MIGRATION GUIDES

How to Migrate from PeachPDF to IronPDF in C#

Published:February 1, 2026

Migrating from PeachPDF to IronPDF provides access to enterprise-grade PDF generation with comprehensive features, active development, and professional support. This guide provides a complete, step-by-step migration path that transforms your basic HTML-to-PDF workflow into a full-featured PDF solution with modern Chromium rendering, advanced security options, and extensive manipulation capabilities.

Why Migrate from PeachPDF to IronPDF

Understanding PeachPDF

PeachPDF is a relatively new entrant in the .NET ecosystem designed for developers who need to convert HTML to PDF. As a library, PeachPDF promises a pure .NET implementation, setting itself apart by not relying on external processes, ensuring it can be seamlessly integrated across platforms where .NET is supported. This characteristic positions PeachPDF as an appealing choice for projects looking for a lightweight, managed library solution.

Despite its potential, PeachPDF is still in development, highlighting both exciting possibilities and notable limitations. PeachPDF remains enticing because of its pure .NET core, which promises straightforward deployment in diverse environments. However, it also translates into limited adoption, with a smaller user base and community-driven support.

The Limitations of PeachPDF

PeachPDF is a relatively new, lesser-known PDF library that lacks the maturity, features, and support of established solutions. Key reasons to migrate:

Limited Feature Set: PeachPDF lacks advanced features like digital signatures, PDF/A compliance, and sophisticated text extraction.
Small Community: Limited documentation, examples, and community support. With a smaller user base, community support may be sparse, making it challenging to get assistance or find extensive documentation.
Uncertain Future: New libraries without established track records carry adoption risk.
Basic HTML Support: Limited CSS and JavaScript rendering capabilities.
No Enterprise Support: No professional support or SLA options.

PeachPDF vs IronPDF Comparison

Feature/Characteristic	PeachPDF	IronPDF
Implementation	Pure .NET	Managed with broad compatibility
License	Open Source (BSD-3-Clause)	Commercial
User Base	Small	Large (40M+ downloads)
Support	Community-driven	Professional with dedicated support
HTML Rendering	Basic	Full Chromium
CSS Support	Limited	Full CSS3
JavaScript	Basic	Full ES2024
Digital Signatures	No	Yes
PDF/A Compliance	No	Yes
Documentation	Limited	Extensive
Development Status	In development	Mature, stable release

IronPDF stands out with broader functionality, supporting not just HTML-to-PDF conversions but also OCR, watermarking, and other advanced features. Its professional support structure is a definite advantage, offering quick resolutions to issues faced by developers.

For teams planning .NET 10 and C# 14 adoption through 2025 and 2026, IronPDF provides comprehensive features and active maintenance that ensure long-term stability and compatibility with modern .NET frameworks.

Before You Start

Prerequisites

.NET Environment: .NET Framework 4.6.2+ or .NET Core 3.1+ / .NET 5/6/7/8/9+
NuGet Access: Ability to install NuGet packages
IronPDF License: Obtain your license key from ironpdf.com

NuGet Package Changes

# Remove PeachPDF
dotnet remove package PeachPDF

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

# Remove PeachPDF
dotnet remove package PeachPDF

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

SHELL

License Configuration

// Add at application startup
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

// Add at application startup
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

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Identify PeachPDF Usage

# Audit PeachPDF usage in codebase
grep -r "using PeachPDF" --include="*.cs" .
grep -r "HtmlToPdfConverter\|Convert\|ConvertUrl" --include="*.cs" .

# Audit PeachPDF usage in codebase
grep -r "using PeachPDF" --include="*.cs" .
grep -r "HtmlToPdfConverter\|Convert\|ConvertUrl" --include="*.cs" .

SHELL

Complete API Reference

Namespace Changes

// Before: PeachPDF
using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

// After: IronPDF
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

// Before: PeachPDF
using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

// After: IronPDF
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

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Core API Mappings

PeachPDF	IronPDF	Notes
`new HtmlToPdfConverter()`	`new ChromePdfRenderer()`	Create renderer
`converter.Convert(html)`	`renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)`	HTML to PDF
`converter.ConvertUrl(url)`	`renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url)`	URL to PDF
`converter.Header`	`renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader`	Header content
`converter.Footer`	`renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter`	Footer content
`File.WriteAllBytes(path, pdf)`	`pdf.SaveAs(path)`	Save file
`pdf` (byte[])	`pdf.BinaryData`	Get bytes
`PdfReader.LoadFromFile(path)`	`PdfDocument.FromFile(path)`	Load PDF
`document.MergeWith(other)`	`PdfDocument.Merge(pdfs)`	Merge PDFs

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML String to PDF Conversion

Before (PeachPDF):

using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = converter.Convert(html);
        File.WriteAllBytes("output.pdf", pdf);
    }
}

using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = converter.Convert(html);
        File.WriteAllBytes("output.pdf", pdf);
    }
}

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After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

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This example demonstrates the fundamental difference between the two libraries. PeachPDF uses HtmlToPdfConverter with a Convert() method that returns a byte[], requiring File.WriteAllBytes() for saving. IronPDF uses ChromePdfRenderer with RenderHtmlAsPdf() that returns a PdfDocument object with a built-in SaveAs() method.

