Stirling PDF
Top pickA complete PDF toolbox on your own server — 50+ tools, MIT core.
90
sovereigntyThe 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.
OPEN SOURCEMIT (core; enterprise modules separate)SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
LicenseMIT (core; enterprise modules separate)
PricingFree (MIT core) — self-host via Docker; optional paid enterprise tiers
Open sourceYes
Self-hostableYes
Local-first dataYes
What it does well
- +50+ PDF tools in one self-hosted app
- +Documents are processed on your hardware — nothing uploads
- +87k+ GitHub stars and a fast release pace
Where it falls short
- −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
Stirling PDF as an alternative to
Where Stirling PDF shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
Stirling PDF head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.