In the current age of the internet, countless PDF libraries can handle various PDF-related tasks. So, how do you know which one is the right one for you? Choosing the right PDF library depends on a few main points: What features are you looking for? Do you need a tool that can handle complex tasks such as managing the security and encryption of your PDF file, or do you just need something that can manage HTML to PDF conversion?

What’s your budget, and how often will you be using the tool? If you plan on using it regularly, need more features at your fingertips, and have the budget to purchase a license, then a paid one might suit you. However, if you just want a lightweight tool to use occasionally, then you'd be better off with a free library. What documentation and support do you need? Each library comes with its own set of documentation and support, but these options can range in extensiveness from library to library.

Today, let's take a closer look at two libraries in particular: IronPDF and Puppeteer Sharp, two strong PDF libraries.

Overview of IronPDF and Puppeteer Sharp

IronPDF is a robust PDF library for .NET developers that enables the easy generation and manipulation of PDFs within .NET environments. It supports a wide range of functionalities like converting HTML to PDF, manipulating existing PDFs, creating PDFs from images, encrypting PDFs, and more. IronPDF's user-friendly API, extensive documentation, and cross-platform compatibility make it a top choice for developers seeking a comprehensive PDF solution.

Puppeteer Sharp is a .NET port of the Node.js Puppeteer library. It primarily focuses on controlling headless Chrome to automate browser-based operations, such as capturing screenshots and generating PDFs from web pages. While Puppeteer Sharp offers flexibility in handling browser-related tasks, it lacks some advanced PDF features provided by dedicated libraries like IronPDF.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

IronPDF

IronPDF stands out with its extensive cross-platform compatibility. It supports a wide range of environments within the .NET framework, ensuring seamless operation across different platforms. Below is a summary of IronPDF's platform compatibility:

• .NET versions:
  • Written in and supports C#, VB.NET, and F#
  • .NET Core (8, 7, 6, 5, and 3.1+)
  • .NET Standard (2.0+)
  • .NET Framework (4.6.2+)
• App environments: IronPDF works within various app environments such as Windows, Linux, Mac, Docker, Azure, and AWS.
• IDEs: Works with IDEs such as Microsoft Visual Studio and JetBrains Rider & ReSharper.
• OS and Processors: Supports several different OS & processors including Windows, Mac, Linux, x64, x86, ARM.

For more details on IronPDF's compatibility, visit IronPDF Compatibility.

Puppeteer Sharp

• .NET versions: When it comes to .NET compatibility, Puppeteer Sharp supports .Net Standard 2.0 library, .NET Framework 4.6.1, and .NET Core 2.0 or greater, including .NET 8 version support.
• App environments: Puppeteer Sharp works with Windows, Linux (you may have issues running Chrome on Linux and need to check out the troubleshooting guide), macOS, and Docker.

Key Feature Comparison: PDF Functionality in IronPDF vs. Puppeteer Sharp

When comparing the PDF functionality between IronPDF and Puppeteer Sharp, IronPDF emerges as a more specialized and powerful tool for PDF generation and manipulation in .NET due to its extensive set of features, whereas Puppeteer Sharp is a smaller library, dedicated to a smaller set of specialized features. Below are some key feature comparisons:

IronPDF Features

• PDF conversion: IronPDF can convert HTML to PDF. With its full support for modern web standards, you can be assured that IronPDF will consistently return pixel-perfect PDFs from your HTML content. IronPDF can also convert PDF files from other formats such as DOCX, images, RTF, and more.
• PDF generation: With IronPDF, you can generate PDFs from URLs, ASPX files, or HTML strings.
• Security features: IronPDF ensures that sensitive PDF files are secure thanks to its security features. Use IronPDF to encrypt your PDF files, set passwords, and set permissions.
• PDF editing features: IronPDF allows you to process existing PDF documents, edit them, and read PDF files with ease. It offers editing features such as adding headers and footers, stamping text and images, adding custom watermarks, working with PDF forms, and splitting or merging PDF files.

For a comprehensive list of IronPDF features, visit IronPDF Features.

Puppeteer Sharp Features

• PDF generation: Convert HTML content and web pages to PDF format; includes support for various PDF options such as custom headers/footers, page size, margins, etc.
• Browser automation: Control headless (or full) instances of Chrome or Chromium, navigate web pages, fill forms, click elements, and perform other user interactions programmatically.
• Screenshot capture: Take full-page or element-specific screenshots, with options to capture in different formats (e.g., JPG, PNG).

