IronPDF Features

• HTML to PDF conversion: IronPDF can handle HTML to PDF conversion. With its full support for modern web standards, you can be assured that IronPDF will consistently return pixel-perfect PDFs from your HTML content.
• PDF file conversion: Need to convert file formats other than HTML to PDF? IronPDF supports the conversion of many different file formats including DOCX to PDF, RTF to PDF, Image to PDF, URL to PDF, and even PDF to HTML, all while maintaining the desired document structure.
• Security features: With IronPDF, you can always be assured that any sensitive PDF files are secure thanks to its security features. Use IronPDF to encrypt your PDF files, set passwords, and set permissions for your PDF files.
• PDF editing features: With IronPDF, you can edit PDF files with ease. IronPDF offers editing features such as adding headers and footers, stamping text and images onto the PDF pages, adding custom watermarks to the PDF, working with PDF forms, and merging PDF files.

For detailed feature information about the features offered by IronPDF, visit the IronPDF Features Page.

PdfPig Features

HTML to PDF Conversion

HTML to PDF Conversion Example is a simple task, yet it can be helpful depending on your needs. Whether you want to create a PDF document documenting a website from your portfolio or need to create PDFs from HTML content for your work environment, you'll need a strong HTML to PDF converter so you can consistently produce high-quality PDFs.

IronPDF Code Example:

using IronPdf;

// Enable web security to disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate Chrome PDF Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from an HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

// Advanced Example with HTML Assets
// Render HTML with external assets: images, CSS, and JavaScript.
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Enable web security to disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate Chrome PDF Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a PDF from an HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

// Advanced Example with HTML Assets
// Render HTML with external assets: images, CSS, and JavaScript.
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

' Enable web security to disable local disk access or cross-origin requests
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = True

' Instantiate Chrome PDF Renderer
Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

' Create a PDF from an HTML string using C#
Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>")
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")

' Advanced Example with HTML Assets
' Render HTML with external assets: images, CSS, and JavaScript.
Dim myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", "C:\site\assets\")
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf")

PdfPig Code Example:

HTML-to-PDF conversion is outside PdfPig's current scope — the library is designed around low-level PDF creation and content extraction rather than rendering web content. Teams that need this capability typically pair PdfPig with a separate rendering library, or evaluate IronPDF's built-in Chromium engine, which handles HTML, CSS3, and JavaScript in a single pass.

When you want to convert HTML content or web pages to a PDF format, IronPDF provides a dedicated, concise API for the task, while PdfPig defers rendering to external libraries.

Encrypting PDF Files

When you are dealing with any sensitive or private PDF files, you will be looking for a PDF tool that can handle security tasks such as encrypting PDF files, editing document metadata, and adding a password. Let's now take a look at how these tools would approach this scenario.

IronPDF Code Example:

using IronPdf;
using System;

// Open an Encrypted File, or create a new PDF from HTML
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf", "password");

// Edit metadata
pdf.MetaData.Author = "Satoshi Nakamoto";
pdf.MetaData.Keywords = "SEO, Friendly";
pdf.MetaData.ModifiedDate = DateTime.Now;

// Edit file security settings

// Make a PDF read-only and disallow copy & paste and printing
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption();
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key");
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserFormData = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = IronPdf.Security.PdfPrintSecurity.FullPrintRights;

// Change or set the document encryption password
pdf.Password = "my-password";
pdf.SaveAs("secured.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using System;

// Open an Encrypted File, or create a new PDF from HTML
var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf", "password");

// Edit metadata
pdf.MetaData.Author = "Satoshi Nakamoto";
pdf.MetaData.Keywords = "SEO, Friendly";
pdf.MetaData.ModifiedDate = DateTime.Now;

// Edit file security settings

// Make a PDF read-only and disallow copy & paste and printing
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption();
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key");
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserFormData = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = IronPdf.Security.PdfPrintSecurity.FullPrintRights;

// Change or set the document encryption password
pdf.Password = "my-password";
pdf.SaveAs("secured.pdf");

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

' Open an Encrypted File, or create a new PDF from HTML
Private pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf", "password")

' Edit metadata
pdf.MetaData.Author = "Satoshi Nakamoto"
pdf.MetaData.Keywords = "SEO, Friendly"
pdf.MetaData.ModifiedDate = DateTime.Now

' Edit file security settings

' Make a PDF read-only and disallow copy & paste and printing
pdf.SecuritySettings.RemovePasswordsAndEncryption()
pdf.SecuritySettings.MakePdfDocumentReadOnly("secret-key")
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserAnnotations = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserFormData = False
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = IronPdf.Security.PdfPrintSecurity.FullPrintRights

' Change or set the document encryption password
pdf.Password = "my-password"
pdf.SaveAs("secured.pdf")

PdfPig Code Example:

Encryption, password protection, and permission management are outside PdfPig's current scope. Because the library focuses on reading and low-level PDF creation, teams that need security features typically bring in an additional library to handle that layer.

