iTextSharp C# HTML to PDF Alternative for .NET Core

For developers working with PDFs, having a reliable library for PDF generation and manipulation is essential. In the .NET ecosystem, there can be dozens of C# PDF libraries to choose from, so how are you to choose which one best fits your needs?

Selecting the appropriate library is crucial for efficient development when working with PDF functionalities in .NET applications. This article provides a detailed comparison between two prominent C# PDF libraries:IronPDF and iText 7 (formerly known as iTextSharp). We will explore their features, performance, licensing, and suitability for various project requirements to assist you in making an informed decision.

Why Choose a .NET PDF Library?

PDFs are widely used in reports, invoices, and legal documents, making PDF generation and manipulation essential for many applications. When selecting a library, key factors to consider include:

• ✅ Ease of integration – How quickly can you implement PDF features?
• ✅ Support for HTML-to-PDF – Does it allow easy conversion from web content?
• ✅ Licensing and cost – Is it free, or does it require a commercial license?
• ✅ Feature set – Does it support text extraction, signing, or editing?
• ✅ Performance – How fast does it generate or process PDFs?

An Overview of IronPDF and iText7

Introduction to IronPDF

IronPDF is a commercial PDF library designed specifically for .NET developers. It simplifies PDF generation, manipulation, and conversion, making it one of the easiest libraries to use in C# applications.

IronPDF supports .NET Core, .NET Framework, and .NET Standard, ensuring compatibility across various .NET environments. Its high level of cross-platform compatibility makes it an ideal choice for teams working across different app environments, and it seamlessly integrates with IDEs such as Visual Studio. Beyond its .NET version, IronPDF is also available in Java, Python, and Node.js.

🔹 Key Features:

• Built-in HTML-to-PDF support – Convert web pages, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into PDFs without extra add-ons.
• PDF Editing – Modify existing PDFs by adding text, images, headers, and footers.
• PDF Security – Encrypt PDFs, set password protection, and manage permissions for viewing, printing, or editing.
• Watermarking and Annotations – Easily apply text and image watermarks, stamps, or comments to documents.
• Form Filling and Data Extraction – Populate interactive PDF forms programmatically and extract form data.

📌 Best for: Developers looking for a straightforward, all-in-one solution without the hassle of additional add-ons or complex licensing.

Introduction to iText7

iText 7 is a powerful and flexible PDF library that provides extensive PDF manipulation capabilities, including document creation, encryption, and signing. However, its core library does not support HTML-to-PDF conversion natively.

🔹 Key Features:

• Low-Level PDF Customization – Provides detailed control over PDF structure, metadata, and rendering.
• Accessibility & Compliance: Generates PDF/A, PDF/UA, and PDF/X for long-term archiving and accessibility compliance.
• HTML-to-PDF Conversion: The paid pdfHTML add-on enables conversion of HTML content into PDFs.
• Java & .NET Support: Primarily designed for Java, with C# support via iText 7 for .NET.
• PDF Form Management: Create and edit AcroForms and XFA Forms for interactive PDF forms.

📌 Best for: Developers who need a highly customizable PDF solution and are willing to purchase additional add-ons for extended features.

Features and Advantages

Before we get into the features and their accompanying code examples, let’s first take a look at one of the biggest functional differences between IronPDF and iText 7, HTML-to-PDF conversion.

• IronPDF natively supports HTML, CSS, and JavaScript rendering without requiring any additional components.
• iText 7, on the other hand, requires the pdfHTML add-on, which is a paid feature under commercial licensing. This increases costs for developers needing web-to-PDF functionality.

HTML to PDF Comparison Flow Chart

📌 Bottom Line: If you need HTML-to-PDF conversion, IronPDF is the more cost-effective solution as it includes this feature out of the box.

IronPDF Key Features (With Code Examples)

IronPDF boasts a rich set of features for working with PDF documents. These range from PDF creation, to PDF manipulation and security. To get a clearer idea of the extensive range of features this library has to offer, we will be taking a look at a select few key features.

