# PyMuPDF vs Stirling-PDF

| Attribute | PyMuPDF | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 55.1 (24% (low)) | 57 (16% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 38 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1,798 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 10,576 | 90,481 |
| deployment.options | `{"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A Python library built on the MuPDF engine for reading, manipulating, converting, and annotating PDF and document files with integrated OCR support. Designed for local processing in air-gapped and regulated environments. | 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. |
| language.primary | Python | Java |
| license.spdx | AGPL-3.0 | - |
| platform.support | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pymupdf.readthedocs.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T12:46:17.005Z"}` | `{"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.transparent | no | - |
| release.cadence_days | 35 | 6 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.28.2","date":"2026-08-06T22:16:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.28.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.28.0","date":"2026-06-29T09:18:49Z","type":"stable","version":"1.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.27.2.3","date":"2026-04-24T14:23:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.27.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.27.2.2","date":"2026-03-20T09:56:24Z","type":"stable","version":"1.27.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.27.2","date":"2026-03-10T13:11:38Z","type":"stable","version":"1.27.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.27.1","date":"2026-02-11T15:12:59Z","type":"stable","version":"1.27.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.7","date":"2025-12-11T23:17:03Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.6","date":"2025-11-05T16:07:35Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.5","date":"2025-10-10T14:07:18Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.4","date":"2025-08-25T14:34:56Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.3","date":"2025-07-02T21:52:37Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.1","date":"2025-06-11T22:30:03Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.26.0","date":"2025-05-22T16:30:32Z","type":"stable","version":"1.26.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.25.5","date":"2025-03-31T23:25:00Z","type":"stable","version":"1.25.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.25.4","date":"2025-03-14T19:16:56Z","type":"stable","version":"1.25.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.25.3","date":"2025-02-06T13:12:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.25.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.25.2","date":"2025-01-17T16:36:36Z","type":"stable","version":"1.25.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.25.1","date":"2024-12-11T22:51:35Z","type":"stable","version":"1.25.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.25.0","date":"2024-12-05T20:45:10Z","type":"stable","version":"1.25.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pymupdf/PyMuPDF/releases/tag/1.24.14","date":"2024-11-19T11:21:54Z","type":"stable","version":"1.24.14"}]` | `[{"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"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5.3 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=pymupdf&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"MODERATE"}` | `{"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 | PyMuPDF | 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 2026-09-01T14:46:37.803Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*