When dealing with sensitive PDF files, IronPDF provides encryption, metadata editing, and granular permission control as first-class operations, while PdfPig requires an additional library for these tasks.

Redacting PDF Content

What if you want to redact certain words or sections of content from your PDF files? This is another common need when working with a PDF file, so let us see if these PDF libraries are up to the task.

IronPDF Code Example:

using IronPdf;

PdfDocument document = PdfDocument.FromFile("novel.pdf");

// Redact 'are' phrase from all pages
document.RedactTextOnAllPages("are");
document.SaveAs("redacted.pdf");

using IronPdf;

PdfDocument document = PdfDocument.FromFile("novel.pdf");

// Redact 'are' phrase from all pages
document.RedactTextOnAllPages("are");
document.SaveAs("redacted.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

Private document As PdfDocument = PdfDocument.FromFile("novel.pdf")

' Redact 'are' phrase from all pages
document.RedactTextOnAllPages("are")
document.SaveAs("redacted.pdf")

PdfPig Code Example:

Redaction is not part of PdfPig's feature set — the library is designed for reading and extraction rather than modifying existing PDF content.

IronPDF handles redaction in a single method call (RedactTextOnAllPages), which makes it straightforward to automate compliance workflows. For teams that need to remove sensitive text from documents, this is a common inflection point when comparing the two libraries.

Digitally Signing PDF documents

While this is less likely to be an essential part of your daily PDF manipulation needs, depending on your work environment, you may come across times when you might need to digitally sign your PDF files. So now we will look at how these two tools might handle that.

IronPDF Code Example:

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Signing;
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;

ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>foo</h1>");

// Create X509Certificate2 object with X509KeyStorageFlags set to Exportable
X509Certificate2 cert = new X509Certificate2("IronSoftware.pfx", "123456", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable);

// Create PdfSignature object
var sig = new PdfSignature(cert);

// Sign PDF document
pdf.Sign(sig);
pdf.SaveAs("signed.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Signing;
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;

ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>foo</h1>");

// Create X509Certificate2 object with X509KeyStorageFlags set to Exportable
X509Certificate2 cert = new X509Certificate2("IronSoftware.pfx", "123456", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable);

// Create PdfSignature object
var sig = new PdfSignature(cert);

// Sign PDF document
pdf.Sign(sig);
pdf.SaveAs("signed.pdf");

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Signing
Imports System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates

Private renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
Private pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>foo</h1>")

' Create X509Certificate2 object with X509KeyStorageFlags set to Exportable
Private cert As New X509Certificate2("IronSoftware.pfx", "123456", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable)

' Create PdfSignature object
Private sig = New PdfSignature(cert)

' Sign PDF document
pdf.Sign(sig)
pdf.SaveAs("signed.pdf")

PdfPig Code Example:

PdfPig is not designed for cryptographic signing workflows. Teams that need digital signatures alongside PdfPig's extraction capabilities typically integrate a separate signing library.

IronPDF includes certificate-based signing as a built-in operation — a few lines of code using PdfSignature with an X509 certificate. For teams whose workflow requires both extraction and signing, this removes the need to manage an additional dependency.

Applying Custom Watermarks to Your PDFs

Are you working with sensitive documents or looking to protect your work and avoid others stealing it to claim as their own? Then applying custom watermarks to your PDF pages can be just what you need. Let's see how the libraries tackle this task.

IronPDF Code Example:

using IronPdf;

// Stamps a Watermark onto a new or existing PDF
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");
pdf.ApplyWatermark("<h2 style='color:red'>SAMPLE</h2>", 30, IronPdf.Editing.VerticalAlignment.Middle, IronPdf.Editing.HorizontalAlignment.Center);
pdf.SaveAs(@"C:\Path\To\Watermarked.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Stamps a Watermark onto a new or existing PDF
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf");
pdf.ApplyWatermark("<h2 style='color:red'>SAMPLE</h2>", 30, IronPdf.Editing.VerticalAlignment.Middle, IronPdf.Editing.HorizontalAlignment.Center);
pdf.SaveAs(@"C:\Path\To\Watermarked.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

' Stamps a Watermark onto a new or existing PDF
Private renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

Private pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf")
pdf.ApplyWatermark("<h2 style='color:red'>SAMPLE</h2>", 30, IronPdf.Editing.VerticalAlignment.Middle, IronPdf.Editing.HorizontalAlignment.Center)
pdf.SaveAs("C:\Path\To\Watermarked.pdf")

PdfPig Code Example:

Watermarking is outside PdfPig's current scope.

IronPDF's ApplyWatermark() method accepts HTML and CSS, which gives you precise control over opacity, rotation, and positioning. If you are already familiar with web styling, the learning curve is minimal — you style the watermark the same way you would style a <div>.

Stamping Images and Text to PDF documents

Stamping images and text onto your PDF files is much the same as applying watermarks in a sense, and could be used for similar reasons, but can these two libraries carry out this task?