HTML to PDF Conversion:

Convert HTML content into high-quality PDF documents with IronPDF’s powerful rendering engine.IronPDF’s renderer doesn’t simply convert HTML content either, with it you will be able to maintain all original CSS styling, and JavaScript interactivity.

using IronPdf;

public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {

        ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("example.html");
        pdf.SaveAs("HtmlToPdf.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;

public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {

        ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("example.html");
        pdf.SaveAs("HtmlToPdf.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf

Public Class Program

	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)

		Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()
		Dim pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("example.html")
		pdf.SaveAs("HtmlToPdf.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

Input HTML

Input HTML Content
Output PDF

HTML to PDF output using IronPDF
In this code example, we have first created a new ChromePdfRenderer instance, which gives us access to the powerful rendering engine IronPDF uses to render HTML to PDF. Then, we pass an HTML file to the RenderHtmlFileAsPdf() method, which in turn renders the HTML into a PDF, stored in the PdfDocument object. Finally, we will save the PDF to the specified file location.

URL to PDF:

For developers looking to convert URL content into PDFs, look no further than IronPDF. With this library, you will be able to create pixel-perfect PDF documents through the use of the ChromePdfRenderer rendering engine, which will maintain all original styling and layouts when it renders the URL to PDF. For this example, we will be using this URL, to demonstrate how IronPDF can handle more complex CSS styling.

using IronPdf;
public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {

        ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.apple.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("UrlToPdf.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;
public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {

        ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.apple.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("UrlToPdf.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Public Class Program

	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)

		Dim renderer As New ChromePdfRenderer()

		Dim pdf As PdfDocument = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.apple.com")
		pdf.SaveAs("UrlToPdf.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

PDF Output:
URL to PDF output using IronPDF

Much like in our HTML to PDF example, the first step to converting any URL to PDF using IronPDF is to first create a new ChromePdfRenderer instance. Once the method has rendered the URL content into a PDF format, using RenderUrlAsPdf, it saves the resulting PDF to a new PdfDocument object, before we use the SaveAs method to save the PDF.

PDF Signatures:

Ensure the authenticity of your PDF document by applying a digital signature to your PDF documents. There are different methods of which developers might consider applying digital signatures such as digitally signing the PDF with a secure certificate, adding an image of a handwritten signature to a PDF, or stamping an image of the certificate onto the PDF itself.

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Signing;
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
using IronSoftware.Drawing;

public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Create PdfSignature object
        X509Certificate2 cert = new X509Certificate2("IronSoftware.pfx", "your-password", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable);

        var sig = new PdfSignature(cert);
        sig.SignatureImage = new PdfSignatureImage("IronPdf.png", 0, new Rectangle(150, 100, 350, 250));

        // Sign and save PDF document
        sig.SignPdfFile("product_report.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Signing;
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
using IronSoftware.Drawing;

public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Create PdfSignature object
        X509Certificate2 cert = new X509Certificate2("IronSoftware.pfx", "your-password", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable);

        var sig = new PdfSignature(cert);
        sig.SignatureImage = new PdfSignatureImage("IronPdf.png", 0, new Rectangle(150, 100, 350, 250));

        // Sign and save PDF document
        sig.SignPdfFile("product_report.pdf");
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports IronPdf.Signing
Imports System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates
Imports IronSoftware.Drawing

Public Class Program

	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
		' Create PdfSignature object
		Dim cert As New X509Certificate2("IronSoftware.pfx", "your-password", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable)

		Dim sig = New PdfSignature(cert)
		sig.SignatureImage = New PdfSignatureImage("IronPdf.png", 0, New Rectangle(150, 100, 350, 250))

		' Sign and save PDF document
		sig.SignPdfFile("product_report.pdf")
	End Sub
End Class

Output PDF

Digital Signature output using IronPDF

For this example, we have loaded in our certificate object, created a visual representation of the signature, or in our case the IronPDF image, and created a new PdfSignature object, which handles the signing of the PDF document itself. Finally, we used the SignPdfFile to sign and save our PDF document.

