DeDRM Tools vs PDF Arranger
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
DeDRM Tools
Calibre plugin suite for removing DRM from purchased ebooks
VS
PDF Arranger
Desktop tool to merge, split, and rearrange PDF pages
| Feature | DeDRM Tools | PDF Arranger |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,275 | ★ 5,760 |
| First released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Adobe Digital Editions | Adobe Acrobat, PDFsam |
Why pick each one
Choose DeDRM Tools if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 15.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is DeDRM Tools or PDF Arranger better?
Neither is universally better. DeDRM Tools has the larger community, while PDF Arranger is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DeDRM Tools and PDF Arranger free and open-source?
Yes. DeDRM Tools is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PDF Arranger under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DeDRM Tools and PDF Arranger with Docker?
DeDRM Tools: check the project docs for container support. PDF Arranger: check the project docs for container support.