IronPDF Code Example:

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Editing;

// Create the PDF from HTML content
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Example HTML Document!</h1>");

// Create text stamper
TextStamper textStamper = new TextStamper()
{
    Text = "Text Stamper!",
    FontFamily = "Bungee Spice",
    UseGoogleFont = true,
    FontSize = 30,
    IsBold = true,
    IsItalic = true,
    VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top,
};

// Stamp the text stamper
pdf.ApplyStamp(textStamper);
pdf.SaveAs("stampText.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Editing;

// Create the PDF from HTML content
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Example HTML Document!</h1>");

// Create text stamper
TextStamper textStamper = new TextStamper()
{
    Text = "Text Stamper!",
    FontFamily = "Bungee Spice",
    UseGoogleFont = true,
    FontSize = 30,
    IsBold = true,
    IsItalic = true,
    VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top,
};

// Stamp the text stamper
pdf.ApplyStamp(textStamper);
pdf.SaveAs("stampText.pdf");

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Editing

' Create the PDF from HTML content
Private renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
Private pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Example HTML Document!</h1>")

' Create text stamper
Private textStamper As New TextStamper() With {
	.Text = "Text Stamper!",
	.FontFamily = "Bungee Spice",
	.UseGoogleFont = True,
	.FontSize = 30,
	.IsBold = True,
	.IsItalic = True,
	.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top
}

' Stamp the text stamper
pdf.ApplyStamp(textStamper)
pdf.SaveAs("stampText.pdf")

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Editing;
using System;

// Create the PDF from HTML content
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Example HTML Document!</h1>");

// Create image stamper
ImageStamper imageStamper = new ImageStamper(new Uri("https://ironpdf.com/img/svgs/iron-pdf-logo.svg"))
{
    VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top,
};

// Stamp the image stamper
pdf.ApplyStamp(imageStamper, 0);
pdf.SaveAs("stampImage.pdf");

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Editing;
using System;

// Create the PDF from HTML content
ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Example HTML Document!</h1>");

// Create image stamper
ImageStamper imageStamper = new ImageStamper(new Uri("https://ironpdf.com/img/svgs/iron-pdf-logo.svg"))
{
    VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top,
};

// Stamp the image stamper
pdf.ApplyStamp(imageStamper, 0);
pdf.SaveAs("stampImage.pdf");

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Editing
Imports System

' Create the PDF from HTML content
Private renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
Private pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Example HTML Document!</h1>")

' Create image stamper
Private imageStamper As New ImageStamper(New Uri("https://ironpdf.com/img/svgs/iron-pdf-logo.svg")) With {.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignment.Top}

' Stamp the image stamper
pdf.ApplyStamp(imageStamper, 0)
pdf.SaveAs("stampImage.pdf")

PdfPig Code Example:

PdfPig is not designed to overlay content onto existing PDF pages. Stamping text or images onto a finished document would require an additional library.

IronPDF includes dedicated TextStamper and ImageStamper classes with support for Google Fonts, TrueType fonts, per-page targeting, and fine-grained positioning. For teams that need to annotate or brand existing PDFs programmatically, this eliminates the need to assemble separate libraries for the task.

DOCX to PDF Conversion

IronPDF Pricing and Licensing

IronPDF offers diverse pricing options for licenses. Developers can also purchase Iron Suite, which gives access to all of Iron Software's products at the price of two. If you're not ready to buy a license, IronPDF provides a free trial that lasts 30 days.

• Perpetual licenses: Offers a range of perpetual licenses depending on the size of your team, your project needs, and the number of locations. Each license type comes with email support.
• Lite License: This license supports one developer, one location, and one project. (Price unlisted)
• Plus License: Supporting three developers, three locations, and three projects, this is the next step up from the lite license and costs $1,199. The Plus license offers chat support and phone support in addition to basic email support.
• Professional License: This license is suitable for larger teams, supporting ten developers, ten locations, and ten projects for $2,399. It offers the same contact support channels as the previous tiers but also offers screen-sharing support.
• Royalty-free redistribution: IronPDF's licensing also offers royalty-free redistribution coverage for an extra $2,399.
• Uninterrupted product support: IronPDF offers access to ongoing product updates, security feature upgrades, and support from their engineering team for either $1,199/year or a one-time purchase of $2,399 for a 5-year coverage.
• Iron Suite: For $1,498, you get access to all Iron Software products including IronPDF, IronOCR, IronWord, IronXL, IronBarcode, IronQR, IronZIP, IronPrint, and IronWebScraper.

PdfPig Licensing

IronPDF

• Comprehensive Documentation: Extensive and user-friendly documentation covering all features.
• 24/5 Support: Active engineer support is available.
• Video Tutorials: Step-by-step video guides are available on YouTube.
• Community Forum: Engaged community for additional support.
• Regular Updates: Monthly product updates to ensure the latest features and security patches.

For more information, check out IronPDF's extensive documentation and guides, and visit the Iron Software YouTube channel.

PdfPig