Choosing the Right IronPDF Version for Projects

January 19, 2022

Updated June 1, 2025

I see there are a few different versions of IronPDF. How do I know which one is the best for me?

To avoid missing dependencies issues it is not recommended to use IronPdf.Slim. However, IronPdf.Slim is highly useful when the targeted OS is unknown. To allow Windows, Linux, or macOS dependencies to be downloaded at run-time IronPdf.Installation.AutomaticallyDownloadNativeBinaries must be set to true.

Please note that for IronPdf.Slim, apart from being portable, it will not save the user any space at run-time. IronPdf relies on two dependencies: IronPdf.Slim (contains IronPdf.dll) and IronPdf.Native.Chrome (contains the Chrome (default) renderer) based on the platform. For example, in a Windows environment at run-time, IronPdf.Native.Chrome.Windows will be downloaded. In Linux, IronPdf.Native.Chrome.Linux will be downloaded, and for macOS, depending on which processor is being used, either IronPdf.Native.Chrome.MacOS or IronPdf.Native.Chrome.MacOS.ARM will be downloaded.

IronPdf

https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf/

Contains Windows-specific dependencies for Chrome (default) renderer
Default package that will download Windows-specific dependencies at runtime
Defaults to Chrome renderer
Supports ALL platforms, but the Windows platform will work without any additional downloads
Useful for Windows users or default users. OK TO USE ON ALL PLATFORMS

IronPdf.Slim

https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf.Slim/

Does NOT include Windows, Linux, or macOS specific dependencies
Windows, Linux, or macOS dependencies will be downloaded at run-time
Defaults to Chrome renderer on all platforms unless otherwise specified
Useful for cross-platform solutions which want to download platform-specific dependencies at run-time
Supports ALL platforms, but platform-specific dependencies will be downloaded the first time the program is run
Useful for AWS Lambda or highly portable applications where the target platform is unknown

Installation instruction:

Set AutomaticallyDownloadNativeBinaries to true. (API reference) This will enable Windows, Linux, or macOS dependencies to be downloaded at run-time.

// Enable automatic downloading of platform-specific dependencies
IronPdf.Installation.AutomaticallyDownloadNativeBinaries = true;

// Enable automatic downloading of platform-specific dependencies
IronPdf.Installation.AutomaticallyDownloadNativeBinaries = true;

' Enable automatic downloading of platform-specific dependencies
IronPdf.Installation.AutomaticallyDownloadNativeBinaries = True

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IronPdf.Linux

https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf.Linux/

Contains Linux-specific dependencies for the Chrome (default) renderer
Defaults to Chrome renderer
Supports ALL platforms, but the Linux platform will work without any additional downloads
Useful for Linux power-users, specifically Docker and cloud users