head to head · open source
bentopdf vs OpenSign
bentopdf has 15,578 GitHub stars, 1,339 forks, 156 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenSign has 7,002 stars, 824 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped 28 days ago. bentopdf leads on adoption by 122% (15,578 vs 7,002 stars). bentopdf is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; OpenSign is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence. bentopdf has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, OpenSign 12%. bentopdf was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (hacktoberfest, javascript), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| bentopdf | OpenSign | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 7.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 824 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick bentopdf if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenSign if
- You want the OpenSign feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and OpenSign fits your workflow better
About bentopdf
BentoPDF is a JavaScript, browser based PDF toolkit that merges, edits, converts, and processes documents entirely on the client, and it is aimed at individuals and teams who need those document workflows without sending files to a third party service.
read the full bentopdf overview →
About OpenSign
OpenSign is a free and open source document e signing application built in JavaScript, positioned by its maintainers as an alternative to commercial platforms such as DocuSign, PandaDoc, SignNow, Adobe Sign, Smartwaiver, SignRequest, HelloSign and Zoho Sign. It lives in the business software ecosystem, specifically the document management and e signature category, and its topic list places it alongside digital signature, electronic signature, esign, legaltech and hacktoberfest projects. The project is distributed through a GitHub repository under the opensignlabs organisation, with a companion website at opensign…
read the full OpenSign overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is bentopdf or OpenSign more popular?
bentopdf has 15,578 GitHub stars and OpenSign has 7,002. bentopdf has the larger community by that measure.
Are bentopdf and OpenSign free?
Both are open source. bentopdf is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and OpenSign has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between bentopdf and OpenSign?
bentopdf is written in JavaScript and OpenSign in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, bentopdf or OpenSign?
Choose bentopdf if you want the larger community (15,578 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenSign if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.