Comparison of Key Features with Code Examples Between IronPDF and Puppeteer Sharp

HTML to PDF Conversion

IronPDF Example:

using IronPdf;

// Enable web security to restrict certain actions like local disk access
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate 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
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Enable web security to restrict certain actions like local disk access
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true;

// Instantiate 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
var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\");
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

' Enable web security to restrict certain actions like local disk access
Installation.EnableWebSecurity = True

' Instantiate 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
Dim myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", "C:\site\assets\")
myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf")

Puppeteer Sharp Example:

using PuppeteerSharp;

// Download the latest version of the Chromium browser
await new BrowserFetcher().DownloadAsync(BrowserFetcher.DefaultRevision);

// Launch a new browser instance
var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
{
    Headless = true // Runs the browser in headless mode
});

// Open a new page
var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();

// Navigate to the web page to be converted
await page.GoToAsync("http://www.google.com");

// Convert the web page to a PDF
await page.PdfAsync("output.pdf");

using PuppeteerSharp;

// Download the latest version of the Chromium browser
await new BrowserFetcher().DownloadAsync(BrowserFetcher.DefaultRevision);

// Launch a new browser instance
var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
{
    Headless = true // Runs the browser in headless mode
});

// Open a new page
var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();

// Navigate to the web page to be converted
await page.GoToAsync("http://www.google.com");

// Convert the web page to a PDF
await page.PdfAsync("output.pdf");

Imports PuppeteerSharp

' Download the latest version of the Chromium browser
Await (New BrowserFetcher()).DownloadAsync(BrowserFetcher.DefaultRevision)

' Launch a new browser instance
Dim browser = Await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(New LaunchOptions With {.Headless = True})

' Open a new page
Dim page = Await browser.NewPageAsync()

' Navigate to the web page to be converted
Await page.GoToAsync("http://www.google.com")

' Convert the web page to a PDF
Await page.PdfAsync("output.pdf")

With IronPDF, you can generate a PDF file from HTML content in just a few lines of code. Its support for modern web standards ensures that you will get pixel-perfect PDFs every time. Puppeteer, while able to generate PDFs from web content in a short block of code, could appear more complex to someone not familiar with it.

If you want to explore more of IronPDF's HTML to PDF conversion capabilities, be sure to check out its handy how-to guides on this topic.

Encrypting PDF Files

IronPDF Example:

using IronPdf;

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

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

// Edit file security settings
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;

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

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

// Edit file security settings
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

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

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

' Edit file security settings
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")

Puppeteer Sharp: Not natively supported; requires additional libraries.

IronPDF can handle PDF encryption with ease, making it simple to ensure your PDF files are secure. Puppeteer Sharp doesn't offer any native support for PDF encryption, so you will have to use separate libraries if you want to encrypt your PDF files.

For further exploration of how IronPDF handles PDF security and metadata without additional dependencies, be sure to read more in their how-to guides.

Redacting PDF Content

IronPDF Example:

using IronPdf;

// Load the existing PDF document
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("novel.pdf");

// Redact specific text from all pages
pdf.RedactTextOnAllPages("are");
pdf.SaveAs("redacted.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Load the existing PDF document
PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("novel.pdf");

// Redact specific text from all pages
pdf.RedactTextOnAllPages("are");
pdf.SaveAs("redacted.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

' Load the existing PDF document
Private pdf As PdfDocument = PdfDocument.FromFile("novel.pdf")

' Redact specific text from all pages
pdf.RedactTextOnAllPages("are")
pdf.SaveAs("redacted.pdf")

Puppeteer Sharp: Not natively supported.

IronPDF handles PDF redaction tasks smoothly, allowing you to redact text in just a few lines of code. Puppeteer lacks PDF redaction capabilities, so other libraries like iText, IronPDF, or Aspose.PDF are needed for this feature.

Check out IronPDF's how-to guide for more on PDF redaction.

Digitally Signing PDF Files

IronPDF Example:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

' Create the PDF document
Private renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
Private pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>foo</h1>")

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

' Create a PDF signature object
Private sig = New PdfSignature(cert)

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

Puppeteer Sharp: Requires external libraries for signing PDFs.

IronPDF directly supports PDF signing, making PDF signing tasks easy to automate. Puppeteer requires external libraries for this feature.

Explore IronPDF's various methods for PDF signing in their how-to guide.

Applying Custom Watermarks

IronPDF Example:

using IronPdf;

// Stamp 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;

// Stamp 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

' Stamp 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")

Puppeteer Sharp: No native support for watermarking.

