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QPDF VS PDFtk

Compare QPDF VS PDFtk and see what are their differences

DocRaptor
As the only API powered by the Prince HTML-to-PDF engine, DocRaptor provides the best support for complex PDFs with powerful support for headers, page breaks, page numbers, flexbox, watermarks, accessible PDFs, and much more featured
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QPDF logo QPDF

QPDF is a command-line program that does structural, content-preserving transformations on PDF...

PDFtk logo PDFtk

PDFtk is a simple tool for doing everyday things with PDF documents.
  • QPDF Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-16
  • PDFtk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-28

QPDF features and specs

  • Open Source
    QPDF is an open-source project, allowing users to access, modify, and distribute the source code freely under the Apache License. This transparency can be an advantage for developers who need to integrate PDF features into their applications.
  • PDF Transformation
    QPDF offers robust functionality for transforming PDFs such as splitting, merging, and rotating, which can be crucial for users needing to manipulate PDF documents extensively.
  • Encryption and Decryption
    The tool provides strong support for encrypting and decrypting PDFs. This feature is valuable for users who need to protect sensitive information within PDF files.
  • Content Preservation
    QPDF focuses on retaining the original content and structure of a document even after transformations, ensuring that the integrity of the data is preserved.
  • Command-line Interface
    The tool's command-line interface makes it suitable for automated processing scripts and batch operations, which is helpful for advanced users and system administrators.

Possible disadvantages of QPDF

  • Complexity
    For users who are not familiar with command-line tools, QPDF can have a steep learning curve, making it less accessible to non-technical users.
  • Limited GUI
    QPDF lacks a graphical user interface, which may limit its usability for users who prefer visual interactions over command-line inputs.
  • Specific Use Case
    QPDF is mainly focused on serving developers and advanced users who need detailed PDF manipulations and may not provide the comprehensive feature set available in fully-fledged PDF editing applications.
  • Documentation Depth
    While QPDF provides documentation, it may not be exhaustive for all use cases, potentially requiring users to experiment or seek community assistance for complex tasks.
  • Dependency on Other Tools
    Certain transformations might require additional tools to perform tasks that go beyond QPDF’s capabilities, potentially complicating its use when a comprehensive solution is needed.

PDFtk features and specs

  • Versatility
    PDFtk provides a wide range of capabilities for manipulating PDF files, such as merging, splitting, encrypting, and decrypting, which make it highly versatile for various PDF tasks.
  • Command-line Interface
    PDFtk has a command-line interface, which allows for automated, scriptable PDF processing, ideal for integration into other systems and workflows.
  • Cross-Platform
    PDFtk is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it accessible for users across different platforms.
  • Cost
    It's available as a free and open-source tool, making it an economical choice for individuals and businesses looking to manage PDFs without incurring extra costs.
  • Simplicity
    PDFtk is straightforward to use for common PDF tasks, with clear functionality that doesn't require extensive learning or setup.

Possible disadvantages of PDFtk

  • Limited GUI
    While PDFtk offers powerful command-line tools, its graphical user interface is limited, which might be a disadvantage for users who prefer or need a visual interface.
  • Lack of Advanced Editing Features
    PDFtk lacks advanced editing capabilities found in some other PDF tools, such as text editing, annotation, and form creation, which may limit its usefulness for users needing these features.
  • Support and Documentation
    As an open-source tool, support may be limited compared to commercial solutions, and some users might find the available documentation insufficient for complex tasks.
  • Performance
    For very large PDF files or extensive batch operations, users might experience performance limitations compared to more robust, enterprise-level solutions.

Analysis of QPDF

Overall verdict

  • QPDF is considered a good tool, especially for users who need a robust solution for handling PDFs in a command-line environment. Its performance and range of features make it a reliable choice for technical users.

Why this product is good

  • QPDF is a powerful open-source command-line tool for manipulating PDF files. It is highly regarded for its ability to efficiently process and convert PDFs, offering features like linearization, encryption, decryption, and content extraction. Its open-source nature allows for transparency and customization, which appeals to developers and those concerned about software reliability and security.

Recommended for

  • Developers who require integration of PDF processing in their applications
  • System administrators who prefer command-line tools
  • Users needing to perform batch processing of PDFs
  • Security-conscious users who want an open-source PDF solution

QPDF videos

+ Add

qPDF

PDFtk videos

+ Add

PDFTK Builder - RedUSERS

More videos:

  • Review - Demo of PDFTK Builder.avi

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to QPDF and PDFtk)

QPDF

PDFtk

PDF Tools
55 55%
PDF Tools
45% 45
PDF Editor
61 61%
PDF Editor
39% 39
PDF Creator
58 58%
PDF Creator
42% 42
PDF
100 100%
PDF
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, QPDF seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

QPDF mentions (11)

  • Ask HN: What Underrated Open Source Project Deserves More Recognition?
    Qpdf[1], and, in particular, libqpdf, is the most useful PDF tool I've ever used, because it was the first library I found that works at the proper level of abstraction for dealing with the PDF file format on its own terms. In other words, the library directly exposes the essential PDF object structure (pages, dictionaries, strings, numbers, streams, etc.) for easy editing, while abstracting away as much of... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Insecure Features in PDFs
    Given how well Preview.app and Safari work for viewing >99% of PDFs I actually encounter in the wild, this article makes Apple's engineering decisions look good. It also confirms many suspicions I've had over the years that have led me to, e.g., running all PDFs from questionable sources through VirusTotal before viewing on platforms where I wouldn't normally run antivirus software. The original article also... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Jim Keller criticizes Nvidia CUDA, x86 – 'CUDA's a swamp, not a moat, like x86'
    I know you're talking about GUI editing, but I've found libqpdf[1] incredibly useful for making programmatic PDF edits with minimal (typically no) structural disturbance. [1] https://qpdf.sourceforge.io. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Is ExifCleaner still okay to use? No updates in over a year.
    Exiftool edits to PDFs are reversible. The file needs to be re-linearized by a utility such as qpdf. See the exiftool PDF tags page and exifcleaner issue #111. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there any Adobe Acrobat DC/Pro-like PDF reader application in Linux?
    Page organization => If you want a gui, you could use pdfshuffler or pdfsam, though I usually use command like tools like qpdf (or pdftk, stapler, pdfjam, or even ghostscript). Source: about 3 years ago
View more

PDFtk mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PDFtk yet. Tracking of PDFtk recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing QPDF and PDFtk, you can also consider the following products

PDFsam - PDFsam Basic, a free, open source, multi-platform software designed to split, merge, extract pages, mix and rotate PDF files

PDF Unshare - pdf unshare, pdf protection, protect, share, updf, prevent, Lock PDF, Encrypt PDF, PDF Access, Lock, PDF, Encrypt, Access

AutoMetadata - AutoMetadata is a tool for exploring and manipulating metadata, document properties, and viewer preferences in multiple PDF documents.

iSafePDF - iSafePDF is a free open source PDF protection software.

Pdfinfo - Pdfinfo is a PDF document information and metadata extractor tool.

PDFTK Builder - PDFTK Builder is a free graphical interface to for PDFTK, making it much easier to use.

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