head to head · open source
gspread vs KillerPDF
gspread has 7,507 GitHub stars, 978 forks, 73 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. KillerPDF has 3,879 stars, 307 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. gspread leads on adoption by 94% (7,507 vs 3,879 stars). gspread is written in Python under MIT; KillerPDF is written in C# under GPL-3.0. gspread has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, KillerPDF 8%. KillerPDF was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| gspread | KillerPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 3.9K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C# |
| Last push | 2026-07-30 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 978 | ⑂ 307 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick gspread if
- You weight community size — 7.5K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick KillerPDF if
- You want the KillerPDF feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and KillerPDF fits your workflow better
About gspread
gspread is a Python client library for the Google Sheets API v4 that lets Python code open, read, write, format, and share Google Sheets spreadsheets without hand writing HTTP requests against the Sheets REST endpoints.
read the full gspread overview →
About KillerPDF
KillerPDF is a free, open source PDF editor for Windows, built in C under the GPL 3.0 licence, that gives individuals and teams a complete view annotate OCR edit sign workflow without an Adobe subscription and without sending document processing off the machine.
read the full KillerPDF overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is gspread or KillerPDF more popular?
gspread has 7,507 GitHub stars and KillerPDF has 3,879. gspread has the larger community by that measure.
Are gspread and KillerPDF free?
Both are open source. gspread is licensed under MIT and KillerPDF under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between gspread and KillerPDF?
gspread is written in Python and KillerPDF in C#. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, gspread or KillerPDF?
Choose gspread if you want the larger community (7,507 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose KillerPDF if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.