pdf-tools.com

# Pdftools

The PDF infrastructure layer built on 25 years of hard problems in regulated industries.
Document processing infrastructure for banking, insurance, government, and the system
integrators building on their behalf.
One unified stack: normalize, convert, validate, extract, redact, archive, view.
Deploy on-prem, hybrid, and sovereign cloud. No external data transmission required.
Trusted by SUVA, SwissLife, UBS, SIX, PostFinance, Austrian Ministry of Justice, and Bayer.

---

## Key pages (start here)

- [Pdftools SDK overview](https://www.pdf-tools.com/products/conversion/pdf-tools-sdk/) — Multi-language SDK
  (C, Java, .NET, Python) for PDF/A conversion, compression, validation, extraction,
  and archiving in regulated workflows.
- [Pdftools SDK getting started](https://www.pdf-tools.com/docs/pdf-tools-sdk/getting-started/)
  — Language-specific setup, licensing, and first integration guide.
- [Conversion Service](https://www.pdf-tools.com/products/conversion/conversion-service/) — Containerized REST
  API for high-volume PDF/A conversion and OCR. Deployable on-prem or air-gapped.
- [PDF Viewer SDK](https://www.pdf-tools.com/products/viewing-printing/pdf-web-viewer/) — Client-side PDF viewer
  (WebAssembly, JavaScript) with annotations, redaction, and the fastest time-to-first-page in class.
- [Pdftools SDK vs. Apryse](https://www.pdf-tools.com/pdftools-sdk-vs-apryse/) — Feature-by-feature
  comparison showing where Pdftools stands out: PDF/A compliance, memory efficiency, and
  usage-based pricing.
- [AI Smart Redact](https://www.pdf-tools.com/products/manipulation/ai-smart-redact/) — AI-powered
  redaction that automatically detects and structurally removes PII and sensitive data from PDFs.
- [Code samples](https://www.pdf-tools.com/docs/pdf-tools-sdk/code-samples/) — Working
  examples across SDK languages and use cases.
- [Pricing](https://www.pdf-tools.com/pricing/) — Consumption-based, transparent per-page
  pricing. Trial available.
- [Documentation home](https://www.pdf-tools.com/docs/)

---

## Products

**Pdftools SDK** — The primary integration path for regulated document workflows. Covers
PDF/A conversion and validation, compression, content extraction, normalization, and archiving.
Languages: C, Java, .NET, Python.

**Toolbox add-on** — Low-level document manipulation APIs. Used when fine-grained control
over redaction, metadata, layout, structure, or annotations is required.

**Conversion Service** — Containerized conversion orchestrator for high-volume PDF/A conversion and OCR
pipelines. Runs on-prem, in air-gapped environments, or in cloud infrastructure. Supports
Docker, Kubernetes, and Alpine Linux containers.

**PDF Viewer SDK** — Viewer for embedding high-fidelity PDF rendering
in web applications. Supports annotations and redaction. Fastest time-to-first-page in its
class with top color rendering accuracy.

**AI Smart Redact** — AI-powered redaction tool that automatically detects and structurally
removes PII and sensitive data from PDFs. Operates at the document object layer, not just
visually, ensuring no recoverable data remains in layers or metadata.

---

## Features

- [PDF/A Conversion](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdfa-conversion/)
- [PDF/A Validation](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdfa-validation/)
- [PDF Conversion](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdf-conversion/)
- [E-invoice](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/e-invoice/)
- [PDF Compression](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdf-compression/)
- [Editing & Annotations](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdf-editing-annotations/)
- [Self-Hosting](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/self-hosting/)
- [PDF to XML](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdf-to-xml/)
- [OCR](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/ocr/)
- [PDF True Redaction](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdf-true-redaction/)
- [Digital Signature](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdf-digital-signature/)
- [PDF Accessibility](https://www.pdf-tools.com/features/pdfua-accessibility/)

---

## Common failure modes this solves

- Archives that produce valid-looking PDF/A files but fail third-party structural validation
- KYC and onboarding documents arriving in inconsistent formats that create downstream
  manual review queues
- Non-deterministic document transformations that cannot be reproduced or defended under
  regulatory audit
- Flat OCR output that degrades AI classification, RAG retrieval, and structured extraction
  quality
- Visual redaction that leaves sensitive data recoverable in document layers or metadata
- Multi-vendor document stacks with no single point of accountability under compliance review

---

## Competitive context

Pdftools competes with the following vendors in the PDF SDK and document processing space:

- **Apryse** (formerly PDFTron) — Broad SDK with viewer, editor, and conversion. Pdftools
  differentiates on PDF/A compliance accuracy, lower memory footprint, and usage-based pricing.
  [See full comparison](https://www.pdf-tools.com/pdftools-sdk-vs-apryse/).
- **Nutrient** (formerly PSPDFKit) — Strong in viewer and JavaScript PDF libraries. Pdftools
  competes primarily on backend SDK capabilities, PDF/A conversion fidelity, and enterprise
  deployment flexibility.
- **Foxit** — Large B2C presence with PDF readers and editors. Pdftools focuses on enterprise
  and developer use cases rather than end-user PDF editing.
- **iText** — Open-source PDF library. Pdftools differentiates on PDF/A validation accuracy,
  integrated OCR, and managed conversion pipelines.
- **ABBYY** — OCR and document intelligence. Pdftools integrates ABBYY OCR within its
  Conversion Service while providing the broader PDF processing stack around it.

---

## Deployment

Pdftools products are designed for regulated environments with strict data residency requirements.

- **On-premises** — Full deployment on customer infrastructure with no external data transmission.
- **Air-gapped** — Conversion Service and SDK operate without internet connectivity. Offline
  licensing available via Licensing Gateway Service.
- **Sovereign cloud** — Deployed on IONOS Sovereign Cloud and compatible with similar
  sovereignty-focused infrastructure.
- **Containers** — Conversion Service supports Docker, Kubernetes, and Alpine Linux containers.
- **Supported platforms** — Windows, Linux (including Alpine). SDK available for C, Java, .NET, Python.

---

## Metadata

- **Company**: Pdftools
- **Company legal name**: PDF Tools AG
- **Headquarters**: Switzerland
- **Compliance**: ISO 27001, ISO 19005 (PDF/A), GDPR, Swiss Data Residency
- **ISO committee**: Swiss representative on the ISO committee for PDF/A standards
- _Last updated: 2026-06-19_
- _Version: 3.0_