Stirling PDF vs PDF24 Creator
Both are alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Pro. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Stirling PDF
TOP PICKA complete PDF toolbox on your own server — 50+ tools, MIT core.
The fastest-growing PDF project on GitHub (87k+ stars): one Docker container serving merge, split, edit, convert, OCR, redact, and sign to any browser on your network. Your documents never leave hardware you control — which for contracts and financial papers is the entire argument. Core is MIT; some enterprise/SaaS modules carry separate terms.
PDF24 Creator
The widest genuinely-free toolset — desktop and browser, no signup.
Geek Software's PDF24 is free for personal AND business use: a Windows desktop app that works fully offline plus browser tools for everything else — merge, compress, convert, OCR, sign. The trade: closed-source, Windows-centric on desktop, and the web version is ad-supported rather than paywalled.
Side by side
| Stirling PDF | PDF24 Creator | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 90 | 55 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT (core; enterprise modules separate) | Proprietary freeware |
| Pricing | Free (MIT core) — self-host via Docker; optional paid enterprise tiers | Free for personal and business use; ad-supported online tools |
Stirling PDF is Macrostack's recommended Adobe Acrobat Pro alternative, so it's our pick here.
Stirling PDF
Strengths
- +50+ PDF tools in one self-hosted app
- +Documents are processed on your hardware — nothing uploads
- +87k+ GitHub stars and a fast release pace
Trade-offs
- −Needs Docker or a small server
- −Browser-based editing is lighter than desktop Acrobat for heavy layout work
- −Enterprise modules sit outside the MIT core
PDF24 Creator
Strengths
- +Genuinely free, including business use
- +Desktop app works fully offline
- +Covers nearly every everyday PDF task
Trade-offs
- −Windows-only on desktop
- −Closed-source
- −Web tools are ad-supported
More Adobe Acrobat Pro head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-19. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.