Puppeteer C# vs IronPDF: Best PDF Library for .NET Developers (With Code Examples)

Introduction

A PDF or Portable Document Format is a device- and operating system-independent file format developed by Adobe that preserves a document's fonts, images, layout, and formatting when opened on any device or operating system. PDFs ensure the file looks the same whether opened on Windows, macOS, or mobile, showcasing their advanced features . PDFs are widely utilized for sharing, printing, and archiving documents because they are secure, lightweight, and easily available on free readers like Adobe Acrobat or modern web browsers.

Converting raw HTML content (or a webpage) into a PDF document is a widely used necessity in modern-day .NET applications for reports, invoices, archiving, tickets, etc., especially among net developers The .NET community boasts a vast array of libraries and approaches, including the popular puppeteer library . IronPDF and Puppeteer Sharp are two strong rivals. Both of them have compromises and solve the problem differently. Their architecture, usage, advantages and disadvantages, performance, pricing and licensing, and common scenarios will all be contrasted within this article.

What is Puppeteer?

The puppeteer library is an open-source Node.js ( .NET port to Puppeteer Sharp) library that enables developers to drive a headless or full Chrome/Chromium browser with code, making it easy to interact with various html elements . It schedules browser activity such as rendering web pages, taking screenshots, web scraping, testing, and generating PDFs. Puppeteer is used extensively for several automating user interactions and dumping dynamic web pages exactly as they are rendered in a browser, which also facilitates automated testing.

Key Features of Puppeteer:

• Headless browser automation with Chrome or Chromium.
• Take screenshots and create PDFs from web pages.
• Emulate user interaction (clicks, form submission, navigation).
• Run custom JavaScript inside the page.
• Supports web scraping and test automation.
• Reliable rendering of up-to-date web content (CSS, JS, animation).
• Support for cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux).
• Scraping an infinite scrolling demo page
• Open source and MIT license-free.

What is IronPDF?

IronPDF is a paid .NET PDF library that allows developers to generate PDFs, edit, and convert PDFs directly in C# or VB.NET projects. It eases the process of converting HTML, URLs, or ASP.NET pages to PDF documents and offers comprehensive tools for PDF manipulation without the use of third-party software.

Major Features of IronPDF:

• Convert HTML, ASPX, or URLs to PDF via a Chromium renderer.
• Generate PDFs from URL, HTML content or templates.
• Merge, split, and extract data from the current PDFs.
• Insert headers, footers, watermarks, and images.
• Edit, annotate, and password-protect or encrypt PDFs.
• Extract the text, images, and metadata of PDFs.
• Supports form filling and digital signatures.
• Compatible with .NET Framework, .NET Core, and .NET 8+ in full.
• Commercial license with professional support.

Installation of PDF Library

Puppeteer

Type the following code on the package manager console to install the latest version of Puppeteer package.

Install-Package PuppeteerSharp

Alternatively, we can find from the NuGet package manager as below, or directly in your project directory. Then we can choose the package required to insert.

Ironpdf

Install the IronPDF package using the following code on the package manager console.

Install-Package IronPDF

We can also find from the NuGet package manager as follows. Then we can choose the package required to insert.

Comprehensive Feature Comparison of Puppeteer Sharp vs IronPDF

HTML to PDF Conversion

Below is the sample code of Puppeteer sharp and ironpdf which allows us to convert the Html URL into a pdf file.

Puppeteer sharp

using PuppeteerSharp;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

// Download and launch headless Chromium
        await new BrowserFetcher().DownloadAsync();
        using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions { Headless = true });
        var url = "https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer";
        // Open new browser tab
        using var page = await browser .NewPageAsync();
        await page.GoToAsync(url, WaitUntilNavigation.Networkidle0);

        // Convert the webpage to PDF
        await page .PdfAsync("puppeteersharp_output.pdf", new PdfOptions
        {
            Format = PaperFormat.A4,
            PrintBackground = true
        });

It initially downloads and create a browser instance. When initializing a headless browser, a fresh page instance is pre-fetched for simulating an open browser window. The application then navigates to the official Puppeteer Sharp entire page and waits until completely loaded, including background network loading.

