head to head · open source
pdfcraft vs browserytools
pdfcraft has 19,220 GitHub stars, 7,216 forks, 68 open issues and last shipped yesterday. browserytools has 719 stars, 82 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. pdfcraft leads on adoption by 2,573% (19,220 vs 719 stars). pdfcraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; browserytools is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. pdfcraft has attracted 38% as many forks as stars, browserytools 11%. pdfcraft was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (pdf-tools), 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
| pdfcraft | browserytools | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 719 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.2K | ⑂ 82 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick pdfcraft if
- You weight community size — 19K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick browserytools if
- You want the browserytools feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and browserytools fits your workflow better
About pdfcraft
PdfCraft The PDF workbench; an open source, clean room reimplementation of Adobe Acrobat, rebuilt in pure Rust. Read, organize, combine, split and secure PDFs in a fast, native app, written in Rust from the ground up. macOS · Windows · Linux · FreeBSD · the web PdfCraft on getartcraft.com · ArtCraft · All Crafting Apps The PdfCraft Showcase, a 13 page specimen PDF, open with the All tools panel and threaded comments. [!NOTE] ArtCraft is a community of artists from all walks of life. Digital, generative, music, games — if you make things, you're one of us. Come say hi on Discord. Highlights · Read · Find ·…
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About browserytools
BrowseryTools A comprehensive collection of 152 browser based tools built with Next.js, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Your files and text are processed in your browser — no uploads, no accounts required. Includes on device AI tools (transcription, translation, summarization, image upscaling, and more) powered by Transformers.js. Free, no accounts, no ads, no tracking. If it saves you time, star the repo. That is the fastest way to help other people find it. Two caveats worth stating plainly, since "everything is local" is the headline claim: Tools that run an AI model download the model weights from a third…
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Frequently asked questions
Is pdfcraft or browserytools more popular?
pdfcraft has 19,220 GitHub stars and browserytools has 719. pdfcraft has the larger community by that measure.
Are pdfcraft and browserytools free?
Both are open source. pdfcraft is licensed under Apache-2.0 and browserytools under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pdfcraft and browserytools?
pdfcraft is written in Rust and browserytools in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, pdfcraft or browserytools?
Choose pdfcraft if you want the larger community (19,220 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose browserytools if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.