Stirling-PDF
Merge, split, edit and convert PDFs in your own instance.
New to this? What open source means and how to read this page.
What it is
A PDF toolbox you can self-host: merge, split, rotate, compress, OCR, sign and convert, all in one web interface.
Good for
Everyday PDF work without uploading private documents to a random website.
The catch
The repository is MIT, but some directories are under a separate proprietary license. Check which features you use. Heavy page editing is less polished than Acrobat.
Stirling-PDF versus Adobe Acrobat
The paid product's own plans and terms change. Check its site before you decide.
Install it with an AI assistant
Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant that can work on your computer (Claude Code or Claude Desktop, for example). It is written from the project's official repository and tells the assistant to show you every command first. Setup time is our estimate: about 10 min.
I want to install and try Stirling-PDF on my own computer. Official repository: https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF Official site: https://stirling.com License: MIT with some proprietary parts Before you do anything: 1. Read the README and install notes in the official repository above, and nothing else. Do not follow third-party tutorials or mirrors. 2. Tell me in plain words what will be installed, what it needs (operating system, memory, graphics card, disk space, accounts) and what it will cost me, if anything. 3. Check my computer against those needs and tell me honestly if it will not work well. Run it with Docker. First check whether Docker is installed and running, and if it is not, guide me through installing Docker Desktop. Use the official Docker or compose instructions from the README, keep the data in a volume so it survives updates, and tell me the address to open in my browser. Tell me how much memory and disk it will use, and how to remove it cleanly. Rules: - Show me each command before you run it, and say what it does. - Ask before anything that deletes files, changes system settings, opens a network port or needs an administrator password. - Never put my passwords or keys on a command line, or in a file I did not choose. - When it is installed, help me check it with one small test, and tell me how to start and stop it. - If something goes wrong, explain it in plain words and do not guess your way around it. Good to know before you start: The repository is MIT, but some directories are under a separate proprietary license. Check which features you use. Heavy page editing is less polished than Acrobat.
We have not run this prompt ourselves yet. Read what the assistant plans to do before you say yes.
Facts checked on 12 October 2026. We have not yet run a hands-on test of this tool. When we do, it gets a "Tested" mark here. Approximate US list prices for an individual plan, from third-party price trackers checked on 12 Oct 2026. Monthly billing where it exists. Regions, taxes and promotions change them. Confirm at the vendor before you decide.
