Compare software

Xpdf vs Ghostscript: catalog facts
Xpdf	Ghostscript
Free Free to download, with most tools available as open source.	Free Free and open source under the AGPL. Commercial licensing is sold separately.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Command-line tools for text, image and HTML extraction Easy to use in scripts and batch jobs	Handles PostScript, PDF, PCL and XPS in one interpreter The de facto engine for PDF conversion and compression in print workflows
Not every component is open source No PDF editing or signing	Command line with a famously cryptic option set Commercial redistribution requires a paid Artifex licence
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: AGPL-3.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.