ONLYOFFICE Docs 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?
ONLYOFFICE Docs
Online office suite for documents, sheets, and slides
VS
Stirling PDF
Powerful locally hosted web-based PDF toolkit
| Feature | ONLYOFFICE Docs | Stirling PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | Document Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Shell | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,794 | ★ 89,077 |
| First released | 2016 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Google Docs, Microsoft 365 | Adobe Acrobat, Smallpdf |
Why pick each one
Choose ONLYOFFICE Docs if…
- Excellent format compatibility
- Strong collaboration features
Frequently asked questions
Is ONLYOFFICE Docs or Stirling PDF better?
Stirling PDF is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ONLYOFFICE Docs if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ONLYOFFICE Docs and Stirling PDF free and open-source?
Yes. ONLYOFFICE Docs is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Stirling PDF under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ONLYOFFICE Docs and Stirling PDF with Docker?
ONLYOFFICE Docs: yes. Stirling PDF: yes.