Stop shelling out to an archived command-line tool. IronPDF is a maintained .NET library with a modern Chromium engine, real CSS3 and JavaScript, and no native binary to deploy. Convert HTML to PDF in three lines of C#.
// wkhtmltopdf: shell out to the archived command-line executable
using System.Diagnostics;
var psi = new ProcessStartInfo {
FileName = "wkhtmltopdf.exe", // ship this native binary
Arguments = "\"input.html\" \"output.pdf\"", // quote paths
UseShellExecute = false,
RedirectStandardError = true,
CreateNoWindow = true
};
using var proc = Process.Start(psi);
proc.WaitForExit();
if (proc.ExitCode != 0)
throw new Exception(proc.StandardError.ReadToEnd());
// IronPDF: a maintained managed API, no process, no native binary
using IronPdf;
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("input.html");
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports IronPdf
Dim psi = New ProcessStartInfo With {
.FileName = "wkhtmltopdf.exe", ' ship this native binary
.Arguments = """input.html"" ""output.pdf""", ' quote paths
.UseShellExecute = False,
.RedirectStandardError = True,
.CreateNoWindow = True
}
Using proc = Process.Start(psi)
proc.WaitForExit()
If proc.ExitCode <> 0 Then
Throw New Exception(proc.StandardError.ReadToEnd())
End If
End Using
Dim renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()
Dim pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("input.html")
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")
PM >
Install-Package IronPdf
One managed NuGet package deploys to Windows, Linux, Docker, Azure, and IIS without shipping or locating a wkhtmltopdf executable per platform.
Designed for C#, F#, & VB.NET running on .NET 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, Core, Standard, or Framework
Available for .NET, Java, Node.js, and Python.
wkhtmltopdf is a command-line tool built on a Qt WebKit engine frozen around 2015. Its repository was archived in January 2023 and its last release shipped in June 2020, so modern CSS gaps and known security issues stay unaddressed. In C# you deploy the native executable and drive it through System.Diagnostics.Process. IronPDF replaces that with a maintained Chromium engine behind a clean managed API, plus editing, merging, forms, and signing in the same library.
| wkhtmltopdf | IronPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Project status | Archived Jan 2023, last release Jun 2020 | Actively maintained, regular releases |
| Integration | Command-line exe via Process | Native managed .NET API |
| Deployment | Ship and locate native binary | Pure NuGet, no binary |
| Rendering engine | Qt WebKit, frozen around 2015 | Modern Chromium |
| Modern CSS / JS | No grid, limited flexbox and JS | Full CSS3, flexbox, grid, JavaScript |
| Security | Unpatched CVEs (SSRF) | Maintained and patched |
| PDF features | Convert only | Edit, merge, sign, PDF/A, watermark, extract |
| Error handling | Parse exit codes and stderr | Typed .NET exceptions |
| License and support | Free, LGPLv3, no support | Commercial, perpetual, 24/5 engineers |
Built for developers replacing an archived wkhtmltopdf command-line tool with a maintained, modern engine.
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Install-Package IronPdf
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Where in the past we might have to go out and use one plug-in or one package for OCR, and another one for PDF, having them all integrated into one low-cost package was really great for us.
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Is IronPDF a maintained alternative to wkhtmltopdf in C#?YES!
Can I convert HTML to PDF without shelling out to wkhtmltopdf.exe?YES!
Can I stop shipping and locating a native wkhtmltopdf binary?YES!
Does IronPDF render modern CSS, flexbox, grid, and JavaScript wkhtmltopdf cannot?YES!
Can I edit, merge, sign, and extract from PDFs, not only generate them?YES!
Can IronPDF replace an archived wkhtmltopdf install with security in mind?YES!
Can I render pixel-perfect PDFs from complex HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript?YES!
Can I convert an HTML string to PDF in one line of C# code?YES!
Can I convert a URL to PDF with authentication, cookies, and custom headers?YES!
Can I generate a PDF from Razor, CSHTML, or ASPX views?YES!
Can I add custom headers, footers, page numbers, and watermarks during conversion?YES!
Can I run HTML to PDF conversion in Docker, Azure Functions, or AWS Lambda?YES!
Can I deploy my application using the library to Linux, macOS, or Windows, including Docker containers?YES!
Is the library thread-safe for use in highly concurrent, multi-threaded server applications and APIs?YES!
Can I set custom viewport dimensions and print media CSS to control responsive layouts?YES!
Is IronPDF compatible with Azure Functions?YES!
Can I permanently redact sensitive text and images from PDF documents?YES!
Can I generate a PDF from a URL that requires authentication via custom headers, cookies, or form logins?YES!
Can I access PDF DOM through ObjectModel property?YES!
Can I programmatically fill, read, and flatten interactive AcroForm?YES!
Does it support generating PDF/A and PDF/UA compliant documents for archiving and accessibility standards?YES!
Can I secure a document with 256-bit AES password encryption and set user permissions?YES!
Can I apply and verify digital signatures on a PDF using X.509 certificates?YES!
Can I test IronPDF in my live project for free now?YES! 
Click here to start your 30-day free trial
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