Krystal DMS vs Stirling PDF
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted document management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Krystal DMS
Web-based document management system in Java
VS
Stirling PDF
Powerful locally hosted web-based PDF toolkit
| Feature | Krystal DMS | Stirling PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 50 | ★ 89,077 |
| First released | 2012 | 2023 |
| Replaces | DocuWare | Adobe Acrobat, Smallpdf |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Krystal DMS or Stirling PDF better?
Stirling PDF is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Krystal DMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Krystal DMS and Stirling PDF free and open-source?
Yes. Krystal DMS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Stirling PDF under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Krystal DMS and Stirling PDF with Docker?
Krystal DMS: check the project docs for container support. Stirling PDF: yes.