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PDF documents can be generated and rendered using Google’s PDFium library. It is utilized for the purpose of rendering PDFs on Android in addition to displaying PDFs and print previews in Chrome. PDFium is Google’s PDF creation and rendering library, according to its official description. It is a program that falls under the domain of development and is utilized in Chrome for showing PDFs and print previews. Additionally, it is utilized on Android for rendering PDFs. There are more than ten alternatives to PDFium available for use on a range of platforms, such as those that are Online or Web-based,
Windows-based, Linux-based, or Mac-based, as well as those that are Self-Hosted. Document Cyborg is the superior option to consider. Because it is not free, if you are searching for something similar that is free, you might want to try eDocAPI or HTML2PDF. PDFSwitch, Pdfcrowd, the HTML to PDF Converter Library for.NET, and Aspose are a few additional excellent applications that are comparable to PDFium.Java support for PDF.
Why Look for The Best PDFium Alternatives?
PDFium is a strong answer, but there are many reasons why you might want to look into other options. These include wanting more advanced features, better speed, more ways to integrate, or the ability to work with certain programming languages. By comparing your options, you can find the one that best meets the needs and goals of your project.
Best PDFium Alternatives
MuPDF
Features:
MuPDF stands out as a PDF rendering tool that is both small and fast. It is made to be fast and efficient, which makes it a great choice for apps that need to render PDF documents quickly. MuPDF works with different platforms and computer languages, which makes it useful for a wide range of projects.
The Good
- Lightweight and optimized for speed
- Active development and community support
- Versatile language bindings
The Bad
- Limited advanced features compared to some alternatives
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
Foxit PDF SDK
Features:
Foxit PDF SDK is a complete solution for rendering PDFs, and it has a lot of tools beyond just rendering. It works on different devices and gives you tools to annotate, edit, and change PDF files programmatically. This means that it can be used for apps that need advanced PDF processing.
The Good
- Rich feature set for in-depth PDF processing
- Strong security features
- Extensive documentation and support
The Bad
- Higher licensing costs for full feature access
- Larger memory footprint compared to lightweight alternatives
iText7
Features:
iText7 is a popular PDF library that lets you programmatically make, edit, and change PDF files. It has a number of tools for making PDFs, extracting content, and making digital signatures. There are both free and paid versions of iText7, so you can choose the one that works best for your job.
The Good
- Comprehensive PDF manipulation capabilities
- Strong documentation and community support
- Dual licensing model for open-source and commercial use
The Bad
- More complex for simple rendering tasks
- Licensing costs for commercial features
Apache PDFBox
Features:
Apache PDFBox is a Java tool that lets you work with PDF files and is free to use. It has a wide range of tools for creating, viewing, and editing PDF files. PDFBox works well for Java apps and lets you get text, images, and other information from PDF files.
The Good
- Java-based, ideal for Java projects
- Active open-source community
- Extensive features for PDF manipulation
The Bad
- Java-centric, may not be suitable for projects in other languages
- Steeper learning curve for complex features
PDF.js
Features:
PDF.js is a JavaScript library that was developed by Mozilla. It enables PDF documents to be rendered natively in web browsers without the need for plugins or other supplementary software. It is an excellent choice for online applications that have the requirement of displaying PDF documents in a smooth manner.
The Good
- Seamless integration with web applications
- No external plugins required
- Regular updates and improvements
The Bad
- Limited advanced PDF manipulation features
- Performance may vary based on browser capabilities
Questions and Answers
Pdfium is capable of rendering pages within PDF files to bitmaps. Additionally, it can load, edit, and extract text and images from existing PDF files. Finally, it can build new PDF files from scratch.
The software development kit that you discovered, which I am going to presume is Patagames’ Pdfium.Net SDK, is in fact a solution that costs money. PdfiumViewer is available for free, but in order to use it, you will need to have pdfium constructed, which is quite well documented.