head to head · open source
pdfcraft vs OpenSign
pdfcraft has 19,220 GitHub stars, 7,216 forks, 68 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenSign has 7,211 stars, 853 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pdfcraft leads on adoption by 167% (19,220 vs 7,211 stars). pdfcraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; OpenSign is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence. pdfcraft has attracted 38% as many forks as stars, OpenSign 12%. OpenSign 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
| pdfcraft | OpenSign | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 7.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Rust | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.2K | ⑂ 853 |
| 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 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 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 OpenSign
The free and open source alternative to DocuSign Website • Help Docs • API Docs • Blog • Discord • Twitter • LinkedIn The premier open source document signing solution(DocuSign alternative) Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Features 3. Installation 4. Usage 5. Contribution Guidelines 6. License 7. Acknowledgments Please star ⭐ the repo to support us! 😀 Introduction Welcome to OpenSign, the premier open source docusign alternative document e signing solution designed to provide a secure, reliable and free alternative to commercial esign platforms like DocuSign, PandaDoc, SignNow, Adobe Sign, Smartwaiver…
read the full OpenSign overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pdfcraft or OpenSign more popular?
pdfcraft has 19,220 GitHub stars and OpenSign has 7,211. pdfcraft has the larger community by that measure.
Are pdfcraft and OpenSign free?
Both are open source. pdfcraft 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 pdfcraft and OpenSign?
pdfcraft is written in Rust 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, pdfcraft or OpenSign?
Choose pdfcraft if you want the larger community (19,220 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.