If you want to explore more of the features IronPDF has to offer, be sure to check out its informative features page, or the How-to Guides which contain in-depth code examples for each feature.

iText7 Key Features (With Code Examples)

iText7 offers a wide range of features for customizing and enhancing your PDF documents. With extensive format support for various PDF standards and advanced PDF manipulation, there is a lot packed into this PDF library. However, as mentioned before, iText7 may require additional packages in order to carry out certain PDF-related tasks such as HTML to PDF.

HTML to PDF Conversion:

Although iText7 by itself cannot handle HTML to PDF conversion, we can utilize the pdfHTML, a paid add-on found under iText7’s commercial licensing, to convert the HTML file we used in our IronPDF example into a PDF document.

using iText.Html2pdf;

public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        using (FileStream htmlSource = File.Open("example.html", FileMode.Open))
        using (FileStream pdf = File.Open("HtmlToPdfOutput.pdf", FileMode.Create))
        {
            ConverterProperties converterProperties = new ConverterProperties();
            HtmlConverter.ConvertToPdf(htmlSource, pdf, converterProperties);
            pdf.Close();
        }
    }
}

using iText.Html2pdf;

public class Program
{

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        using (FileStream htmlSource = File.Open("example.html", FileMode.Open))
        using (FileStream pdf = File.Open("HtmlToPdfOutput.pdf", FileMode.Create))
        {
            ConverterProperties converterProperties = new ConverterProperties();
            HtmlConverter.ConvertToPdf(htmlSource, pdf, converterProperties);
            pdf.Close();
        }
    }
}

Imports iText.Html2pdf

Public Class Program

	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
		Using htmlSource As FileStream = File.Open("example.html", FileMode.Open)
		Using pdf As FileStream = File.Open("HtmlToPdfOutput.pdf", FileMode.Create)
			Dim converterProperties As New ConverterProperties()
			HtmlConverter.ConvertToPdf(htmlSource, pdf, converterProperties)
			pdf.Close()
		End Using
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Output PDF

iText7 HTML to PDF output

For this example, we loaded in the HTML file, and specified the file location to save the rendered PDF to. Then, using the ConvertToPdf method, we can easily convert the HTML file to a PDF document.

URL to PDF:

Now, it's time to compare how iText7 measures up against IronPDF when it comes to converting URLs to PDF. For this, we will use the exact same URL as before to ensure a fair comparison.

using System;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.IO;
using iText.Html2pdf;

public class Program
{
    public static async System.Threading.Tasks.Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        string url = "https://www.apple.com";  // Replace with your target URL
        string outputPdfPath = "output.pdf";

        try
        {
            // Download HTML content from the URL
            using (HttpClient client = new HttpClient())
            {
                string htmlContent = await client.GetStringAsync(url);

                // Convert HTML to PDF
                using (FileStream pdfStream = new FileStream(outputPdfPath, FileMode.Create))
                {
                    ConverterProperties properties = new ConverterProperties();
                    HtmlConverter.ConvertToPdf(htmlContent, pdfStream, properties);
                }
            }

            Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully: " + outputPdfPath);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: " + ex.Message);
        }
    }
}

using System;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.IO;
using iText.Html2pdf;

public class Program
{
    public static async System.Threading.Tasks.Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        string url = "https://www.apple.com";  // Replace with your target URL
        string outputPdfPath = "output.pdf";

        try
        {
            // Download HTML content from the URL
            using (HttpClient client = new HttpClient())
            {
                string htmlContent = await client.GetStringAsync(url);

                // Convert HTML to PDF
                using (FileStream pdfStream = new FileStream(outputPdfPath, FileMode.Create))
                {
                    ConverterProperties properties = new ConverterProperties();
                    HtmlConverter.ConvertToPdf(htmlContent, pdfStream, properties);
                }
            }

            Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully: " + outputPdfPath);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: " + ex.Message);
        }
    }
}

Imports System
Imports System.Net.Http
Imports System.IO
Imports iText.Html2pdf

Public Class Program
	Public Shared Async Function Main(ByVal args() As String) As System.Threading.Tasks.Task
		Dim url As String = "https://www.apple.com" ' Replace with your target URL
		Dim outputPdfPath As String = "output.pdf"

