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iText VS PDFluent SDK

Compare iText VS PDFluent SDK and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

iText logo iText

iText is an intuitive and refined text editor with word processing completely rewritten in Cocoa...

PDFluent SDK logo PDFluent SDK

Pure Rust PDF SDK โ€“ zero C deps, 2.5MB brotli WASM, tested on 50k PDFs.
  • iText Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-04
  • PDFluent SDK Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-08-28

PDFluent is a PDF SDK built on a pure Rust core (48 crates, zero C or C++ dependencies). This means no native library to link and a single dependency to vendor. The Rust core is reached from Python, .NET, Java and Node.js through native bindings, and is compiled to WebAssembly for the browser (2.5 MB brotli-compressed over the wire).

You can integrate PDFluent from Rust, Python, .NET, Java, and Node.js, with packages published on crates.io, PyPI, NuGet, Maven Central, and npm. The SDK covers the full spectrum of PDF operations:

  • Rendering, text and image extraction
  • AcroForm forms and PAdES digital signatures
  • PDF/A conversion and validation, redaction, OCR
  • Document manipulation: merge, split, watermark, compress
  • XFA form rendering and flattening (experimental)

PDFluent has been tested on 50,000 real PDFs with zero crashes. In a rendering fidelity benchmark of 5,000 PDFs, 94% achieved SSIM 0.95 or better against the reference renderer mutool.

Run the SDK with no licence key at all and you get every feature plus a Producer watermark on output. Take the 30-day evaluation, no credit card required, and the watermark is gone for those 30 days. Buy a perpetual licence (paid once from EUR 699 โ€“ no subscription) and it stays gone.

A companion desktop editor for macOS and Windows is free for everyone, including commercial use. It runs entirely on the device, requires no account, and sends no telemetry. The company behind PDFluent is Innovation Trigger B.V., based in the Netherlands.

iText

Website
jp-lightway.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Edit details

PDFluent SDK

Website
pdfluent.com
Pricing URL
Official PDFluent SDK Pricing
$ Details
freemium โ‚ฌ699 / One-off (Start free for 30 days โ€” full SDK, no watermarks)
Platforms
Linux MacOS Windows Web Browser Online
Startup details
Country
Netherlands
Employees
1 - 9
Edit details

iText features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    iText is compatible with multiple operating systems, allowing users to work on various platforms without issues.
  • Basic Text Editing
    Offers fundamental text editing features that meet the needs of users who require a straightforward text editor.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    iText provides a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to navigate and utilize its features.
  • Lightweight Application
    Due to its lightweight design, iText runs efficiently without consuming excessive system resources.

Possible disadvantages of iText

  • Limited Advanced Features
    iText lacks many advanced text editing features found in more comprehensive word processors, which may not satisfy all users' needs.
  • Basic Formatting Options
    The application offers minimal formatting tools, limiting the ability to customize text styling beyond basic options.
  • Minimal Support for Collaboration
    iText does not offer robust features for multiple users to collaborate on documents simultaneously.
  • Outdated User Experience
    The interface and functionality might appear outdated in comparison to modern text editors, potentially detracting from the overall user experience.

PDFluent SDK features and specs

  • Engine
    Pure Rust core, 48 crates, no C or C++ dependencies
  • Language surfaces
    Rust, Python, .NET, Java, Node.js, WebAssembly
  • Distribution
    crates.io, PyPI, npm, NuGet, Maven Central
  • WebAssembly build
    2.5MB brotli-compressed, runs in the browser
  • Licence
    Perpetual, paid once from EUR 699, no subscription
  • Evaluation
    30 days, no credit card required
  • Unlicensed output marking
    Adds Producer watermark to output, all features enabled
  • Stability test
    Zero crashes on 50,000 real PDFs
  • Rendering quality
    94% of 5,000 PDFs at SSIM 0.95+ vs mutool
  • Document operations
    Rendering, text and image extraction, forms, redaction, OCR, merge, split, watermark, compress
  • Standards & compliance
    PAdES digital signatures, PDF/A conversion and validation
  • XFA support
    Renders and flattens legacy XFA forms, experimental
  • Desktop editor
    Free for macOS and Windows, commercial use, runs entirely on device

iText videos

+ Add

[Review] iText Review Advanced Text Viwer with CMD

More videos:

