head to head · open source
Papermark vs signaturepdf
Papermark has 9,181 GitHub stars, 1,396 forks, 239 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. signaturepdf has 831 stars, 108 forks, 69 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. Papermark leads on adoption by 1,005% (9,181 vs 831 stars). Papermark is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; signaturepdf is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. Papermark has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, signaturepdf 13%. signaturepdf 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
| Papermark | signaturepdf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.2K | ★ 831 |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-28 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 108 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Papermark if
- You weight community size — 9.2K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 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 →
About signaturepdf
Signature PDF is a free, open source web application under the AGPL 3.0 licence that lets people sign a PDF alone or together with others while also organizing pages, editing metadata, and compressing the file, and it is aimed at individuals, associations, cooperatives, and hosting providers who would rather run document signing on infrastructure they control than hand documents to a third party service.
read the full signaturepdf overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Papermark or signaturepdf more popular?
Papermark has 9,181 GitHub stars and signaturepdf has 831. Papermark has the larger community by that measure.
Are Papermark and signaturepdf free?
Both are open source. Papermark has no licence declared in this registry, and signaturepdf is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Papermark and signaturepdf?
Papermark is written in TypeScript 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, Papermark or signaturepdf?
Choose Papermark if you want the larger community (9,181 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose signaturepdf if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.