		Try
			' Download HTML content from the URL
			Using client As New HttpClient()
				Dim htmlContent As String = Await client.GetStringAsync(url)

				' Convert HTML to PDF
				Using pdfStream As New FileStream(outputPdfPath, FileMode.Create)
					Dim properties As New ConverterProperties()
					HtmlConverter.ConvertToPdf(htmlContent, pdfStream, properties)
				End Using
			End Using

			Console.WriteLine("PDF created successfully: " & outputPdfPath)
		Catch ex As Exception
			Console.WriteLine("Error: " & ex.Message)
		End Try
	End Function
End Class

Output PDF

iText7 URL to PDF output

As seen here, iText7’s approach to URL to PDF conversion is more manual and complex. First, we need to download the HTML content from the URL, before following similar steps as seen in the HTML to PDF example to render our URL content into a PDF document and save it. As you can see in the output image, iText7 wasn’t able to maintain much of the original styling and layout, unlike IronPDF.

PDF Signatures:

using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
using iText.Kernel.Pdf;
using iText.Signatures;
using iText.Bouncycastle.Crypto;
using iText.Commons.Bouncycastle.Cert;
using iText.Commons.Bouncycastle.Crypto;
using Org.BouncyCastle.Pkcs;
using Org.BouncyCastle.Crypto;
using iText.Bouncycastle.X509;
using iText.Kernel.Crypto;

public partial class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        string inputPdf = "input.pdf";       // PDF to be signed
        string outputPdf = "signed_output.pdf";  // Signed PDF output
        string pfxFile = "IronSoftware.pfx";  // Path to your PFX certificate
        string password = "Passw0rd";   // Password for PFX file

        try
        {
            // Load your certificate
            Pkcs12Store ks = new Pkcs12StoreBuilder().Build();
            using (FileStream fs = new FileStream(pfxFile, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))
            {
                ks.Load(fs, password.ToCharArray());
            }

            string? alias = null;
            foreach (string al in ks.Aliases)
            {
                if (ks.IsKeyEntry(al))
                {
                    alias = al;
                    break;
                }
            }

            if (alias == null)
            {
                throw new Exception("Alias not found in the PFX file.");
            }

            ICipherParameters pk = ks.GetKey(alias).Key;
            X509CertificateEntry[] chain = ks.GetCertificateChain(alias);
            X509Certificate2 cert = new X509Certificate2(chain[0].Certificate.GetEncoded());

            // Convert BouncyCastle certificate to iText certificate
            var itextCertChain = new IX509Certificate[chain.Length];
            for (int i = 0; i < chain.Length; i++)
            {
                itextCertChain[i] = new X509CertificateBC(chain[i].Certificate);
            }

            // Create output PDF with signed content
            using (PdfReader reader = new PdfReader(inputPdf))
            using (FileStream os = new FileStream(outputPdf, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write))
            {
                PdfSigner signer = new PdfSigner(reader, os, new StampingProperties().UseAppendMode());

                // Set up the external signature (private key + digest algorithm)
                IPrivateKey iTextPrivateKey = new PrivateKeyBC(pk);
                IExternalSignature pks = new PrivateKeySignature(iTextPrivateKey, DigestAlgorithms.SHA256);
                IExternalDigest digest = new BouncyCastleDigest();

                // Perform the signing (detached signature)
                signer.SignDetached(digest, pks, itextCertChain, null, null, null, 0, PdfSigner.CryptoStandard.CMS);
            }

            Console.WriteLine($"PDF digitally signed successfully: {outputPdf}");
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error signing PDF: {ex.Message}");
        }
    }
}

using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
using iText.Kernel.Pdf;
using iText.Signatures;
using iText.Bouncycastle.Crypto;
using iText.Commons.Bouncycastle.Cert;
using iText.Commons.Bouncycastle.Crypto;
using Org.BouncyCastle.Pkcs;
using Org.BouncyCastle.Crypto;
using iText.Bouncycastle.X509;
using iText.Kernel.Crypto;

