Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

html2text VS HTMLAsText

Compare html2text VS HTMLAsText and see what are their differences

html2text logo html2text

html2text is a command line utility, written in C++, that converts HTML documents into plain text.

HTMLAsText logo HTMLAsText

convert HTML documents to simple text files, by removing all HTML tags and formatting the text according to your preferences.
  • html2text Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-24
  • HTMLAsText Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-15

html2text features and specs

  • Preservation of Content Structure
    html2text retains the logical structure of HTML documents, converting them into plain text while preserving headings, lists, and emphasis, making the text easier to read and understand.
  • Compatibility
    The tool is compatible with various systems and can be easily integrated into workflows, as it is available as a standalone tool and a Python package.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source tool, html2text allows developers to modify and improve the code according to their needs, fostering community contributions and transparency.
  • Ease of Use
    html2text provides a simple and straightforward interface for converting HTML to text, requiring minimal setup and configuration, which makes it accessible to users of different skill levels.

Possible disadvantages of html2text

  • Limited Formatting
    While it preserves the overall structure, html2text does not retain complex styles and formatting found in HTML, which may lead to loss of visual appeal and usability for documents relying on intricate layouts.
  • Performance
    For very large HTML files, the performance of html2text can be suboptimal, leading to slower processing times compared to some more optimized tools.
  • Dependency on Python
    The tool requires a Python environment, which might add additional steps for users who do not already have Python installed or who are operating in environments where installing Python is not feasible.

HTMLAsText features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis of html2text

Overall verdict

  • html2text is a mature, reliable command-line utility and Python library that converts HTML into clean, readable Markdown or plain text. Originally created by Aaron Swartz and now maintained by Alir3z4 (with the mbayer.de reference pointing to the same lineage of tools), it remains a solid, well-tested choice for straightforward HTML-to-text conversion tasks.

Why this product is good

  • Free and open source with a permissive license
  • Produces clean, readable Markdown-formatted output rather than just stripped text
  • Available both as a command-line tool and an importable Python library
  • Highly configurable with numerous options for controlling links, images, line wrapping, and formatting
  • Lightweight with minimal dependencies, making it easy to integrate into scripts and pipelines
  • Mature and stable codebase with a long history and active community maintenance

Recommended for

  • Developers who need to convert HTML content into Markdown or plain text programmatically
  • Data processing and web scraping pipelines that require readable text extraction
  • Content migration projects moving from HTML-based systems to Markdown
  • Automated documentation and email-to-text conversion workflows
  • Python projects needing a lightweight, dependency-light HTML conversion library
  • Users comfortable with command-line tools for batch HTML processing

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to html2text and HTMLAsText)
HTML To PDF
50 50%
50% 50
PDF Conversion API
50 50%
50% 50
PDF Tools
50 50%
50% 50
PDF Creator
50 50%
50% 50

User comments

Share your experience with using html2text and HTMLAsText. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

What are some alternatives?

When comparing html2text and HTMLAsText, you can also consider the following products

WizBrother html2text - This tool can convert your .html files to .txt, quickly. Batch convert Quickly

HTMLPDF - Convert HTML web pages to PDF files. No installation, no registration, its free and easy to use.

wkhtmltopdf - wkhtmltopdf is an open source (LGPL) command line tools to render HTML into PDF and various image...

PDF my URL - PDFmyURL turns any webpage or even complete website into PDF. Use our rest API in PHP, .NET, Ruby, Perl or any other programming language. Or convert webpages or even full websites directly in the browser!

WEB To PDF - *Save your favorite web content to PDF and view it anytime, anywhere*

Web2PDF - Easily convert web pages to a PDF using this web-based online tool.