head to head · open source
bentopdf vs Papermark
bentopdf has 15,578 GitHub stars, 1,339 forks, 156 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Papermark has 9,181 stars, 1,396 forks, 239 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. bentopdf leads on adoption by 70% (15,578 vs 9,181 stars). bentopdf is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; Papermark is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. bentopdf has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Papermark 15%. bentopdf was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (pdf), 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 | Papermark | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 9.2K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| 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 Papermark if
- You want the Papermark feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Papermark 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 Papermark
Papermark open source document sharing alternative to DocSend. Project lives in Next.js/TypeScript web stack, category Business Software / Document Management & E Signatures. GitHub metadata: 9166 stars, 1392 forks, 239 open issues, last push 2026 08 28T15:58:25Z. README says built in analytics and custom domains. It is self hosted, open source, and customizable as needed. License field says NOASSERTION, so license terms need separate check.
read the full Papermark overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is bentopdf or Papermark more popular?
bentopdf has 15,578 GitHub stars and Papermark has 9,181. bentopdf has the larger community by that measure.
Are bentopdf and Papermark free?
Both are open source. bentopdf is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and Papermark has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between bentopdf and Papermark?
bentopdf is written in JavaScript and Papermark in TypeScript. 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 Papermark?
Choose bentopdf if you want the larger community (15,578 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Papermark if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.