Ladder vs pdf2htmlEX
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?
Ladder
Bypass paywalls as 12ft.io does
VS
pdf2htmlEX
Converts PDF documents to HTML while preserving layout
| Feature | Ladder | pdf2htmlEX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0-only | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 20 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,804 | ★ 5,578 |
| First released | 2023 | 2013 |
| Replaces | 12ft, 13ft | Commercial PDF converters |
Why pick each one
Choose Ladder if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 8.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Ladder or pdf2htmlEX better?
Ladder is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider pdf2htmlEX if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ladder and pdf2htmlEX free and open-source?
Yes. Ladder is licensed under GPL-3.0-only and pdf2htmlEX under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ladder and pdf2htmlEX with Docker?
Ladder: check the project docs for container support. pdf2htmlEX: yes.