# Polis vs Stirling-PDF

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

| | Polis | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 54/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 2 in Surveys | #1 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 1 221 | 95 280 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +2 318 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 25 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.42.2 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.2.2 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Stirling-PDF scores 87/100 against 54/100 for Polis, so it is the safer default.

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

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

Stirling-PDF is growing faster right now (+2 318 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Polis](https://selfhost.directory/project/polis) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/polis.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/polis-vs-stirling-pdf