# iLovePDF vs Stirling-PDF

| Attribute | iLovePDF | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 59.1 (62% (medium)) | 57 (16% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 90,481 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A web platform offering tools to merge, split, compress, convert, and digitally sign PDF files. Available in free and paid tiers with access across web, mobile, and desktop apps, plus an API for custom integrations. | 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. |
| integrations.count | 3 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"REST API (iLoveAPI)"},{"name":"Webhooks"},{"name":"Cloud storage services"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | Java |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"EU","primaryMarkets":["GB","EU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"freemium","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","features":["Core PDF tools","Limited document processing"],"description":"Limited document processing for light use","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"£60/year or £9/month","features":["Unlimited document processing","Web, mobile, and desktop access","Digital signatures","Workflows","No ads"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":60,"period":"year","currency":"GBP"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":9,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Unlimited document processing with all features","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Business","features":["Custom workflows","Dedicated account manager","SSO (Single Sign-On)"],"description":"Custom contracts with dedicated support for enterprise scaling","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier available. Premium from £60/year or £9/month. Custom enterprise pricing.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ilovepdf.com/ms/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T08:19:45.531Z","startingPrice":{"amount":9,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://stirlingpdf.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T14:05:21.556Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":9,"currency":"GBP"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.7.3","date":"2026-03-19T15:35:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.7.2","date":"2026-03-13T10:38:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.7.1","date":"2026-03-12T21:58:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.7.0","date":"2026-03-06T11:21:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/releases/tag/v2.6.0","date":"2026-03-03T20:46:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.0"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.99 | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fstirling-tools%2Fstirling-pdf&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (PDF Editors)

| Capability | iLovePDF | Stirling-PDF |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | - | - |
| 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 | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:31:10.936Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*