# PDFelement vs Stirling-PDF

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Stirling-PDF

| Attribute | PDFelement | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 38.1 (55% (medium)) | 59 (67% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 94,282 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A desktop application for editing PDF documents, including text and image modifications, creating fillable forms, recognizing text in scanned pages, reorganizing and combining pages, converting between formats, reducing file sizes, and removing sensitive information. It is indexed under PDF Editors.","source":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/","question":"What is PDFelement?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PDFelement is a paid product; published pricing starts at $129.99. It is sold across 2 plans (PDFelement for Individuals and PDFelement for Team). There is no free tier. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/business/acrobat-reader-enterprise-pricing.html","question":"How much does PDFelement cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PDFelement supports Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/","question":"What platforms does PDFelement support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for PDFelement, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/business/acrobat-reader-enterprise-pricing.html","question":"Can PDFelement be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed ISO 27001 for PDFelement. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as PDFelement not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/","question":"What security certifications does PDFelement have?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PDFelement is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/business/acrobat-reader-enterprise-pricing.html","question":"Where is PDFelement available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"A versatile PDF platform offering editing, signing, redaction, and conversion capabilities. Can run as a standalone desktop application, in a web browser, or deployed on private servers, with REST APIs for integration and workflow automation. It is indexed under PDF Editors.","source":"https://stirlingpdf.com/pricing","question":"What is Stirling-PDF?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Stirling-PDF is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://stirlingpdf.com/pricing","question":"Is Stirling-PDF free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Stirling-PDF supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://stirlingpdf.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Stirling-PDF support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Stirling-PDF can be deployed hybrid, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://stirlingpdf.com/pricing","question":"Can Stirling-PDF be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A full-featured PDF editor that enables text and image editing, interactive form creation with fillable fields, page merging and splitting, file conversion, and intelligent redaction of sensitive data. It includes optical character recognition for scanned documents and is available across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. | A comprehensive PDF platform offering 60+ tools for editing, signing, redacting, and converting documents. Available as desktop applications, a web interface, or self-hosted server with API access. |
| features.capabilities | `{"iso_27001":true,"pricing_model":"one_time_purchase","deployment_model":"native_desktop","file_size_compression_engine":true,"interactive_form_field_creation":true,"password_protection_and_encryption":true,"permanent_blackout_redaction_engine":true,"microsoft_office_docx_xlsx_conversion":true,"page_merging_extraction_and_splitting":true,"base_text_and_image_editing_within_pdf":true,"ocr_optical_character_recognition_scanning":true,"digital_signature_certification_enforcement":true}` | `{"pricing_model":"freemium","deployment_model":"cloud_saas","file_size_compression_engine":true,"interactive_form_field_creation":true,"permanent_blackout_redaction_engine":true,"microsoft_office_docx_xlsx_conversion":true,"page_merging_extraction_and_splitting":true,"base_text_and_image_editing_within_pdf":true,"ocr_optical_character_recognition_scanning":true,"digital_signature_certification_enforcement":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 4 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"SharePoint","native":true,"category":"collaboration","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"S3","native":true,"category":"storage","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"FTP","native":true,"category":"file_transfer","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"OAuth","native":true,"category":"authentication","direction":"bidirectional"}]` |
| language.primary | - | TypeScript |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"mac":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"PDFelement for Individuals","summary":"$129.99 perpetual (12% discount from $159)","features":["Edit text and images","Annotate documents","Merge and split pages","OCR scanning","Convert to and from PDF","Compress file size","Create fillable forms","Digital signatures","Protect PDFs"],"components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":129.99,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Edit, print, convert, eSign, and protect PDFs on Windows PC or Mac","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"PDFelement for Team","summary":"$139/user/month with custom services available (contact for details)","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":139,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Flexible team licensing with provisioning, tracking, and management across groups","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From $129.99 one-time for individuals or $139/user/month for teams. Free trial available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://pdf.wondershare.com/business/acrobat-reader-enterprise-pricing.html","retrievedAt":"2026-08-25T15:45:56.513Z","startingPrice":{"amount":129.99,"currency":"USD"}}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"$0/month, free forever","features":["60+ PDF tools","Web, desktop, and self-hosted options","Private and open-source","1,000 monthly credits for automation"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Open-source PDF editor for individuals","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"credits":"1,000/month"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$99/month for 100 users","features":["Everything in Free","Single sign-on (SSO)","Team workspace and invites","Add capacity in blocks of 100 users","One bill instead of per-seat licenses","Central control of tool catalog and deployment"],"minSeats":100,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For team administration and infrastructure","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"100"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Everything in Team","Air-gapped and self-hosted deployment","SCIM provisioning","Data residency and audit logs","Uptime SLAs","Custom agreement and invoicing"],"description":"For regulated and air-gapped deployments","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"PDF Processor Credits","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"credit"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.01,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free for individuals. Team plan from $99/month for 100 users. Enterprise with custom pricing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://stirlingpdf.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-15T21:11:27.454Z","startingPrice":{"amount":99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | high | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":129.99,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":99,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v3.2.0","date":"2026-10-15T20:36:26Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v3.1.0","date":"2026-10-05T22:30:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v3.0.2","date":"2026-10-01T15:15:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v3.0.1","date":"2026-09-26T21:51:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v3.0.0","date":"2026-09-24T11:36:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.14.3","date":"2026-08-06T18:48:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.14.2","date":"2026-07-08T09:59:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.14.1","date":"2026-07-07T21:56:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.14.0","date":"2026-06-30T22:48:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.13.2","date":"2026-06-24T21:06:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.13.1","date":"2026-06-19T18:27:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.13.0","date":"2026-06-18T21:29:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.12.0","date":"2026-06-09T20:40:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.11.0","date":"2026-05-19T10:52:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.10.1","date":"2026-05-07T20:07:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.10.0","date":"2026-04-24T13:12:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.9.2","date":"2026-04-04T09:32:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.9.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.9.1","date":"2026-04-03T16:48:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.9.0","date":"2026-04-02T18:02:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.8.0","date":"2026-03-24T18:58:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.0"}]` |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"ISO 27001","level":"Information Security Management","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=nixpkgs&package_name=stirling-pdf&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (PDF Editors)

| Capability | PDFelement | Stirling-PDF |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | Native desktop | Cloud saas |
| Base text and image editing within PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Page merging extraction and splitting | ✓ | ✓ |
| OCR optical character recognition scanning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Permanent blackout redaction engine | ✓ | ✓ |
| Password protection and encryption | ✓ | - |
| Interactive form field creation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Digital signature certification enforcement | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft office docx xlsx conversion | ✓ | ✓ |
| File size compression engine | ✓ | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | ✓ | - |
| Pricing model | One time purchase | Freemium |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:18:44.175Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*