public partial class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        string inputPdf = "input.pdf";       // PDF to be signed
        string outputPdf = "signed_output.pdf";  // Signed PDF output
        string pfxFile = "IronSoftware.pfx";  // Path to your PFX certificate
        string password = "Passw0rd";   // Password for PFX file

        try
        {
            // Load your certificate
            Pkcs12Store ks = new Pkcs12StoreBuilder().Build();
            using (FileStream fs = new FileStream(pfxFile, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))
            {
                ks.Load(fs, password.ToCharArray());
            }

            string? alias = null;
            foreach (string al in ks.Aliases)
            {
                if (ks.IsKeyEntry(al))
                {
                    alias = al;
                    break;
                }
            }

            if (alias == null)
            {
                throw new Exception("Alias not found in the PFX file.");
            }

            ICipherParameters pk = ks.GetKey(alias).Key;
            X509CertificateEntry[] chain = ks.GetCertificateChain(alias);
            X509Certificate2 cert = new X509Certificate2(chain[0].Certificate.GetEncoded());

            // Convert BouncyCastle certificate to iText certificate
            var itextCertChain = new IX509Certificate[chain.Length];
            for (int i = 0; i < chain.Length; i++)
            {
                itextCertChain[i] = new X509CertificateBC(chain[i].Certificate);
            }

            // Create output PDF with signed content
            using (PdfReader reader = new PdfReader(inputPdf))
            using (FileStream os = new FileStream(outputPdf, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write))
            {
                PdfSigner signer = new PdfSigner(reader, os, new StampingProperties().UseAppendMode());

                // Set up the external signature (private key + digest algorithm)
                IPrivateKey iTextPrivateKey = new PrivateKeyBC(pk);
                IExternalSignature pks = new PrivateKeySignature(iTextPrivateKey, DigestAlgorithms.SHA256);
                IExternalDigest digest = new BouncyCastleDigest();

                // Perform the signing (detached signature)
                signer.SignDetached(digest, pks, itextCertChain, null, null, null, 0, PdfSigner.CryptoStandard.CMS);
            }

            Console.WriteLine($"PDF digitally signed successfully: {outputPdf}");
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error signing PDF: {ex.Message}");
        }
    }
}

Imports System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates
Imports iText.Kernel.Pdf
Imports iText.Signatures
Imports iText.Bouncycastle.Crypto
Imports iText.Commons.Bouncycastle.Cert
Imports iText.Commons.Bouncycastle.Crypto
Imports Org.BouncyCastle.Pkcs
Imports Org.BouncyCastle.Crypto
Imports iText.Bouncycastle.X509
Imports iText.Kernel.Crypto

Partial Public Class Program
	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
		Dim inputPdf As String = "input.pdf" ' PDF to be signed
		Dim outputPdf As String = "signed_output.pdf" ' Signed PDF output
		Dim pfxFile As String = "IronSoftware.pfx" ' Path to your PFX certificate
		Dim password As String = "Passw0rd" ' Password for PFX file

		Try
			' Load your certificate
			Dim ks As Pkcs12Store = (New Pkcs12StoreBuilder()).Build()
			Using fs As New FileStream(pfxFile, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read)
				ks.Load(fs, password.ToCharArray())
			End Using

'INSTANT VB WARNING: Nullable reference types have no equivalent in VB:
'ORIGINAL LINE: string? alias = null;
			Dim [alias] As String = Nothing
			For Each al As String In ks.Aliases
				If ks.IsKeyEntry(al) Then
					[alias] = al
					Exit For
				End If
			Next al

			If [alias] Is Nothing Then
				Throw New Exception("Alias not found in the PFX file.")
			End If

			Dim pk As ICipherParameters = ks.GetKey([alias]).Key
			Dim chain() As X509CertificateEntry = ks.GetCertificateChain([alias])
			Dim cert As New X509Certificate2(chain(0).Certificate.GetEncoded())

			' Convert BouncyCastle certificate to iText certificate
			Dim itextCertChain = New IX509Certificate(chain.Length - 1){}
			For i As Integer = 0 To chain.Length - 1
				itextCertChain(i) = New X509CertificateBC(chain(i).Certificate)
			Next i

