head to head · open source
pdfcraft vs signaturepdf
pdfcraft has 19,220 GitHub stars, 7,216 forks, 68 open issues and last shipped yesterday. signaturepdf has 832 stars, 113 forks, 69 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. pdfcraft leads on adoption by 2,210% (19,220 vs 832 stars). pdfcraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; signaturepdf is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. pdfcraft has attracted 38% as many forks as stars, signaturepdf 14%. 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), 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 | signaturepdf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 19K | ★ 832 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.2K | ⑂ 113 |
| 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 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 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 ·…
read the full pdfcraft overview →
About signaturepdf
Signature PDF Free web software for signing (alone or with others), organizing (merge, sort, rotate, delete, extract pages, ...), editing metadatas or compressing PDFs. Instances List of instances where you can use this software: pdf.24eme.fr (by 24eme) pdf.libreon.fr (by Libreon) signature.pdf.hostux.net (by Hostux) pdf.nebulae.co (by Nebulae) pdf.kaosx.ovh pdf.ti nuage.fr (by Ti Nuage) pdf.cemea.org (by Les Ceméa) pdf.caph.info (by caph.info) pdf.spirio.fr (by Spirio.fr) pdf.sequanux.org (by Sequanux) pdf.deblan.org (by Deblan) pdf.ouvaton.coop (by OUVATON) signpdf.liber it.fr (by Liber IT)
read the full signaturepdf overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pdfcraft or signaturepdf more popular?
pdfcraft has 19,220 GitHub stars and signaturepdf has 832. pdfcraft has the larger community by that measure.
Are pdfcraft and signaturepdf free?
Both are open source. pdfcraft is licensed under Apache-2.0 and signaturepdf under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pdfcraft and signaturepdf?
pdfcraft is written in Rust 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, pdfcraft or signaturepdf?
Choose pdfcraft if you want the larger community (19,220 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose signaturepdf if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.