  • Review - iText DITO Editor overview
  • Review - DSF (2020): iText DITO: How New Ocean Health Solutions Creates More Appealing PDFs for Less Money

PDFluent SDK videos

No PDFluent SDK videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iText and PDFluent SDK)

iText

PDFluent SDK

PDF Tools
81 81%
PDF Tools
19% 19
HTML To PDF
0 0%
HTML To PDF
100% 100
PDF Conversion API
70 70%
PDF Conversion API
30% 30
Office & Productivity
100 100%
Office & Productivity
0% 0

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing iText and PDFluent SDK.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

PDFluent SDK's answer:

This fits developers who need to process real-world PDFs that include XFA forms - often from government or banking sources - and want a single SDK that works consistently across Python, Node.js, Java, C, Rust, and WebAssembly without managing native binaries for each platform.

What makes your product unique?

PDFluent SDK's answer:

PDFluent SDK parses XFA, a 1,000-page specification that almost every modern PDF library ignores. It evaluates FormCalc scripts and flattens XFA forms to standard PDF, validated against an internal corpus of 1,150 enterprise documents including US, Canadian, IRS, GSA, and VA government forms plus banking documents. XFA support is experimental and has no published fidelity claim.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

PDFluent SDK's answer:

Because the SDK is pure Rust with no C or C++ dependencies, there is no FFI boundary inside the engine, no C++ exceptions to catch, and no platform binary to ship per OS. This eliminates the deployment complexity of dragging in a full PDFium build.

What's the story behind your product?

PDFluent SDK's answer:

The team got tired of PDF libraries that crashed on real-world documents, ignored XFA entirely, or shipped 80 MB of C++ just to read a form field. They started building a parser in Rust from scratch, then added an XFA engine, a renderer, and a PDF/A converter. The company is Innovation Trigger B.V., based in the Netherlands.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

PDFluent SDK's answer:

PDFluent is built in pure Rust with no C or C++ dependencies. It provides bindings via PyO3 for Python, napi-rs for Node.js, JNI for Java, a cdylib header for C, native Rust, and WebAssembly (2.5 MB brotli-compressed). The same engine runs across all surfaces.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare iText and PDFluent SDK

iText Reviews

Best BFO Java PDF Library Alternatives (2024) for your project
iText has established itself as a robust PDF library that encompasses the whole range of PDF manipulation, ranging from the production of documents to the extraction of complex text. Because of its adaptability and user-friendliness, it has garnered a lot of attention from software developers.
Source: www.compsmag.com
PDF Reports: The Ultimate Guide
iText, a Java-based library, offers extensive support for PDF manipulation and generation as well as low-level control over PDF content. Creating and editing PDF documents can be easier than most, but pricing can sometimes get in the way.
Source: unidoc.io

PDFluent SDK Reviews

We have no reviews of PDFluent SDK yet.
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing iText and PDFluent SDK, you can also consider the following products

PSPDFKit - PSPDFKit is the best framework for working with PDF files. Our SDK provides first-rate PDF solutions for your application with features like annotating, signing, and form filling. We power successful projects for businesses across the globe.

Apryse - Integrate document processing capabilities into any software applications. Generate, convert, view, edit, and sign pdf and documents easily.

iTextPDF - iText offers flexible tools for PDF creation, editing and inspection.

Adobe - Creativity doesnโ€™t just open doors.

Qoppa jPDFFields - Use jPDFFields Java PDF SDK to work with interactive PDF forms in both AcroForm and XFA formats.

Foxit PDF SDK - Foxit is the leading PDF SDK distributor for Desktop, Mobile & Web applications. We provide the best UX on all major platforms, including iOS, Android and Windows, with our PDF libraries

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