When it comes to rendering PDF documents in the browser, PDF.js has become a go-to solution for developers. This open-source JavaScript library is designed to enable seamless online viewing and searching of PDF files, making it a powerful tool for many web applications.
However, as with any technology, it has its strengths and weaknesses. People need to find alternatives for the following disadvantages.
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Limited Functionalities
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Image Rendering Limitation
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Slow Large File Processing.
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No direct technical support.
PDF.JS VS 7 Alternatives - General Comparison
The following table compares PDF.js with seven other alternatives on some general sides. Each of them was created for a different purpose. However, if you need a continuously updated and feature-rich PDF library, you need to look for a commercial PDF library like ComPDFKit.
PDF.js Alternatives: Comparing Pros & Cons in Detail
1. ComPDFKit
ComPDFKit is a commercial JavaScript PDF library, which is the best alternative for PDF.js according to the following advantages.
Pros:
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Extensive Functionality: ComPDFKit offers a broad spectrum of PDF capabilities, including viewing, editing, annotating, form handling, signing, redacting, and more, which are crucial for applications requiring PDF support.
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Easy Integration: Provides numerous deployment methods, integration guides, and low-code development platforms.
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Customization Options: Includes default UI and customization possibilities, allowing developers to adjust features and user experience to meet application requirements.
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Frequent Updates: Features are updated in line with market demands.
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Multi-Platform Availability: Compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, supporting a wide range of devices.
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Non-Developer Friendly: Accessible on iPaaS and RPA platforms for users who process documents without the need for integration.
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Technical Support: Timely technical support and sales consultation services offer a tailored PDF Library experience for customers.
Cons:
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Pricing: ComPDFKit is not free, but the pricing is relatively competitive.
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Brand: ComPDFKit is relatively new in the market. (Initially focused on developing and selling PDF reading and editing apps, the company has only recently begun offering their technology as SDK packages, potentially making their pricing more favorable compared to other commercial SDKs.)
2. jsPDF
jsPDF is a client-side JavaScript library for generating PDF files, allowing users to create PDF documents.
Pros:
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It allows for the creation of genuine PDFs that can include text, images, and vector graphics, ensuring that the output is of high quality and versatile.
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Since it operates entirely on the client side, there is no need for server-side processing or backend integration, simplifying deployment and reducing server load.
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Users can directly download the PDFs created, providing a seamless and instant download experience.
Cons:
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The library does not offer PDF rendering capabilities, so you cannot use it to display or view PDFs.
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It provides limited options for UI customization.
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The lack of support for CSS or HTML styles.
3. PDFKit
PDFKit is a library for creating PDF documents, making it easy to produce complex, multi-page, printable documents.
Pros:
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Supports custom fonts, vector graphics, and interactive documents.
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Provides basic annotation features.
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Suitable for Node and Firefox (due to support for Webpack, which can introduce various new issues that are hard to find solutions for online).
Cons:
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Slightly complex to use.
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Default wkhtmltopdf usage can lead to high memory consumption and result in corruption.
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Generating large documents can cause performance degradation.
4. pdfmake
pdfmake is a PDF library built around PDFKit, primarily enhancing the library's ease of use.
Pros:
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Declarative Syntax: The library adopts a declarative programming style, which simplifies usage compared to the more complex PDFKit.
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Custom Font Support: It allows the incorporation of custom fonts, providing flexibility in text display.
Cons:
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PDFKit Dependency: Since pdfmake is built on top of PDFKit, any limitations of PDFKit might affect its performance and capabilities.
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Complexity in Use: Despite its enhancements, some users may still find it difficult to utilize effectively.
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Image Handling Issues: Processing images can be cumbersome, posing challenges during PDF creation.
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Browser Compatibility: Users might encounter compatibility problems with older web browsers, potentially limiting the usability across different environments.
5. pdf-lib
pdf-lib is a library for generating and editing PDFs implemented in Typescript.
Pros:
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Can store font data using Uint8Array and ArrayBuffer.
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Features offer differentiation from other libraries, including editing document pages.
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Supports embedding font files using Uint8Array and ArrayBuffer.
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The library performs well.
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Can be used with Webpack.
Cons:
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Somewhat complex to use. Layout requires calculation.
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Some API methods used are outdated.
6. react-pdf
react-pdf is a popular PDF viewing library for the React framework.
Pros:
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Easy Integration: React-PDF is straightforward to add to your project, making it a convenient choice for developers.
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Flexible Customization: The library offers extensive options for customization, allowing developers to tailor the PDF viewer to their needs.
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Full React Compatibility: Being fully compatible with the React framework ensures seamless operation within React apps.
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CSS Styling Support: Developers can apply CSS styles to the PDF viewer, providing consistent styling across the application.
Cons:
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PDF.js Dependency: React-PDF is built on PDF.js, which may introduce some limitations inherent to that library.
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Lacks Default UI: The library does not come with a built-in user interface, requiring developers to implement their own.
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Limitation to Reading Features: React-PDF focuses solely on reading/viewing PDFs, lacking features for editing or manipulation.
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Framework Restriction: The library is specifically designed for React and cannot be used with other frameworks.
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Potential Browser Compatibility Issues: Users might encounter issues on older browsers, as the library may not fully support them.
7. ng2-pdf-viewer
ng2-pdf-viewer is an Angular library that allows you to embed a PDF viewer in your application.
Pros:
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Ease of Use: ng2-pdf-viewer is straightforward to integrate within Angular applications, making it developer-friendly.
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Customizability: Offers options to customize the viewer according to project requirements, such as customizing toolbar, navigation controls, and zoom functionality.
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Performance Optimization: Provides features like lazy loading and page-by-page rendering, enhancing performance, particularly for large PDFs.
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Active Maintenance: The library is actively maintained, meaning regular updates and bug fixes are available, which improves reliability and security.
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Wide Support: Compatible with various Angular versions, allowing for easy integration across different projects.
Cons:
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Limited Features: Compared to some other PDF libraries, it may lack advanced features such as annotations, form handling, or text extraction.
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Dependence on Third-Party Libraries: Relies on pdf.js, and any issues or limitations with pdf.js can affect ng2-pdf-viewer's functionality.
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Performance with Large PDFs: While optimized, very large or complex PDFs can still cause performance issues or slow down rendering.
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Browser Compatibility: There may be inconsistencies in performance or appearance across different browsers, requiring additional testing and adjustments.
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Learning Curve: For developers unfamiliar with Angular or pdf.js, there might be a slight learning curve to fully utilize all features and integrations.
Conclusion
By now, you may be familiar with the popular PDF.js alternatives in the market and have selected the PDF library that best suits your needs. For customers who require more advanced document editing features in the future, I recommend considering commercial web platform PDF libraries, such as ComPDFKit.