Self-hosted PDF toolbox with dozens of editing and conversion tools
Stirling-PDF is an open-core PDF application you can run on your own server, typically with Docker, so documents never leave your infrastructure. It bundles tools to merge, split, compress, convert, OCR, sign, redact and edit PDFs, plus a REST API and pipelines for automating repetitive jobs. The core is MIT-licensed and free; paid plans add enterprise features such as SSO.
- features
- 6
- alternatives
- 7
- platforms
- 2
- Updated
- Oct 12, 2026
Features
Our take
Pros
- Self-hosted, so documents never leave your infrastructure
- Dozens of tools for merging, OCR, redaction and conversion
- REST API and pipelines automate repetitive jobs
Cons
- Requires running a server, typically with Docker
- SSO and other enterprise features are paid
Editorial assessment by the Alternatives.tools team, based on what the product is known for. Not a user review.
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