PDFluent vs Apache PDFBox

PDFBox is a free, well-documented Java library. It requires a JVM that starts before the first call, has only minimal XFA support, and has no WASM target.

Apache PDFBox is a widely used open-source Java library maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It covers text extraction, form filling, PDF creation, and digital signatures. The main constraints are JVM startup overhead, minimal XFA support, and no WASM target. PDFluent is a native Rust library with a WASM package (@pdfluent/sdk-wasm 1.0.0: 3.8 MB Brotli-compressed, measured 2026-09-16).

Side-by-side

PDFluent
Rust
use pdfluent::PdfDocument;

fn main() -> pdfluent::Result<()> {
    let mut doc = PdfDocument::open("contract.pdf")?;

    // Extract text
    let text = doc.page(1)?.text()?;
    println!("{}", text);

    // Fill an AcroForm field, then flatten
    doc.form_mut().set_text("signature_date", "2024-04-14")?;
    doc.flatten_forms()?;

    doc.save("contract_signed.pdf")?;
    Ok(())
}
Apache PDFBox
Java
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocument;
import org.apache.pdfbox.text.PDFTextStripper;
import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.interactive.form.PDAcroForm;

public class Example {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        PDDocument doc = PDDocument.load(new File("contract.pdf"));

        // Extract text
        PDFTextStripper stripper = new PDFTextStripper();
        String text = stripper.getText(doc);
        System.out.println(text);

        // Fill AcroForm field
        PDAcroForm acroForm = doc.getDocumentCatalog().getAcroForm();
        acroForm.getField("signature_date").setValue("2024-04-14");
        acroForm.flatten();

        doc.save("contract_signed.pdf");
        doc.close();
    }
}

Feature comparison

FeaturePDFluentApache PDFBox
Language / runtimeRust, no runtimeJava / JVM required
Cold startNo runtime to start; opening a file: 1.7 ms median on one MacBook (A22, 2026-08-24)JVM startup on every cold invocation
Memory baselineNo JVMRequires a JVM
WASM / browser support
XFA formsLimited
PDF/A validationPartial
Digital signatures (PAdES)
LicenseAGPLv3 or commercialApache 2.0 (free)

Pros and cons

PDFluent

  • No JVM required: no JVM start, no heap configuration
  • No JVM to start
  • WASM support — PDFBox cannot run in a browser
  • No GC pauses affecting latency
  • Simpler deployment — single binary, no classpath
  • PDFBox is Apache-licensed; PDFluent is AGPLv3, or commercial for closed-source use
  • PDFBox has a very large community and many tutorials
  • Some developers prefer Java for its ecosystem

Apache PDFBox

  • Free and open source under Apache 2.0
  • Large community, many Stack Overflow answers
  • Widely used in the Java ecosystem for many years
  • Good text extraction and PDF generation capabilities
  • Requires a JVM, even for simple tasks
  • JVM startup precedes the first PDF operation
  • No WASM or browser support
  • Limited XFA form support
  • Digital signature support is basic and lacks long-term validation (LTV)

When to use each

Choose PDFluent

PDFluent fits serverless environments, or anywhere a JVM cold start or memory overhead is a problem. Also choose PDFluent if you need XFA support or digital signatures.

Choose Apache PDFBox

Apache PDFBox is a reasonable choice if you already have a Java stack, cost is a constraint (it's free), and throughput requirements are moderate. For basic PDF reading and text extraction in a Java service, PDFBox works well.

Bottom line

PDFBox is a solid choice for JVM-based applications that do not need XFA, WASM, or cold starts without a JVM. It is free and well documented. If your stack is already Java, it works. If you are starting new, need serverless, or need XFA support, PDFluent is a better fit.

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache PDFBox free to use commercially?
Yes. PDFBox is released under the Apache License 2.0, which permits commercial use without royalties or disclosure obligations.
Does PDFBox support XFA forms?
Minimally. PDFBox can read and write AcroForm fields but has only limited XFA handling — it cannot process dynamic XFA forms or execute FormCalc. PDFluent supports static and dynamic XFA including FormCalc execution.
Can PDFBox run in a serverless environment?
It can, but the JVM cold start adds latency to every cold invocation. Using Rust eliminates that overhead.
Does PDFluent have a free tier?
PDFluent is free and complete under the AGPL: every feature, no watermark, no licence key and nothing that expires. A yearly commercial licence, from €999 for a whole organisation, is what you buy when you do not want to publish your own source.
SDK · Install

Try it on your own files.

Free under the AGPLv3, or a commercial licence if you would rather not publish your own source.