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PDFSharp VS Apache PDFBox

Compare PDFSharp VS Apache PDFBox and see what are their differences

PDFSharp logo PDFSharp

Office & Productivity and Development

Apache PDFBox logo Apache PDFBox

The Apache PDFBoxโ„ข library is an open source Java tool for working with PDF documents.
  • PDFSharp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-05
  • Apache PDFBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14

PDFSharp features and specs

  • Open Source
    PDFSharp is open source, allowing developers to use, modify, and contribute to the library freely.
  • No External Dependencies
    The library does not require any external dependencies or proprietary software, making it easy to integrate into projects.
  • Cross-Platform
    Supports multiple platforms, allowing it to run on Windows, Linux, and macOS without significant changes.
  • Document Creation
    Provides robust capabilities for creating PDFs from scratch, with support for various content types like text, images, and shapes.
  • Active Community
    Has an engaged user community and a good number of resources available online for learning and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of PDFSharp

  • Limited Editing Capabilities
    PDFSharp excels at creating PDFs but has limited functionality when it comes to editing existing PDF files.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report performance bottlenecks when dealing with very large PDF files due to its memory usage.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Does not support advanced PDF features like interactive forms, digital signatures, or encryption as extensively as some other libraries.
  • Sparse Documentation
    While basic documentation is available, more in-depth examples and advanced use cases might require additional research.

Apache PDFBox features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache PDFBox is a completely open-source library, which means it's free to use and the source code is available for customization.
  • Comprehensive Features
    PDFBox provides a wide range of features, including PDF creation, manipulation, rendering, and extraction of text and images, making it versatile for PDF handling.
  • Java-Based
    Written in Java, it integrates well with Java applications and takes advantage of Java's portability across different platforms.
  • Active Community
    It benefits from an active community and ongoing support from Apache, ensuring regular updates and a wealth of shared knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Apache PDFBox

  • Performance Limitations
    Handling very large PDF documents can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting performance.
  • Learning Curve
    The library can be complex for new users due to its extensive feature set and lack of detailed beginner-friendly documentation.
  • Java Dependency
    Being Java-based, it might not be suitable for projects using different programming languages unless interoperability bridges are used.
  • Limited GUI Support
    PDFBox focuses primarily on backend processes and provides limited support for GUI operations, potentially requiring additional libraries for visual PDF modifications.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PDFSharp and Apache PDFBox)
PDF Tools
36 36%
64% 64
PDF Editor
49 49%
51% 51
HTML To PDF
17 17%
83% 83
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare PDFSharp and Apache PDFBox

PDFSharp Reviews

2024 Best C#/ .NET PDF Library for Developers
PDFSharp is an open source .NET library that easily processes PDF documents under Windows, Linux, Mac, and all other .NET platforms. It supports most fundamental PDF features, such as creating new PDF documents, and modifying, merging, and splitting existing PDF files. With it, developers can use just one source code for drawing on a PDF page as well as in a window or on the...
Source: www.compdf.com

Apache PDFBox Reviews

Best BFO Java PDF Library Alternatives (2024) for your project
Apache PDFBox is a powerful Java package that enables developers to easily create, edit, and extract content from PDF documents. This is made possible by Apache PDFBox. Because it is open-source and because it has a comprehensive feature set, it is a formidable competitor among PDF libraries. PDFBox is a flexible option for manipulating PDF files due to its support for a...

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PDFSharp and Apache PDFBox, you can also consider the following products

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

PDFJet - PDFJet is a mobile and cloud PDF Library for Java and .NETย to generate PDF documents.

Aspose.PDF for Java - Aspose.Pdf is a Java PDF component to create PDF documents without using https://alternativeto.

PDF Clown - PDF Clown is an open-source general-purpose library for manipulating PDF documents through multiple abstraction layers, rigorously adhering to PDF 1.7 Specification

IronPDF - SDK for creating and editing PDFs.

Aspose.Pdf for Cloud - Aspose.Pdf for Cloud is a REST API to create, edit & manipulate PDF files.