			' Create output PDF with signed content
			Using reader As New PdfReader(inputPdf)
			Using os As New FileStream(outputPdf, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write)
				Dim signer As New PdfSigner(reader, os, (New StampingProperties()).UseAppendMode())

				' Set up the external signature (private key + digest algorithm)
				Dim iTextPrivateKey As IPrivateKey = New PrivateKeyBC(pk)
				Dim pks As IExternalSignature = New PrivateKeySignature(iTextPrivateKey, DigestAlgorithms.SHA256)
				Dim digest As IExternalDigest = New BouncyCastleDigest()

				' Perform the signing (detached signature)
				signer.SignDetached(digest, pks, itextCertChain, Nothing, Nothing, Nothing, 0, PdfSigner.CryptoStandard.CMS)
			End Using
			End Using

			Console.WriteLine($"PDF digitally signed successfully: {outputPdf}")
		Catch ex As Exception
			Console.WriteLine($"Error signing PDF: {ex.Message}")
		End Try
	End Sub
End Class

Output PDF

iText7 Digital Signature Output

As you can see, while iText7 is capable of digitally signing PDF documents, the process tends to be a lot more complex than with IronPDF. This code loads a PFX certificate and uses it to digitally sign a PDF. It extracts the private key and certificate, sets up the signer, and adds a detached signature to the PDF, then saves the signed document.

Competitive Analysis

Performance and Usability

Key Advantages of IronPDF:

IronPDF is renowned for its ease of use and optimization for high performance, offering a more straightforward API that simplifies common tasks such as HTML to PDF conversion. It provides high-level methods that abstract complex PDF processing tasks, allowing developers to generate, edit, and manipulate PDFs with minimal code. For multi-threaded or large-scale document processing, IronPDF supports parallel execution.

• ✅ Easy-to-use API – High-level methods simplify common tasks like HTML-to-PDF conversion.
• ✅ Minimal setup required – Integrates easily into .NET projects.
• ✅ Built-in parallel execution – Optimized for handling bulk PDF generation and conversion.
• ✅ Simplified API – Requires fewer lines of code to achieve results.

iText 7 - Powerful but Complex

iText 7, on the other hand, offers a more detailed and granular level of control, which can be advantageous for developers who require extensive customization. It provides a robust API for working with low-level PDF operations.However, due to its complexity, iText 7 often requires more code to achieve similar results compared to IronPDF.

• ✅ Granular PDF control – Ideal for enterprise applications requiring strict compliance (e.g., PDF/A, PDF/UA, digital signatures).
• ✅ Highly customizable – Offers low-level PDF manipulation for advanced use cases.
• ❌ Steeper learning curve – Requires more setup and configuration compared to IronPDF.
• ❌ More code-intensive – Common tasks often require longer implementations.

Licensing and Cost

When selecting a PDF library for a .NET project, licensing and cost considerations are critical. Both IronPDF and iText 7 follow different licensing models, and choosing the right one depends on your project's requirements, budget, and compliance needs.

IronPDF Licensing and Cost

IronPDF follows a commercial licensing model, meaning that while it offers a free trial for commercial licensing, and is free for development and evaluation, a paid license is required for full production use.The pricing is transparent and depends on factors such as usage scale, number of developers, and project type.

🔹 IronPDF Licensing:

• ✅ Commercial licensing model (No open-source restrictions).
• ✅ Straightforward pricing based on developer or team licenses.
• ✅ No extra cost for HTML-to-PDF, PDF security, or other core features.
• ✅ Best for businesses that need a simple, cost-effective PDF solution.

📌 Bottom Line: IronPDF includes all major features in a single license, making it a cost-effective choice for teams and businesses.

iText7 Licensing and Cost

iText7 operates under a dual licensing model, which includes:

1. AGPL (GNU Affero General Public License) – Free for open-source projects, but requires that the entire project using iText7 be open-source and AGPL-compliant. This means that any modifications or additions made to the project must also be shared publicly.
2. Commercial License – Required for any proprietary software or commercial applications that do not want to disclose their source code. The pricing structure varies based on usage, support level, and deployment scale.

