Best Open Source Alternatives to Smallpdf

Compare the best free and open-source alternatives to Smallpdf — self-hosted and desktop replacements you fully control, ranked by GitHub stars, license and platform support.

Curated by open-source.store · Updated November 2026 · 7 alternatives

Smallpdf

Proprietary SaaS

PricingFreemium

Platformsweb, desktop, mobile, windows, macos, android, ios

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Smallpdf alternatives compared

Open-source alternatives to Smallpdf, compared by stars, license and platform
Tool		License	Platforms	Self-hosted
Stirling-PDF	95,599	LGPL-3.0	LinuxmacOSWindowsDocker	Yes	Nov 2026	Visit
pdfcpu	8,895	Apache-2.0	LinuxmacOSWindows	No	Nov 2026	Visit
PDF Arranger	6,013	GPL-3.0	LinuxWindows	No	Nov 2026	Visit
PDFsam Basic	4,657	AGPL-3.0	LinuxmacOSWindows	No	Nov 2026	Visit
PDF Tricks	128	GPL-3.0	Linux	No	Jul 2026	Visit
unlockR	28	GPL-3.0	Linux	No	Apr 2026	Visit
Qpdf Tools	26	Unlicense	Linux	No	Dec 2025	Visit

Top open-source Smallpdf alternatives

Stirling-PDF95,599LGPL-3.0

Stirling-PDF is a self-hosted PDF toolset replacing Adobe Acrobat and iLovePDF for local page assembly, OCR text extraction, and private file conversion.

LinuxmacOSWindowsDockerWeb

vs Smallpdf: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed LGPL-3.0.

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pdfcpu8,895Apache-2.0

pdfcpu is an open-source CLI and Go library for merging, splitting, and securing PDFs locally, replacing desktop suites like Nitro PDF Pro in CI pipelines.

LinuxmacOSWindows

vs Smallpdf: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed Apache-2.0.

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PDF Arranger6,013GPL-3.0

Merge, split, rotate, crop, and rearrange PDF pages locally with PDF Arranger, a private desktop alternative to iLovePDF.

LinuxWindows

vs Smallpdf: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed GPL-3.0.

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PDFsam Basic4,657AGPL-3.0

PDFsam Basic is an open-source desktop tool to merge, split, and rotate PDFs locally, replacing cloud services like iLovePDF without file size caps.

LinuxmacOSWindows

vs Smallpdf: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed AGPL-3.0.

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PDF Tricks128GPL-3.0

PDF Tricks is a lightweight Linux utility for merging, splitting, and compressing PDFs locally with Ghostscript, avoiding cloud uploads and usage quotas.

Linux

vs Smallpdf: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed GPL-3.0.

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Best Open Source Alternatives to Smallpdf

Smallpdf

Smallpdf alternatives compared

Top open-source Smallpdf alternatives

The modern standard for Protobuf workflows

Mentoring for backend developers. Consulting for startups.

More alternatives to Smallpdf

unlockR

Qpdf Tools