ONLYOFFICE Docs vs Signature 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?
ONLYOFFICE Docs
Online office suite for documents, sheets, and slides
VS
Signature PDF
Sign and manipulate PDFs with collaboration, organization, compression
| Feature | ONLYOFFICE Docs | Signature PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,794 | ★ 818 |
| First released | 2016 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Google Docs, Microsoft 365 | — |
Why pick each one
Choose ONLYOFFICE Docs if…
- Excellent format compatibility
- Strong collaboration features
Choose Signature PDF if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ONLYOFFICE Docs or Signature PDF better?
Neither is universally better. ONLYOFFICE Docs has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ONLYOFFICE Docs and Signature PDF free and open-source?
Yes. ONLYOFFICE Docs is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Signature PDF under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ONLYOFFICE Docs and Signature PDF with Docker?
ONLYOFFICE Docs: yes. Signature PDF: yes.