# BentoPDF vs Pulse

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | BentoPDF | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Document Processing | #2 of 19 in Infrastructure Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 16 180 ✓ | 6 973 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +481 ✓ | +232 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 43 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.8.10 · 19 Oct 2026 | helm-chart-6.6.0 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

BentoPDF scores 77/100 against 71/100 for Pulse, so it is the safer default.

Pulse ships more often: 43 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for BentoPDF.

BentoPDF is growing faster right now (+481 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [BentoPDF](https://selfhost.directory/project/bentopdf) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/bentopdf.md)
- [Pulse](https://selfhost.directory/project/pulse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pulse.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/bentopdf-vs-pulse