PDF Arranger 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?
PDF Arranger
Desktop tool to merge, split, and rearrange PDF pages
VS
Stirling PDF
Powerful locally hosted web-based PDF toolkit
| Feature | PDF Arranger | Stirling PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | Document Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,760 | ★ 89,077 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Adobe Acrobat, PDFsam | Adobe Acrobat, Smallpdf |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is PDF Arranger or Stirling PDF better?
Neither is universally better. Stirling PDF has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are PDF Arranger and Stirling PDF free and open-source?
Yes. PDF Arranger is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Stirling PDF under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PDF Arranger and Stirling PDF with Docker?
PDF Arranger: check the project docs for container support. Stirling PDF: yes.