head to head · open source
bentopdf vs signaturepdf
bentopdf has 16,233 GitHub stars, 1,450 forks, 156 open issues and last shipped yesterday. signaturepdf has 832 stars, 113 forks, 69 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. bentopdf leads on adoption by 1,851% (16,233 vs 832 stars). bentopdf is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; signaturepdf is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. bentopdf has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, signaturepdf 14%. bentopdf was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (pdf, pdf-editor), 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 | signaturepdf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 832 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 113 |
| 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 signaturepdf if
- You want the signaturepdf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and signaturepdf fits your workflow better
About bentopdf
BentoPDF BentoPDF is a powerful, privacy first, client side PDF toolkit that is self hostable and allows you to manipulate, edit, merge, and process PDF files directly in your browser. No server side processing is required, ensuring your files remain secure and private. Table of Contents Join Us on Discord Documentation Licensing Stargazers over time Thank You to Our Sponsors Why BentoPDF? Features / Tools Supported Organize & Manage PDFs Edit & Modify PDFs Convert to PDF Convert from PDF Secure & Optimize PDFs Other Products Translations Getting Started Prerequisites Quick Start Static Hosting Self Hosting…
read the full bentopdf overview →
About signaturepdf
Signature PDF Free web software for signing (alone or with others), organizing (merge, sort, rotate, delete, extract pages, ...), editing metadatas or compressing PDFs. Instances List of instances where you can use this software: pdf.24eme.fr (by 24eme) pdf.libreon.fr (by Libreon) signature.pdf.hostux.net (by Hostux) pdf.nebulae.co (by Nebulae) pdf.kaosx.ovh pdf.ti nuage.fr (by Ti Nuage) pdf.cemea.org (by Les Ceméa) pdf.caph.info (by caph.info) pdf.spirio.fr (by Spirio.fr) pdf.sequanux.org (by Sequanux) pdf.deblan.org (by Deblan) pdf.ouvaton.coop (by OUVATON) signpdf.liber it.fr (by Liber IT)
read the full signaturepdf overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is bentopdf or signaturepdf more popular?
bentopdf has 16,233 GitHub stars and signaturepdf has 832. bentopdf has the larger community by that measure.
Are bentopdf and signaturepdf free?
Both are open source. bentopdf is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and signaturepdf under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between bentopdf and signaturepdf?
bentopdf is written in JavaScript and signaturepdf 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 signaturepdf?
Choose bentopdf if you want the larger community (16,233 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose signaturepdf if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.