Docling vs Stirling PDF
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Docling
Parse documents into AI-ready structured formats
VS
Stirling PDF
Powerful locally hosted web-based PDF toolkit
| Feature | Docling | Stirling PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Document Management |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 64,404 | ★ 89,077 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Adobe Acrobat | Adobe Acrobat, Smallpdf |
Why pick each one
Choose Docling if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 64.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Docling or Stirling PDF better?
Stirling PDF is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Docling if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Docling and Stirling PDF free and open-source?
Yes. Docling is licensed under MIT and Stirling PDF under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Docling and Stirling PDF with Docker?
Docling: yes. Stirling PDF: yes.