head to head · open source
pdfcpu vs OpenSign
pdfcpu has 8,842 GitHub stars, 633 forks, 121 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. OpenSign has 7,002 stars, 824 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped 28 days ago. pdfcpu leads on adoption by 26% (8,842 vs 7,002 stars). pdfcpu is written in Go under Apache-2.0; OpenSign is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence. pdfcpu has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, OpenSign 12%. pdfcpu 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
| pdfcpu | OpenSign | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.8K | ★ 7.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-08-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 633 | ⑂ 824 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick pdfcpu if
- You weight community size — 8.8K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenSign if
- You want the OpenSign feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and OpenSign fits your workflow better
About pdfcpu
pdfcpu is a PDF processing library and command line tool written in Go. It lives in the Go and Golang ecosystem, is distributed under the Apache 2.0 license, and is listed under Business Software in the Document Management and E Signatures category. The project has existed for nine years, carries 8,835 stars and 628 forks, and lists 121 open issues. Its maintainer, Horst Rutter, is a member of the PDF Association, and the project documentation lives at pdfcpu.io. The GitHub topics attached to the repository are cli, go, golang, golang library, pdf, pdf files, and pdf tools, which describes both halves of what the…
read the full pdfcpu overview →
About OpenSign
OpenSign is a free and open source document e signing application built in JavaScript, positioned by its maintainers as an alternative to commercial platforms such as DocuSign, PandaDoc, SignNow, Adobe Sign, Smartwaiver, SignRequest, HelloSign and Zoho Sign. It lives in the business software ecosystem, specifically the document management and e signature category, and its topic list places it alongside digital signature, electronic signature, esign, legaltech and hacktoberfest projects. The project is distributed through a GitHub repository under the opensignlabs organisation, with a companion website at opensign…
read the full OpenSign overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pdfcpu or OpenSign more popular?
pdfcpu has 8,842 GitHub stars and OpenSign has 7,002. pdfcpu has the larger community by that measure.
Are pdfcpu and OpenSign free?
Both are open source. pdfcpu is licensed under Apache-2.0, and OpenSign has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between pdfcpu and OpenSign?
pdfcpu is written in Go and OpenSign 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, pdfcpu or OpenSign?
Choose pdfcpu if you want the larger community (8,842 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose OpenSign if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.