iText Alternative for Java: JPedal

iText and JPedal both appeared in the early 2000s, both target Java developers working with PDF, and we have given joint talks with the iText team on PDF topics over the years. iText founder Bruno Lowagie even mentions IDRsolutions in his book Entreprenerd. What they are optimised for is different, and that is what this post covers.

How the two libraries developed

JPedal started as a viewing and rendering library and has grown into a general purpose Java PDF library. It handles creation, editing, extraction, signing, and manipulation alongside its original rendering and conversion capabilities. iText started with creation and manipulation and has always been more comprehensive on that side.

Both libraries support PDF creation, editing, text extraction, digital signatures, and AcroForm handling, and both run on the JVM with no platform-specific dependencies.

Where JPedal differs

PDF rendering and viewing

iText has no PDF viewer. JPedal includes a Java Swing PDF viewer for displaying multi-page documents inside a Java application. If the requirement is showing PDFs to users in a desktop or embedded context, JPedal is the only option of the two.

JPedal is also built around accurate rendering. It is optimised for converting PDF pages to images at scale, handling complex fonts, and dealing with edge-case documents that trip up less battle-tested libraries.

Conversion capabilities

JPedal converts PDFs to images, thumbnails, and HTML. iText’s conversion support is limited; its focus is on the creation side. For web applications or pipelines that need PDF-to-image or PDF-to-HTML output, JPedal covers this; iText does not.

Licensing model

iText is available under AGPL and a commercial license. AGPL means any application distributing iText must also be open source under AGPL which rules it out for most commercial software.

The commercial license moved to annual subscription pricing in 2020, with costs determined by deployment scale after a sales conversation. iText was acquired by a private equity firm in 2022. The shift to subscription pricing followed shortly after.

JPedal’s pricing is a one-off fee (per server or OEM) with optional annual renewal for updates and support. No annual renegotiation.

Feature comparison

When JPedal is the right choice

• You need to display PDFs inside a Java application
• You need to render PDF pages to images at scale
• You need PDF-to-HTML or thumbnail output
• You want a one-off license with no annual per-server cost
• Rendering accuracy matters — complex fonts, edge-case documents, production reliability
• You want support from the engineers who wrote the library

Developers evaluating Java PDF libraries can use our Buyer’s Guide as a starting point, and the Build vs Buy guide if the question is whether to use a library at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is JPedal a drop-in replacement for iText?

Not directly. iText is centred on PDF creation and manipulation; JPedal on rendering, viewing, and conversion. If your code is iText-based and primarily creates PDFs, switching is not necessary. If you need rendering, a built-in viewer, or conversion capabilities that iText lacks, JPedal fills those
gaps.

What can JPedal do that iText can’t?

JPedal includes a built-in Java Swing PDF viewer, renders PDF pages to images at scale, and converts PDFs to HTML or thumbnails. iText has none of these. JPedal also provides support directly from the development team.

How does JPedal licensing compare to iText?

iText moved to annual subscription pricing in 2020, with costs dependent on deployment scale and requiring a sales conversation. JPedal is a one-off license (server or OEM) with optional annual support and updates renewal. Prices are published on the website.

Can JPedal create PDFs like iText?

Yes. JPedal supports PDF creation and editing. It started as a viewing and rendering library and has been extended into a general purpose PDF library over the years. iText is more comprehensive on the creation and manipulation side, having focused there from the start. If complex programmatic PDF generation is the core requirement, iText has more depth in that area.

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

final PdfManipulator pdf = new PdfManipulator();
pdf.loadDocument(new File("inputFile.pdf"));
pdf.addPage(1, PaperSize.A4_LANDSCAPE);
pdf.addText(1, "Hello World", 10, 10, BaseFont.HelveticaBold, 12, 1, 0.3f, 0.2f);
pdf.addImage(1, new BufferedImage(), new float[] {0, 0, 100, 100});
pdf.rotatePage(1, 90);
pdf.apply();
pdf.writeDocument(new File("outputFile.pdf"));

Viewer viewer = new Viewer();
viewer.setupViewer();
viewer.executeCommand(ViewerCommands.OPENFILE, "pdfFile.pdf");

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractTextAsWordList.writeAllWordlistsToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", -1);

PdfMerge.mergeFiles(new File("inputFile1.pdf"), new File("inputFile2.pdf"), new File("outputFile.pdf"));

PdfManipulator.splitInHalf(new File("inputFile.pdf"), new File("outputFolder"), pageToSplitAt);

PrintPdfPages print = new PrintPdfPages("C:/pdfs/mypdf.pdf");

if (print.openPDFFile()) {
    print.printAllPages("Printer Name");
}

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ArrayList resultsForPages = FindTextInRectangle.findTextOnAllPages("/path/to/file.pdf", "textToFind");

java -jar jpedal.jar --inspect "inputFile.pdf"

PdfSigner.signPdf(
        "inputFile.pdf",
        "outputFile.pdf",
        "keystorePassword",
        "keystoreFile.p12",
        "signerName",
        "signerLocation",
        "signingReason",
        ACCESS_PERMISSION.P1
);