Best Open-Source PDF Editor Tools You Can Host on Your Own Server

Also if you don’t manipulate PDFs every day, odds are you occupational via them at least as shortly as a week. The fuss is, most PDF tools are either limited in services or come via hefty subscription charges. And if you care about solitude, uploading breakable records to some random cloud option is most certainly not the strongest notion.
This is in which self-hosted, amenable-source PDF editors come in. They existing you full readjust over your documents, retain your information personal, and also universally adversary (or even vanquished) the manipulate of saleable tools. Plus, the majority of of these jobs can be deployed in just a few mins making manipulate of Docker.
Listed below are some of the strongest amenable-source PDF editor tools you can host on your exceptionally own web server.
Table of Contents
- 1. Stirling-PDF
- 2. PdfDing
- 3. OnlyOffice
- 4. Collabora Digital
1. Stirling-PDF
If I owned to pick just one self-hosted amenable-source PDF editor tool, Stirling-PDF would most certainly be it. This tool is an all-in-one Swiss Squad sword for PDF manipulation. It’s prefabricated to be lightweight, ridiculously utility-wanton, via a spick-and also-span and also instinctive borrower interface. It can pleasantly coordinate charitable records and also protocol them without standoff without consuming inordinate mechanism resources.
Secret Amenities
- Join and also hole PDFs via a few clicks.
- Convert PDFs to images (and also vice versa).
- Revolve, reorder, and also separate pages.
- Compress charitable records without killing quality.
- Contain text, watermarks, tabs, and also electronic signatures.
- Assistances OCR for revolving scanned images relevant into searchable text.
- Contain or retrieve rid of passwords, scheme borrower consents.
- Compare 2 PDF records and also establish equalizes.
It’s designed to be sprinted in Docker, which standards you can have it upwards and also sprinting in under five mins. Merely tug the image, map your deportment, and also you’re commendable to go. You can also manipulate a paltry Docker Develop document issued by Stirling-PDF.

Stirling-PDF executes not have a committed phone app or official phone individual , but you can pleasantly manipulate it on your phone phone’s web browser. Merely enter the web server’s IP address or domain, and also manipulate Stirling-PDF just pick an app.
2. PdfDing
Opposite Stirling-PDF, which deals a extensive workshop full of every PDF tool, PdfDing deals you via a net borrower interface that is much less about explained paper dealing with. It is more about integrated content editing and also strengthening such as matching text, matching images, and also containing tabs.
Secret Amenities
- Humble drag-and also-depreciate editing and also strengthening.
- Join, hole, and also reorder pages aesthetically.
- Password-preserve or retrieve rid of restraints from PDFs.
- Inalienable note strengthen such as stressing text, containing muggy tabs, slide freehand, and also others.
- Works commendable on both desktop and also phone internet browsers.
- It’s commendable for constructing your library too—tag records, scour without standoff, and also creep glimpse without downloading and also install.
- Makes it possible for you to relevant designate and also edit existing text blocks.
- Contain, retrieve rid of, or reposition images within the paper.
Merely pick Stirling-PDF, PdfDing is also Docker-pleasant. You can just tug the mrmn/pdfding image, sprinted it via easy commands, map the deportment and also that’s it. Presently you can access it via localhost or from your IP address. Since the image is smaller sized and also telephone refers to as for limited arrangement, you can pleasantly avail it sprinting on little memory goods pick Raspberry Pi 4 without any kind of functionality priorities.

PdfDing is fully web browser-based, so you can access it on your phone’s web browser by entering your web server IP address.
3. OnlyOffice
You can already construed OnlyOffice as a full-fledged workplace play defile holistic to Microsoft Office or Google Office. But what the majority of world don’t realize is that it also requires robust PDF editing and also strengthening capacities. In fact, it’s one of the few amenable-source establishments that lets you edit PDFs in a word processor-pick borrower interface.
Secret Amenities
- Modify text relevant inside PDFs (not just annotate).
- Contain tabs, emphasizes, and also shapes.
- Indicator PDFs online.
- Convert PDFs to DOCX, ODT, or opposite other editable layouts.
- Create fillable forms from scratch.
- Integrates via belvederes pick Nextcloud, Seafile, and also ownCloud.
- Plenty of customers can occupational on the exceptionally same PDF all at once, via real-time equalizes and also commenting.
- Bow-oomph toolbar renders situating purposes instinctive.
- Retains original layout, fonts, and also images as shortly as converting PDFs to DOCX.
- Revise paragraphs, adjust format, insert tables, and also more making manipulate of its proceeded word processor.
Deploying OnlyOffice via Docker is straightforward, thanks to the spick-and also-span official images issued. But, you can also manipulate the Docker Develop arrangement issued by the developers to render release fuss-cost-free even for much less skilled customers.

Further, if you’re already self-realizing Nextcloud or one more document-sharing lookout, containing OnlyOffice provides you a seamless paper editing and also strengthening ordeal. There is one demeaning component though – it’s more resource intensive than the opposite other tools on this list. You’ll need a commendable web server to sprinted it conveniently. But if you pine a one-stop storefront for all your workplace ultimatums, it’s hard to vanquished.
4. Collabora Digital
If you’re a fanatic of LibreOffice, you’ll love Collabora Digital. It’s basically a net-based incarnation of LibreOffice, designed for self-hosted ambiences. And indeed, that standards you avail PDF strengthen as portion of the scheme.
Collabora is designed for assimilation. Plenty of self-hosted, for instance, integrate Collabora via Nextcloud to invent a diligent, self-hosted holistic to Google Drive and also Google Docs. Its dealing with of PDFs is spick-and also-span, letting loose a seamless footway between the dealt with-layout cosmos of PDFs and also the liquid, editable cosmos of workplace documents.
Secret Amenities
- Open and also annotate PDFs relevant in the web browser.
- Contain text, tabs, emphasizes, and also shapes.
- Export PDFs relevant into editable text layouts.
- Real-time teamwork via multiple customers.
- Deep assimilation via Nextcloud and also ownCloud.
Deploying Collabora Digital via Docker is the prescribed way. The developers lend a nicely-upheld Docker image. Usually, you’ll sprinted it along with one more option pick Nextcloud, and also the 2 canisters will be affixed with each other making manipulate of a Docker Develop document.

Collabora can be resource-intensive, especially via multiple simultaneous customers. I propose at least 4 GB of RAM for comfy protocol, more if you’re decoction to strengthen the majority of synchronic editors.
Last bargain: Self-realizing a PDF editor comes via insurance coverage obligations, especially provided that these tools universally coordinate breakable documents. To stay upheld, constantly manipulate authentication and also encryption, ideally by interjecting the option behind a retract proxy pick Nginx or Traefik.
Final recommendations
Each tool I’ve spaned bargains dissimilar ultimatums, but they all share public top qualities: certainly no ongoing subscription spendings, diligent information solitude, and also customization chances that saleable establishments can’t match. Although the first arrangement can really feel horrible, it remunerations dividends in the long sprinted, both financially and also in specification of capacity.
You can earn a choice whichever tools you pick, or even sprinted multiple solutions, provided that Docker renders it straightforward to exam multiple recourses, and also you can even locate yourself making manipulate of dissimilar tools for dissimilar purposes.
Further, if you have most scanned prices, invoices, or invaluable letters sitting in a folder on your computer system that is inaccessible to scour via, then also try realizing the Paperless-ngx tool on your web server. This tool ingests your documents, utilizations OCR to read the text, and also then immediately tags and also sorts them for you, supplying everything immediately searchable.