IronPDF allows you to apply custom watermarks with ease using HTML/CSS. Puppeteer offers no native support for watermarking.

For more information on using IronPDF's watermarking tool, visit the how-to guide.

Stamping Text and Images onto PDF Documents

IronPDF Example:

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Editing;

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

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

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

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Editing;

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

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

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

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Editing

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

' Create a 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
}

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

Puppeteer Sharp: Lacks native support for stamping.

IronPDF allows easy stamping of text and images onto PDFs using HTML/CSS-like code. Puppeteer doesn't offer direct support for this feature.

Learn more about stamping text and images on PDFs via IronPDF's how-to guide.

DOCX to PDF Conversion

IronPDF Example:

using IronPdf;

// Instantiate Renderer
DocxToPdfRenderer renderer = new DocxToPdfRenderer();

// Render DOCX file to PDF
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderDocxAsPdf("Modern-chronological-resume.docx");

// Save the PDF
pdf.SaveAs("pdfFromDocx.pdf");

using IronPdf;

// Instantiate Renderer
DocxToPdfRenderer renderer = new DocxToPdfRenderer();

// Render DOCX file to PDF
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderDocxAsPdf("Modern-chronological-resume.docx");

// Save the PDF
pdf.SaveAs("pdfFromDocx.pdf");

Imports IronPdf

' Instantiate Renderer
Private renderer As New DocxToPdfRenderer()

' Render DOCX file to PDF
Private pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderDocxAsPdf("Modern-chronological-resume.docx")

' Save the PDF
pdf.SaveAs("pdfFromDocx.pdf")

Puppeteer Sharp: No direct support for DOCX to PDF conversion.

IronPDF enables DOCX to PDF conversion with a straightforward code setup. Puppeteer doesn't support this directly, requiring additional libraries.

Explore IronPDF's how-to guide for more details on DOCX to PDF conversion.

Summary of the Code Examples Comparison

Pricing and Licensing: IronPDF vs. Puppeteer Sharp

IronPDF Pricing and Licensing

IronPDF offers various levels and additional features for purchasing a license. Developers can buy Iron Suite, accessing all of IronSoftware’s products at the price of two. You can also try a free trial lasting 30 days.

• Perpetual licenses: Offers a range of perpetual licenses depending on your team size, project needs, and number of locations, all with email support.
• Lite License: Costs $liteLicense for one developer, one location, and one project.
• Plus License: Supports three developers, three locations, and three projects for $1,499, with chat and phone support.
• Professional License: Suitable for larger teams, supports ten developers, ten locations, and ten projects for $2,999, also offering screen-sharing support.
• Royalty-free redistribution: For an extra $1,999.
• Uninterrupted product support: $999/year or a one-time $1,999 for 5-year coverage.
• Iron Suite: $1,498 for all Iron Software products, including those like IronOCR, IronWord, etc.

Puppeteer Sharp

Puppeteer Sharp is a free-to-use tool, being a community-based project licensed under the MIT License. While budget-friendly, it offers significantly fewer features compared to paid competitors like IronPDF.

Documentation and Support: IronPDF vs. Puppeteer Sharp

IronPDF

• Comprehensive Documentation: Extensive and user-friendly documentation.
• 24/5 Support: Active engineer support.
• Video Tutorials: Available on YouTube.
• Community Forum: Engaged community and helpful Slack channel.
• Regular Updates: Monthly product updates.
• PDF API reference: Provides API references to maximize utility.

Puppeteer Sharp

• GitHub: Houses code examples, resources, and support issues.
• API Documentation: Extensive documentation with code examples.
• Blog: Offers blog posts, though not recently updated.
• Slack: Support through their Slack channel.

Conclusion

Each library offers different levels of support, documentation, pricing, and features. Some like IronPDF come with a rich set of features and comprehensive documentation, while others like Puppeteer Sharp may offer fewer but more specialized features at a lower or no cost.

Puppeteer Sharp specializes in controlling a headless Chrome or Chromium, focusing on browser automation and HTML to PDF conversion. It is ideal where browser control is necessary like scraping or automating web tasks. Although it has fewer features, it's budget-friendly and familiar to those in Puppeteer’s ecosystem.

IronPDF offers a comprehensive PDF library that handles a range of tasks without additional dependencies. You can generate, merge, split, and encrypt PDFs, among other tasks. Its documentation and support make it suitable for those needing advanced PDF manipulation.

You can try the 30-day free trial to check out their available features.