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2025 HTML-to-PDF Solutions in .NET — Complete Comparison

#csharp #dotnet #pdf #comparison

You need to convert HTML to PDF in .NET. Google "C# HTML to PDF" and you'll find outdated Stack Overflow answers recommending abandoned libraries like wkhtmltopdf (discontinued 2023) or iTextSharp (frozen since 2016).

The .NET PDF ecosystem changed dramatically in 2023-2025. Here's the definitive 2025 comparison of every HTML-to-PDF solution in .NET: what works, what's abandoned, and what you should actually use.

The Complete List of HTML-to-PDF Solutions

Active solutions (2025):

  1. IronPDF (Chromium-based, commercial)
  2. Playwright for .NET (browser automation, open source)
  3. Puppeteer-Sharp (headless Chrome, open source)
  4. Aspose.PDF (commercial)
  5. Syncfusion Essential PDF (commercial)
  6. QuestPDF (programmatic, not HTML)

Abandoned/deprecated:

  1. wkhtmltopdf (discontinued January 2023)
  2. DinkToPDF (wraps abandoned wkhtmltopdf)
  3. iTextSharp 5.x (frozen since 2016)

Direct Comparison Table

Solution HTML Support JavaScript License Cost Status
IronPDF ✅ Full (Chromium) ✅ Yes Commercial $749 ✅ Active
Playwright ✅ Full (Chromium) ✅ Yes Apache 2.0 Free ✅ Active
Puppeteer-Sharp ✅ Full (Chromium) ✅ Yes Apache 2.0 Free ✅ Active
Aspose.PDF ⚠️ Limited ❌ No Commercial $1,999+ ✅ Active
Syncfusion ⚠️ Limited ❌ No Commercial $995/year ✅ Active
QuestPDF ❌ Code-only N/A MIT (< $2M) Free/Paid ✅ Active
wkhtmltopdf ⚠️ Outdated ❌ No LGPL Free ❌ Abandoned
DinkToPDF ⚠️ Outdated ❌ No MIT Free ❌ Abandoned
iTextSharp 5.x ❌ Terrible ❌ No AGPL AGPL/$1,800+ ❌ Frozen

Solution 1: IronPDF (Chromium-Based, Commercial)

What it is: Purpose-built PDF library using Chromium rendering engine.

Pros

✅ Full HTML5/CSS3 support (Chromium rendering)
✅ JavaScript execution (charts, dynamic content)
✅ Simple API (3 lines for HTML to PDF)
✅ PDF manipulation (merge, split, forms, signatures)
✅ Cross-platform (.NET Core, Linux, Docker)
✅ Commercial support (24/5 email support, SLA available)

Cons

⚠️ Commercial license ($749 per developer)
⚠️ Binary size (~100MB Docker image)

Code Example 

using IronPdf;
// Install via NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello from IronPDF</h1>");
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
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Result: Pixel-perfect PDF matching Chrome browser output.

Best For

  • Production .NET applications
  • Enterprise use cases with support requirements
  • Modern HTML/CSS (Bootstrap, Tailwind, flexbox, grid)
  • Apps needing both generation and manipulation
  • Teams willing to pay for simplicity and support

Pricing

  • $749 per developer (one-time, perpetual license)
  • Free updates for 1 year
  • No runtime fees
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Solution 2: Playwright for .NET (Browser Automation, Open Source)

What it is: Microsoft's browser automation library (testing tool that can generate PDFs).

Pros

✅ Free (Apache 2.0 license)
✅ Full HTML/CSS support (Chromium rendering)
✅ JavaScript execution
✅ Cross-browser (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
✅ Active development (Microsoft-backed)

Cons

⚠️ Large deployment (~400MB Chromium binaries)
⚠️ Browser automation tool, not PDF library (no merge, split, forms)
⚠️ Complex deployment (browser binary management)
⚠️ Slower startup (spawns browser processes)

Code Example 

using Microsoft.Playwright;
// Install via NuGet: Install-Package Microsoft.Playwright

var playwright = await Playwright.CreateAsync();
var browser = await playwright.Chromium.LaunchAsync();
var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();

await page.SetContentAsync("<h1>Hello from Playwright</h1>");
await page.PdfAsync(new() { Path = "output.pdf" });

await browser.CloseAsync();
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Result: Same Chromium rendering as IronPDF, more verbose API.

