Best PDF Creation Software in 2026
Updated
In short: PDF24 Compare PDF is ranked #1 of 45 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Carbone and ReportLab. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Carbone. The lowest first paid tier on this page is PDFMonkey at €5/mo.
Need to produce PDFs from data, templates, or other inputs? Compare these tools on API access, bulk PDF generation, data merge, and deployment. Input sources, maximum pages, and fillable form creation can help you check whether an option suits the documents you need to make. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer cost context. The entries include PDF24 Compare PDF, Carbone, and ReportLab, as well as Anvil PDF Generation API and APITemplate.io. Consider how each tool’s listed generation features and deployment options fit your workflow.
45 PDF creation software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
15 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PDF24 Compare PDFWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 2 | CarboneWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $29/mo | 6.7 | |
| 3 | ReportLabWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | £144/mo | 6.7 | |
| 4 | Anvil PDF Generation APIWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $99/mo | 6.4 | |
| 5 | APITemplate.ioWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $19/mo | 6.4 | |
| 6 | CraftMyPDFWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $29/mo | 6.4 | |
| 7 | DocRaptorWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $15/mo | 6.4 | |
| 8 | DocuGenerateWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $19/mo | 6.4 | |
| 9 | PDF4me Merge & SplitWeb · API · Extension | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | PDFMonkeyWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | €5/mo | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Adobe PDF Services APIWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 12 | PDFShiftWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $24/mo | 6.3 | |
| 13 | CIB pdf brewerWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 14 | CubePDFWindows | One bar | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 15 | HTML2PDFSelf-hosted | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 16 | PrinceWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $166.67/mo | 5.6 |
| 17 | GotenbergLinux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | WeasyPrintWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | Bullzip PDF PrinterWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | Conga CLMWeb · Windows · Mac · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | CUPS-PDFMac · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | DocmosisWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $49/mo | 5.2 |
| 23 | Foxit Document Generation APIWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | HTMLPDF.devWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | iText pdfOptimizerAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Data merge | Bulk PDF generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PDF24 Compare PDF | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | Carbone | 6.7 | Free plan | $29/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | ReportLab | 6.7 | Free plan | £144/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Anvil PDF Generation API | 6.4 | Free plan | $99/mo | Yes | 99 /mo | Yes | — |
| 5 | APITemplate.io | 6.4 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | 19 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | CraftMyPDF | 6.4 | Free plan | $29/mo | Yes | 29 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | DocRaptor | 6.4 | Free plan | $15/mo | Yes | 15 /mo | — | — |
| 8 | DocuGenerate | 6.4 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | 19 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | PDF4me Merge & Split | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | PDFMonkey | 6.4 | Free plan | €5/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Adobe PDF Services API | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | PDFShift | 6.3 | Free plan | $24/mo | Yes | 24 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | CIB pdf brewer | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | CubePDF | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | HTML2PDF | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Prince | 5.6 | No | $166.67/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 17 | Gotenberg | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | WeasyPrint | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 19 | Bullzip PDF Printer | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | Conga CLM | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | CUPS-PDF | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 22 | Docmosis | 5.2 | No | $49/mo | No | 49 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Foxit Document Generation API | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 24 | HTMLPDF.dev | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | 19 /mo | — | Yes |
| 25 | iText pdfOptimizer | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which PDF creation software is ranked first on Freedom251?
PDF24 Compare PDF is ranked #1 of 45 with a score of 6.8. Carbone is second and ReportLab third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, PDFMonkey has the lowest first paid tier we found: €5/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.