documents
  • Browser-based PDF editing and redaction for compliance-oriented environments
  • Converting and preparing documents (splitting, merging, watermarking) without file uploads

Limitations and Considerations

  • Performance depends on the user’s browser and device resources, especially for very large PDFs
  • Some advanced PDF operations may vary in fidelity depending on source document complexity

BentoPDF provides a comprehensive set of PDF tools while keeping document processing local to the user’s device. It is well-suited for organizations and individuals who want modern PDF workflows without relying on third-party cloud processing.

10.1kstars
761forks
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#5
Webarchive

Webarchive

Go-based self-hosted web archiver for personal/home use. Saves pages as PDF, captures HTTP headers, and stores single-file HTML. Provides a REST API and optional web UI.

Webarchive is a lightweight, Go-based web archiving service designed for personal or home-network use. It exposes a REST API and optional web UI to capture and store web pages in multiple formats for offline access and evidence preservation.

Key Features

  • Save pages in multiple formats: PDF, captured HTTP headers, and single-file HTML with embedded resources
  • REST API for adding pages, listing archives, retrieving page metadata, and downloading stored files
  • Built-in basic web UI (configurable via environment variables) and Docker Compose support for easy deployment
  • Configurable via environment variables (DB path, API address, UI options, PDF rendering settings)
  • PDF generation via an external wkhtmltopdf binary with configurable viewport, DPI, and print/media options
  • Local file storage with per-page result IDs and simple file retrieval endpoints

Use Cases

  • Personal archival of articles, issue threads, or documentation for offline reading and long-term reference
  • Creating PDF snapshots of web pages for records, reporting, or legal evidence
  • Capturing HTTP response headers and a single-file HTML version for debugging, change tracking, or lightweight backups

Limitations and Considerations

  • PDF export requires an external wkhtmltopdf binary available in PATH; PDF fidelity depends on that tool
  • No built-in authentication or multi-user controls; access control and multi-tenant use are not implemented yet
  • UI is minimal (single basic theme) and feature set is intentionally simple; advanced browsing/search features are limited
  • Storage backends are basic/local by default; SQL-backed or multi-storage options are listed as roadmap items and not yet available

Webarchive is suited for users who need a compact, API-driven archiver they can run locally. It focuses on reliability and simplicity rather than advanced multi-user features or full enterprise workflows.

176stars
3forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running