wkhtmltopdf vs puppeteer

Struggling to choose between wkhtmltopdf and puppeteer? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

wkhtmltopdf is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like html, pdf, converter, open-source.

It boasts features such as Converts HTML to PDF using WebKit rendering engine, Supports CSS, JavaScript, images and web fonts, Command line interface allows automation and scripting, Supports page headers and footers, Has options for page size, margins, orientation, zoom level, Can create outlined bookmarks from headings, Supports table of contents generation, Has security options like disabling JavaScript, Works on Linux, Windows and macOS and pros including Open source and free, Produces high quality PDF from HTML, Fast and lightweight, Many options for customization, Easy to use in scripts and automation.

On the other hand, puppeteer is a Development product tagged with automation, testing, headless, browser, chromium, nodejs.

Its standout features include Headless Chrome/Chromium automation, Page screenshot capturing, PDF generation, Crawls pages, Executes JavaScript, Intercepts network requests, Emulate devices, Sandboxed execution, and it shines with pros like Powerful API for browser automation, Runs in a headless environment, Fast and lightweight, Built on top of DevTools Protocol, Supports latest Chrome features, Open source and free.

Feature	wkhtmltopdf	puppeteer
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Development

Product Overview

wkhtmltopdf

Description: wkhtmltopdf is an open source command line tool that uses the WebKit rendering engine to convert HTML to PDF. It works by taking HTML and CSS as input and generating a PDF file as output, allowing users to create PDF versions of web pages.

puppeteer

Description: Puppeteer is a Node.js library developed by Google which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. It allows developers to automate browser testing and scraping tasks.

Key Features Comparison

wkhtmltopdf Features

• Converts HTML to PDF using WebKit rendering engine
• Supports CSS, JavaScript, images and web fonts
• Command line interface allows automation and scripting
• Supports page headers and footers
• Has options for page size, margins, orientation, zoom level
• Can create outlined bookmarks from headings
• Supports table of contents generation
• Has security options like disabling JavaScript
• Works on Linux, Windows and macOS

puppeteer Features

• Headless Chrome/Chromium automation
• Page screenshot capturing
• PDF generation
• Crawls pages
• Executes JavaScript
• Intercepts network requests
• Emulate devices
• Sandboxed execution

Pros & Cons Analysis

wkhtmltopdf

Pros

• Open source and free
• Produces high quality PDF from HTML
• Fast and lightweight
• Many options for customization
• Easy to use in scripts and automation

Cons

• Lacks a GUI or web interface
• Limited to converting HTML to PDF
• Requires installing dependencies
• Not as full-featured as paid alternatives

puppeteer

Pros

• Powerful API for browser automation
• Runs in a headless environment
• Fast and lightweight
• Built on top of DevTools Protocol
• Supports latest Chrome features
• Open source and free

Cons

• Requires basic Node.js knowledge
• Headless only, no visible UI
• Limited to Chromium-based browsers
• Steep learning curve for advanced usage
• Requires managing browser lifecycle

Pricing Comparison

wkhtmltopdf

• Open Source
• Free

puppeteer

• Open Source