🩺 Vitals
- Version: v1.10.5 (Released 2025-12-05)
- Velocity: Active (Last commit 2025-12-07)
- Community: 6.4k Stars · 393 Forks
- Backlog: 75 Open Issues
🏗️ Profile
- Official: bentopdf.com
- Source: github.com/alam00000/bentopdf
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Deployment: Docker (Tiny ~9MB)
- Data Model: Stateless / Client-Side WASM
- Complexity: Low (1/5) - Single Container
- Maintenance: Low (1/5) - Zero State
- Enterprise Ready: High (4/5) - GDPR Safe, Metadata Scrubber
1. The Executive Summary
What is it? BentoPDF is a privacy-first PDF manipulation tool (merge, split, compress, convert) that runs entirely in the user's browser. Even if you self-host it on a server, the heavy lifting happens on the client side. This "Architectural Privacy" means the server technically cannot see the file contents.
The Strategic Verdict:
- 🔴 For Heavy Server OCR: Caution. Since it relies on the browser, massive bulk processing of thousands of files might be slower than server-side farms.
- 🟢 For Legal & Finance: Strong Buy. The only way to use a "web tool" for contracts without violating NDA/GDPR data transfer clauses.
2. The "Hidden" Costs (TCO Analysis)
| Cost Component | Proprietary (Adobe/iLovePDF) | BentoPDF (Self-Hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| Data Risk | High (Cloud Upload) | Zero (Client-Side) |
| License Fee | ~$15-20/user/mo | $0 (AGPLv3) |
| Infrastructure | $0 | Negligible (9MB RAM) |
3. The "Day 2" Reality Check
🚀 Deployment & Operations
- Installation: Incredible efficiency. The Docker image is under 10MB. It can run on the smallest possible slice of a server or even a Raspberry Pi.
- Security: Because it is stateless, there is no database to back up or secure.
🛡️ Security & Governance
- Telemetry: Unlike some competitors (e.g., recent Stirling-PDF controversies), BentoPDF positions itself as telemetry-free and transparent.
- Sanitization: Includes pro-grade tools to strip hidden metadata (author, location, edit history) from PDFs before sharing.
4. Alternatives & Ecosystem
- Alternative: Stirling-PDF is the feature-rich heavyweight in this space but runs server-side (files leave the browser) and has faced community scrutiny over tracking.
- Alternative: iLovePDF / SmallPDF are convenient but unacceptable for confidential enterprise data.