The key advantages of IronPDF's approach: the PdfDocument object can be further manipulated (adding watermarks, merging, security settings) before saving, whereas PeachPDF's byte array is a final output. IronPDF's approach offers cleaner syntax and better integration with modern .NET applications. See the HTML to PDF documentation for comprehensive examples.

Example 2: URL to PDF Conversion

Before (PeachPDF):

using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        var url = "https://www.example.com";
        var pdf = converter.ConvertUrl(url);
        File.WriteAllBytes("webpage.pdf", pdf);
    }
}

using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        var url = "https://www.example.com";
        var pdf = converter.ConvertUrl(url);
        File.WriteAllBytes("webpage.pdf", pdf);
    }
}

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After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var url = "https://www.example.com";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var url = "https://www.example.com";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

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PeachPDF uses ConvertUrl() while IronPDF uses RenderUrlAsPdf(). The method naming in IronPDF is more descriptive—it explicitly indicates that a URL is being rendered as a PDF. Both libraries handle URL-to-PDF conversion similarly, but IronPDF's full Chromium engine provides superior rendering of modern web pages with complex CSS and JavaScript. Learn more in our tutorials.

Example 3: Adding Headers and Footers

Before (PeachPDF):

using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        converter.Header = "<div style='text-align:center'>My Header</div>";
        converter.Footer = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page}</div>";
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = converter.Convert(html);
        File.WriteAllBytes("document.pdf", pdf);
    }
}

using PeachPDF;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
        converter.Header = "<div style='text-align:center'>My Header</div>";
        converter.Footer = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page}</div>";
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = converter.Convert(html);
        File.WriteAllBytes("document.pdf", pdf);
    }
}

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After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>My Header</div>" };
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page}</div>" };
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("document.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>My Header</div>" };
        renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter() { HtmlFragment = "<div style='text-align:center'>Page {page}</div>" };
        var html = "<html><body><h1>Document Content</h1></body></html>";
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
        pdf.SaveAs("document.pdf");
    }
}

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This example shows a key architectural difference. PeachPDF uses simple string properties (converter.Header and converter.Footer) for headers and footers. IronPDF uses HtmlHeaderFooter objects assigned to RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader and RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter.

The IronPDF approach offers more flexibility—HtmlHeaderFooter objects can include additional properties like MaxHeight for controlling header/footer size. Note that both libraries use {page} as the page number placeholder. IronPDF also supports {total-pages} for total page count.

Note the additional namespace required for IronPDF: using IronPdf.Rendering; is needed for the HtmlHeaderFooter class.

Critical Migration Notes

Converter Class Change

PeachPDF uses HtmlToPdfConverter; IronPDF uses ChromePdfRenderer:

// PeachPDF
var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();

// IronPDF
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// PeachPDF
var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();

// IronPDF
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

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Return Type Change

PeachPDF returns byte[]; IronPDF returns PdfDocument:

// PeachPDF: Returns byte array
byte[] pdf = converter.Convert(html);
File.WriteAllBytes("output.pdf", pdf);

// IronPDF: Returns PdfDocument object
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
// Or get bytes: byte[] bytes = pdf.BinaryData;

// PeachPDF: Returns byte array
byte[] pdf = converter.Convert(html);
File.WriteAllBytes("output.pdf", pdf);

// IronPDF: Returns PdfDocument object
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
// Or get bytes: byte[] bytes = pdf.BinaryData;

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Header/Footer Property Change

// PeachPDF: Simple string properties
converter.Header = "<div>Header</div>";
converter.Footer = "<div>Footer</div>";

// IronPDF: HtmlHeaderFooter objects
renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter() 
{ 
    HtmlFragment = "<div>Header</div>" 
};
renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter() 
{ 
    HtmlFragment = "<div>Footer</div>" 
};

// PeachPDF: Simple string properties
converter.Header = "<div>Header</div>";
converter.Footer = "<div>Footer</div>";

// IronPDF: HtmlHeaderFooter objects
renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader = new HtmlHeaderFooter() 
{ 
    HtmlFragment = "<div>Header</div>" 
};
renderer.RenderingOptions.HtmlFooter = new HtmlHeaderFooter() 
{ 
    HtmlFragment = "<div>Footer</div>" 
};

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Method Name Changes

PeachPDF	IronPDF
`Convert(html)`	`RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)`
`ConvertUrl(url)`	`RenderUrlAsPdf(url)`
`File.WriteAllBytes()`	`SaveAs()`

New Capabilities After Migration

After migrating to IronPDF, you gain capabilities that PeachPDF cannot provide:

PDF Merging

var pdf1 = PdfDocument.FromFile("doc1.pdf");
var pdf2 = PdfDocument.FromFile("doc2.pdf");
var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdf1, pdf2);
merged.SaveAs("merged.pdf");

var pdf1 = PdfDocument.FromFile("doc1.pdf");
var pdf2 = PdfDocument.FromFile("doc2.pdf");
var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdf1, pdf2);
merged.SaveAs("merged.pdf");