Best For

  • Teams with $0 budget
  • Projects already using Playwright for testing
  • Apps tolerating deployment complexity
  • Simple HTML-to-PDF (no manipulation needed)

Pricing

  • Free (Apache 2.0 license)
  • No restrictions on commercial use

Solution 3: Puppeteer-Sharp (Headless Chrome, Open Source)

What it is: .NET port of Google's Puppeteer (browser automation).

Pros

✅ Free (Apache 2.0 license)
✅ Full Chromium rendering
✅ JavaScript execution
✅ Active community

Cons

⚠️ Large deployment (~350MB+ Chromium binaries)
⚠️ Not a PDF library (generate only, no manipulation)
⚠️ Browser process management overhead
⚠️ Complex Docker deployments

Code Example 

using PuppeteerSharp;
// Install via NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp

var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions { Headless = true });
var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();

await page.SetContentAsync("<h1>Hello from Puppeteer</h1>");
await page.PdfAsync("output.pdf");

await browser.CloseAsync();
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Best For

  • Budget-constrained projects
  • Simple HTML-to-PDF conversion
  • Teams comfortable with browser automation tools

Pricing

  • Free (Apache 2.0 license)

Solution 4: Aspose.PDF (Commercial)

What it is: Comprehensive PDF library with limited HTML rendering.

Pros

✅ Extensive PDF manipulation features
✅ Commercial support
✅ Mature codebase (20+ years)
✅ No external dependencies

Cons

⚠️ Limited HTML/CSS support (no flexbox, grid, modern CSS)
⚠️ No JavaScript execution
⚠️ Expensive ($1,999-$4,999 per developer)
⚠️ Complex API for HTML rendering

Code Example 

using Aspose.Pdf;
// Install via NuGet: Install-Package Aspose.PDF

var htmlLoadOptions = new HtmlLoadOptions();
var document = new Document(new MemoryStream(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(html)), htmlLoadOptions);

document.Save("output.pdf");
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Best For

  • Legacy applications already using Aspose
  • PDF manipulation without HTML rendering
  • Teams needing SLA-backed support

Pricing

  • $1,999 per developer (one-time)
  • Or $4,999 for Developer Small Business
  • Annual renewals for updates

Solution 5: Syncfusion Essential PDF (Commercial)

What it is: Part of Syncfusion's Essential Studio suite.

Pros

✅ Good PDF manipulation features
✅ Part of larger UI suite (if you use other Syncfusion components)
✅ Commercial support

Cons

⚠️ Limited HTML/CSS support (no flexbox, grid)
⚠️ No JavaScript execution
⚠️ Annual subscription ($995/year per developer)
⚠️ Requires larger suite purchase

Code Example 

using Syncfusion.HtmlConverter;
using Syncfusion.Pdf;
// Install via NuGet: Install-Package Syncfusion.HtmlToPdfConverter.Net.Windows

HtmlToPdfConverter converter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
PdfDocument document = converter.Convert(html);

document.Save("output.pdf");
document.Close(true);
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Best For

  • Teams already using Syncfusion UI components
  • Simple HTML layouts (no modern CSS)

Pricing

  • $995 per developer per year
  • Part of Essential Studio license

Solution 6: QuestPDF (Programmatic, Not HTML)

What it is: Fluent API for programmatic PDF generation (not HTML-based).

Pros

✅ Free for < $2M revenue (MIT license)
✅ Modern C# API (fluent, type-safe)
✅ Good documentation
✅ Active development

Cons

⚠️ Not HTML-based (programmatic layout only)
⚠️ Requires learning custom API
⚠️ Commercial license for > $2M revenue

Code Example 

using QuestPDF.Fluent;
using QuestPDF.Helpers;
// Install via NuGet: Install-Package QuestPDF

Document.Create(container =>
{
    container.Page(page =>
    {
        page.Content().Text("Hello from QuestPDF").FontSize(24);
    });
}).GeneratePdf("output.pdf");
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Best For

  • Code-first PDF generation (not HTML conversion)
  • Teams preferring programmatic layouts
  • Projects with < $2M annual revenue

Pricing

  • Free for < $2M revenue (MIT license)
  • Commercial license for > $2M

Abandoned Solutions (Do Not Use)

wkhtmltopdf (Abandoned January 2023)

Status: Project discontinued, no longer maintained.

