head to head · open source
gspread vs Pdf_Tools
gspread has 7,507 GitHub stars, 978 forks, 73 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Pdf_Tools has 582 stars, 38 forks, 11 open issues and last shipped yesterday. gspread leads on adoption by 1,190% (7,507 vs 582 stars). gspread is written in Python under MIT; Pdf_Tools is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0. gspread has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Pdf_Tools 7%. Pdf_Tools 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 | Pdf_Tools | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.5K | ★ 582 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-07-30 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 978 | ⑂ 38 |
| 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 Pdf_Tools if
- You want the Pdf_Tools feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and Pdf_Tools 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 Pdf_Tools
PDF Toolkit is an open source, privacy first PDF editor for Android, written in Kotlin and aimed at anyone who needs to merge, split, compress, convert, annotate, or sign PDF documents entirely on the device, with no internet connection and no account.
read the full Pdf_Tools overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is gspread or Pdf_Tools more popular?
gspread has 7,507 GitHub stars and Pdf_Tools has 582. gspread has the larger community by that measure.
Are gspread and Pdf_Tools free?
Both are open source. gspread is licensed under MIT and Pdf_Tools under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between gspread and Pdf_Tools?
gspread is written in Python and Pdf_Tools in Kotlin. 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 Pdf_Tools?
Choose gspread if you want the larger community (7,507 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Pdf_Tools if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.