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Watermarks with HTML

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");
pdf.ApplyWatermark("<div style='color: red; font-size: 48pt;'>DRAFT</div>");
pdf.SaveAs("watermarked.pdf");

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");
pdf.ApplyWatermark("<div style='color: red; font-size: 48pt;'>DRAFT</div>");
pdf.SaveAs("watermarked.pdf");

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Password Protection

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Confidential</h1>");

pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "owner123";
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "user123";
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint;

pdf.SaveAs("protected.pdf");

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Confidential</h1>");

pdf.SecuritySettings.OwnerPassword = "owner123";
pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "user123";
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserCopyPasteContent = false;
pdf.SecuritySettings.AllowUserPrinting = PdfPrintSecurity.NoPrint;

pdf.SaveAs("protected.pdf");

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Digital Signatures

using IronPdf.Signing;

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");
var signature = new PdfSignature("certificate.pfx", "password")
{
    SigningReason = "Document Approval",
    SigningLocation = "New York"
};
pdf.Sign(signature);
pdf.SaveAs("signed.pdf");

using IronPdf.Signing;

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document.pdf");
var signature = new PdfSignature("certificate.pfx", "password")
{
    SigningReason = "Document Approval",
    SigningLocation = "New York"
};
pdf.Sign(signature);
pdf.SaveAs("signed.pdf");

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Async Operations

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync("<h1>Async PDF</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("async_output.pdf");

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync("<h1>Async PDF</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("async_output.pdf");

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Feature Comparison Summary

Feature	PeachPDF	IronPDF
HTML to PDF	Basic	Full Chromium
URL to PDF	Limited	Yes
CSS Grid/Flexbox	No	Yes
JavaScript	Limited	Full ES2024
Merge PDFs	Yes	Yes
Split PDFs	Limited	Yes
Watermarks	Limited	Full HTML
Headers/Footers	Basic	Full HTML
Digital Signatures	No	Yes
PDF/A	No	Yes
Form Filling	Limited	Yes
Text Extraction	Basic	Yes
Image Extraction	No	Yes
Async Support	Limited	Yes
Cross-Platform	Unknown	Yes

Common Migration Issues

Issue 1: Different API Pattern

Problem: PeachPDF uses a converter pattern with byte array output; IronPDF uses a renderer pattern with PdfDocument output.

Solution:

// PeachPDF pattern
var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
var pdf = converter.Convert(html);
File.WriteAllBytes(path, pdf);

// IronPDF pattern
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
pdf.SaveAs(path);

// PeachPDF pattern
var converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
var pdf = converter.Convert(html);
File.WriteAllBytes(path, pdf);

// IronPDF pattern
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
pdf.SaveAs(path);

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Issue 2: Save Method Difference

Problem: PeachPDF requires File.WriteAllBytes(); IronPDF has built-in SaveAs().

Solution: Replace File.WriteAllBytes("path", pdf) with pdf.SaveAs("path").

Issue 3: Header/Footer Objects

Problem: PeachPDF uses string properties; IronPDF uses object properties.

Solution: Wrap HTML strings in HtmlHeaderFooter objects with HtmlFragment property.

Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

Audit PeachPDF usage in codebase
Document custom configurations
Note all header/footer implementations
Obtain IronPDF license key from ironpdf.com
Test with IronPDF trial license first

Package Changes

Remove PeachPDF NuGet package
Install IronPdf NuGet package: dotnet add package IronPdf

Code Changes

Update namespace imports (using PeachPDF; → using IronPdf;)
Add using IronPdf.Rendering; for header/footer functionality
Replace HtmlToPdfConverter with ChromePdfRenderer
Replace converter.Convert(html) with renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)
Replace converter.ConvertUrl(url) with renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url)
Replace File.WriteAllBytes(path, pdf) with pdf.SaveAs(path)
Replace converter.Header/Footer with RenderingOptions.HtmlHeader/HtmlFooter objects
Add license initialization at application startup

Post-Migration

Test HTML rendering quality
Verify PDF output matches expectations
Test header/footer rendering with page numbers
Add new capabilities (security, watermarks, merging) as needed

Curtis Chau

Chat with engineering team now

Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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How to Migrate from PeachPDF to IronPDF in C#

Why Migrate from PeachPDF to IronPDF

Understanding PeachPDF

The Limitations of PeachPDF

PeachPDF vs IronPDF Comparison

Before You Start

Prerequisites

NuGet Package Changes

License Configuration

Identify PeachPDF Usage

Complete API Reference

Namespace Changes

Core API Mappings

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML String to PDF Conversion

Example 2: URL to PDF Conversion

Example 3: Adding Headers and Footers

Critical Migration Notes

Converter Class Change

Return Type Change

Header/Footer Property Change

Method Name Changes

New Capabilities After Migration

PDF Merging

Watermarks with HTML

Password Protection

Digital Signatures

Async Operations

Feature Comparison Summary

Common Migration Issues

Issue 1: Different API Pattern

Issue 2: Save Method Difference

Issue 3: Header/Footer Objects

Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

Package Changes

Code Changes

Post-Migration

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