Apryse is a mature, full-featured SDK. It requires a C++ or C# runtime, ships DLL dependencies, and gates trial access behind a sales call.
Apryse (formerly PDFTron) is one of the oldest commercial PDF SDKs. It has broad feature coverage but ships a native C++ core that must be distributed as DLLs or shared libraries. Trial access requires contacting sales. PDFluent is a pure Rust library: no DLL, no C++ runtime, single static binary, and a self-serve 30-day trial.
use pdfluent::Document;
fn main() -> pdfluent::Result<()> {
let doc = Document::open("invoice.pdf")?;
// Extract text from page 1
let text = doc.page(0)?.extract_text()?;
println!("{}", text);
// Fill a form field
let mut form = doc.acroform()?;
form.set_field("invoice_number", "INV-2024-001")?;
doc.save("invoice_filled.pdf")?;
Ok(())
}using Apryse;
class Program {
static void Main(string[] args) {
// Requires PDFNetC DLL in PATH or next to the executable
PDFNet.Initialize("YOUR_LICENSE_KEY");
using var doc = new PDFDoc("invoice.pdf");
doc.InitSecurityHandler();
// Extract text from page 1
var page = doc.GetPage(1);
var txt = new TextExtractor();
txt.Begin(page);
Console.WriteLine(txt.GetAsText());
// Fill a form field
var field = doc.GetField("invoice_number");
field.SetValue("INV-2024-001");
doc.Save("invoice_filled.pdf", SDFDoc.SaveOptions.e_linearized);
PDFNet.Terminate();
}
}| Feature | PDFluent | Apryse (PDFTron) |
|---|---|---|
| Language / runtime | Rust, no runtime | C++ core, C#/.NET/Java wrappers |
| DLL / shared library required | ||
| WASM / browser SDK | Partial (JS viewer product, separate from SDK) | |
| PDF/A validation | ||
| XFA forms | ||
| Serverless without native DLL | ||
| Self-serve trial (no sales call) | ||
| Published pricing |
PDFluent fits if you are writing a Rust service, deploying to Lambda or Cloudflare Workers, building a WASM-based browser application, or evaluating quickly without a sales process. The no-dependency nature makes it straightforward to containerize and deploy anywhere.
Apryse is a reasonable choice if you already have a large .NET or Java codebase and need a single vendor for both server-side processing and a browser PDF viewer. Their WebViewer is a mature product that PDFluent does not have an equivalent for.
Apryse covers a wide surface area and has years of production use. If you are already in a C# or C++ shop and need a one-stop SDK with enterprise support, it is a reasonable choice. If you are on Rust, need WASM, deploy to serverless, or want to evaluate without a sales call, PDFluent fits better.
Try PDFluent free for 30 days
No credit card. No watermarks. Full SDK access.