For companies looking to integrate iText 7 into proprietary software, a commercial license is mandatory. The cost can be significant, especially for enterprise-level solutions, as it is priced on a per-developer scale, but it provides access to professional support and ensures legal compliance.

🔹 Why iText 7 Can Be More Expensive:

• Per-developer pricing – Each developer needs a separate license, increasing total costs for teams.
• Essential features require expensive add-ons:
  • pdfHTML (Paid) – Required for HTML-to-PDF conversion.
  • pdfOCR (Paid) – Needed for text recognition from images.
  • pdfCalligraph (Paid) – Improves text rendering and font support.
  • pdfRender (Paid) – Adds PDF-to-image conversion.
  • pdf2Data (Paid) – Extracts structured data from PDFs.
• Enterprise costs can quickly add up when multiple features and developers are needed.

📌 Bottom Line: If your team requires multiple developers and key features like HTML-to-PDF and OCR, iText 7 can be significantly more expensive than IronPDF, which provides these features without extra costs.

Use Case Scenarios

Small vs. Enterprise Projects

For small to medium-sized projects that require quick implementation of PDF functionalities with minimal configuration, IronPDF is a compelling choice due to its user-friendly API and comprehensive feature set. Enterprise-level projects that demand extensive customization and adherence to specific PDF standards may benefit from the advanced capabilities of iText7, however, IronPDF also proves a strong candidate for this level of work due to its high performance, licensing options, and usability.

Academic and Commercial Use

In academic settings or open-source projects, iText 7's AGPL license allows for free usage, provided the project's license is compatible. For commercial applications, both IronPDF and iText 7 require the purchase of a commercial license. It's advisable to review the licensing terms of each library to ensure compliance with your project's objectives.

Conclusion

Choosing the right PDF library for your .NET project is a crucial decision that depends on factors such as ease of use, feature set, and licensing needs. Both IronPDF and iText 7 offer powerful PDF capabilities, but they cater to different requirements. Beyond these two libraries, competitors such as Aspose, Syncfusion, and PDFSharp all offer competitive .NET PDF libraries. However, IronPDF consistently leads in the PDF industry with its easy-to-use API, comprehensive set of features, and cost efficiency.

Below, we have summarized a compelling argument for why IronPDF is a great choice for all your .NET PDF library needs.

IronPDF vs iText7 comparison Summary

Advantages of IronPDF

• Ease of Use: IronPDF is designed with a focus on simplicity, making it an ideal choice for developers who need to quickly integrate PDF functionalities into their .NET applications. Its intuitive API reduces the learning curve and accelerates development time.
• Comprehensive Documentation and Support: IronPDF offers detailed documentation and responsive customer support, ensuring developers can get up to speed quickly and troubleshoot issues effectively.
• Seamless HTML to PDF Conversion: IronPDF excels at converting HTML, including CSS and JavaScript, into high-quality PDFs. This is particularly beneficial for projects that need to generate PDFs dynamically from web-based content.
• Commercial Licensing: For commercial applications, IronPDF provides flexible licensing options, ensuring compliance without the restrictions that may come with open-source licenses.

iText Limitations

• Complexity: While iText 7 offers advanced features and customizability, its API can be complex for developers new to PDF manipulation. This may lead to longer development times for common tasks compared to IronPDF's more straightforward approach.
• Licensing Costs for Commercial Use: iText 7’s AGPL license requires that any derivative works be open-sourced unless you purchase a commercial license. This could be a limitation for proprietary applications that cannot comply with the AGPL terms.
• Java-Centric Features: While iText 7 is available for .NET, its roots in the Java ecosystem can sometimes make it feel less native for C# developers, especially when dealing with cross-platform issues or integration with Java-based tools.

Final Thoughts

If your project requires quick PDF generation, especially from web content, and you're looking for an easy-to-use solution, IronPDF is likely the better choice. However, if your application demands advanced PDF manipulation or strict compliance with PDF standards and you need the flexibility to customize extensively, iText7 might be the better fit. Consider your project’s specific requirements and licensing constraints to determine the best library for your needs.

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