pdfrender vs Gotenberg

Gotenberg is excellent, and if "run it yourself" is what you want, you should: it is a mature open-source project that packages Chromium and LibreOffice behind a clean HTTP API in one Docker image, with no per-render cost. The comparison is not features — it is who operates the renderer. With Gotenberg that is you: keeping Chromium patched, sizing memory for concurrent renders, monitoring, and upgrading. With pdfrender that is us, behind POST /v1/render.

When Gotenberg is the better fit

• You already run container infrastructure and want zero external dependencies and zero per-render cost at high volume.
• Documents may not leave your network.
• You need its Chromium (JS-executing) or LibreOffice (Office-file) conversion routes.

When pdfrender fits

• You want PDF generation this afternoon without adding a service to your infrastructure — the free tier (100 renders/month) needs no card, and €20/mo covers 10,000 renders.
• Sympathetic scale: pdfrender is itself a self-hosted-friendly, solo-operator service — small, boring, honest — so the economics stay simple instead of enterprise-shaped.
• You want the MCP server and metered API keys without building either around a raw renderer.

Try pdfrender free — or start with the no-signup browser tool.

FAQ

Is Gotenberg free?

Yes — it is open source under the MIT licence and self-hosted, so there is no per-render cost. What it costs is operator time: patching Chromium, sizing memory for concurrent renders, monitoring and upgrading.

When is self-hosting Gotenberg the better choice?

At sustained high volume when you already run container infrastructure, and whenever documents may not leave your network. pdfrender wins on operator time at low to moderate volume.

Can pdfrender do the Office-file conversion Gotenberg does?

No. Gotenberg bundles LibreOffice for Office documents and Chromium for JavaScript-executing pages. pdfrender is HTML to PDF only.