Problems:

  • Based on Qt WebKit (frozen in 2015)
  • No modern CSS support (no flexbox, grid)
  • Security vulnerabilities unfixed
  • No .NET Core support without hacks

Don't use. Migrate to IronPDF or Playwright.

DinkToPDF (Wraps Abandoned wkhtmltopdf)

Status: Depends on wkhtmltopdf (abandoned).

Problems:

  • Inherits all wkhtmltopdf problems
  • No active maintenance
  • Security compliance failures

Don't use. Migrate to modern alternative.

iTextSharp 5.x (Frozen Since 2016)

Status: Replaced by iText 7 (different API, AGPL trap).

Problems:

  • Terrible HTML support
  • Abandoned codebase (no updates since 2016)
  • Security vulnerabilities unfixed (CVE-2020-15522)
  • AGPL licensing trap

Don't use. Migrate to IronPDF.

Feature Comparison Matrix

Feature IronPDF Playwright Puppeteer Aspose Syncfusion QuestPDF
Flexbox/Grid ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No N/A
JavaScript ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No N/A
Bootstrap ✅ Works ✅ Works ✅ Works ❌ Breaks ❌ Breaks N/A
Google Fonts ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ⚠️ Manual ⚠️ Manual ✅ Yes
PDF Merge ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
PDF Split ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Forms ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ⚠️ Limited
Signatures ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Docker Size ~100MB ~400MB ~350MB ~50MB ~50MB ~50MB
.NET 10 ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Linux ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ⚠️ Limited ✅ Yes

Cost Comparison (5 Developers, 3 Years)

Solution Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total
IronPDF $3,745 $0 $0 $3,745
Playwright $0 $0 $0 $0
Puppeteer $0 $0 $0 $0
Aspose.PDF $9,995 $0 $0 $9,995
Syncfusion $4,975 $4,975 $4,975 $14,925
QuestPDF $0* $0* $0* $0*

* Free for < $2M revenue

Decision Framework

Choose IronPDF if:

  • ✅ You need modern HTML/CSS support (Bootstrap, Tailwind, flexbox, grid)
  • ✅ You want both generation and manipulation (merge, split, forms)
  • ✅ You value simple APIs and commercial support
  • ✅ Budget allows $749 per developer

Choose Playwright/Puppeteer if:

  • ✅ Budget is $0
  • ✅ You only need HTML-to-PDF (no manipulation)
  • ✅ You can tolerate deployment complexity (400MB Docker images)
  • ✅ You're already using them for testing

Choose Aspose/Syncfusion if:

  • ✅ You need extensive PDF manipulation (not HTML rendering)
  • ✅ You don't use modern CSS frameworks
  • ✅ You require enterprise SLA support
  • ✅ Budget allows $1,000-$2,000+ per developer

Choose QuestPDF if:

  • ✅ You prefer code-first PDF generation
  • ✅ You don't need HTML conversion
  • ✅ Revenue < $2M/year

Avoid:

  • ❌ wkhtmltopdf (abandoned January 2023)
  • ❌ DinkToPDF (wraps abandoned wkhtmltopdf)
  • ❌ iTextSharp 5.x (frozen since 2016)

The Bottom Line: 2025 Recommendations

For production .NET apps:

  • Best overall: IronPDF ($749, modern rendering, simple API, full features)
  • Best free option: Playwright (free, modern rendering, complex deployment)
  • Best for < $2M revenue: QuestPDF (code-first, not HTML)

Stop using:

  • wkhtmltopdf (abandoned)
  • DinkToPDF (depends on abandoned wkhtmltopdf)
  • iTextSharp 5.x (frozen, terrible HTML support)

The .NET PDF landscape in 2025 is clear: if you need HTML-to-PDF, choose a Chromium-based solution (IronPDF, Playwright, or Puppeteer). Everything else is outdated.

Written by Jacob Mellor, CTO at Iron Software. Jacob created IronPDF and leads a team of 50+ engineers building .NET document processing libraries.

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