Docuseal
Create, fill, and sign digital documents (alternative to DocuSign).
Docuseal vs Stirling-PDF
Two self-hosted Document Management apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Docuseal | Stirling-PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Create, fill, and sign digital documents (alternative to DocuSign). | Local hosted web application that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files, such as merging, splitting, file conversions and OCR. |
| GitHub stars | 18,993 | 95,776 |
| Forks | – | 10k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 501 |
| Commits (12 months) | 967 | 2k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | 3.3.5 (2026-11-02) | v3.2.2 (2026-10-24) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language / platform | Docker | Docker, Java |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Document Management | Document Management |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Stirling-PDF is more popular on GitHub: 95.8k stars vs 19k for Docuseal.
- Stirling-PDF had more commits in the last 12 months (1,997 vs 967).
- Docuseal published a release more recently (3.3.5 on 2026-11-02; Stirling-PDF's latest is v3.2.2 on 2026-10-24).
- Docuseal is licensed under AGPL-3.0, Stirling-PDF under Apache-2.0. Stirling-PDF's license is permissive; Docuseal's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- Stirling-PDF is written in Java; the language of Docuseal is not listed upstream.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Docuseal: Docker; Stirling-PDF: Docker.
Summary: Stirling-PDF leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Docuseal or Stirling-PDF more popular?
Stirling-PDF has more GitHub stars (95,776 vs 18,993 for Docuseal, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Docuseal or Stirling-PDF?
Stirling-PDF had more commits over the last 12 months (1,997 vs 967). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-02 for Docuseal and 2026-11-04 for Stirling-PDF. Our health labels: Docuseal is “Active”, Stirling-PDF is “Active”.
What licenses do Docuseal and Stirling-PDF use?
Docuseal: AGPL-3.0. Stirling-PDF: Apache-2.0. Stirling-PDF's license is permissive; Docuseal's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run Docuseal and Stirling-PDF with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Docuseal and Stirling-PDF. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Stirling-PDF
Local hosted web application that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files, such as merging, splitting, file conversions and OCR.
Browse all self-hosted Document Management apps.