# Rigorous vs Stirling-PDF

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

| | Rigorous | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 43/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #91 of 125 in AI | #1 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 253 | 95 273 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +2 360 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 25 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v3.2.2 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Stirling-PDF scores 87/100 against 43/100 for Rigorous, so it is the safer default.

Stirling-PDF ships more often: 25 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Rigorous.

Stirling-PDF is growing faster right now (+2 360 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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