# Operant vs Stirling-PDF

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

| | Operant | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 39/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #169 of 209 in AI Agents | #1 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 446 | 95 336 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +-1 | +2 374 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 25 ✓ |
| Latest release | desktop-candidate-2026-09-28-08e65ea · 28 Sept 2026 | v3.2.2 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Stirling-PDF scores 87/100 against 39/100 for Operant, so it is the safer default.

Stirling-PDF ships more often: 25 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Operant.

If you want the quickest setup, Stirling-PDF is easier to run; Operant needs more configuration.

Stirling-PDF is growing faster right now (+2 374 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Operant](https://selfhost.directory/project/operant) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/operant.md)
- [Stirling-PDF](https://selfhost.directory/project/stirling-pdf) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/stirling-pdf.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/operant-vs-stirling-pdf