As soon as the page loads, it captures the whole web content as a PDF file and saves it under the provided name.

Ironpdf

using IronPdf;
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://ironpdf.com/");
pdf.SaveAs("ironpdf_output.pdf");

First we are importing the namespace. Then, it starts by opening a Chrome-based PDF renderer with a custom user agent , which uses an embedded Chromium engine to render the page properly.

The renderer loads the target page from IronPDF website and renders its dynamic content, including html elements JavaScript, CSS, and HTML to generate a high-fidelity PDF that is visually equivalent to the original page. The generated PDF is then output to the system based on the provided file name.

Adding Header and Footer

Below is the sample code to add the header and footer of the converted pdf page.

Puppeteer sharp

using PuppeteerSharp;
using PuppeteerSharp.Media;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
// Download and launch headless Chromium
await new BrowserFetcher().DownloadAsync();
using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions { Headless = true });

// Open new browser tab
using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
await page.GoToAsync("https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer", WaitUntilNavigation.Networkidle0);
await page.PdfAsync("custom_header_footer.pdf", new PdfOptions
{
    Format = PaperFormat.A4,
    DisplayHeaderFooter = true,
    HeaderTemplate = "<span style='font-size:10px;'>Header</span>",
    FooterTemplate = "<span style='font-size:10px;'>Page <span class='pageNumber'></span></span>",
    MarginOptions = new MarginOptions { Top = "60px", Bottom = "60px" }
});

First we are importing the namespace. Then, It starts by downloading and launching a headless Chromium browser that will be utilized for rendering web pages with no user interface. The PDF is created with header and footer message personalized, header and dynamic page numbers in footer, and top and bottom margins set to allow sufficient space.

Then a simple PDF of same page with background images is created. This solution proves to be an illustration of basic and advanced PDF creation from actual web pages using browser simulation.

Ironpdf

new IronPdf.ChromePdfRenderer()
    .RenderHtmlAsPdf("https://ironpdf.com/")
    .AddTextHeaders(new IronPdf.TextHeaderFooter { CenterText = "My Company", DrawDividerLine = true })
    .AddTextFooters(new IronPdf.TextHeaderFooter { RightText = "Page {page}", DrawDividerLine = true })
    .SaveAs("withHeadersFooters.pdf");

The sample code shows to create header and footer on pdf using the ironpdf. It starts by initializing an instance of a Chrome-based PDF renderer, which employs an in-built Chromium engine to render the HTML in the correct form.

The application utilizes simple HTML code with a title to display as a PDF document. It includes a center header with business name, a divider line, and then a footer with page number and total pages and a divider line. The PDF is then output to the system with a given filename.

This is a simple way of producing professionally full PDFs with a consistent brand and page information from HTML content. This sample code is indicative of the ease with which an HTML string can be rendered as a PDF with IronPDF.

Advance HTML Features on Ironpdf

Convert Html String To PDF

using IronPdf;
// Instantiate Renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
var html = "<h1>Hello World</h1>";
// Create a PDF from a HTML string using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);
// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

It begins with the setup of a Chrome-based PDF renderer, which utilizes an in-process Chromium engine implementation to accurately render the HTML templates . The renderer then converts a minimal HTML snippet with a heading into a PDF document, opening a new page for the output. Finally, the PDF is stored on the system with the provided name.

The code help us to render HTML content into PDFs without the running of an external browser, hence suitable for reports, invoices, or dynamically generated HTML content. The following code snippet illustrates the generation of a PDF from a pre-existing HTML file using IronPDF with custom rendering options.

Convert Html File To PDF

using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Engines.Chrome;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer
{
    RenderingOptions = new ChromePdfRenderOptions
    {
        CssMediaType = PdfCssMediaType.Print,
        MarginBottom = 0,
        MarginLeft = 0,
        MarginRight = 0,
        MarginTop = 0,
        Timeout = 120,
    },
};
renderer.RenderingOptions.WaitFor.RenderDelay(50);

// Create a PDF from an existing HTML file using C#
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf("example.html");

// Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

It begins with the development of a PDF renderer based on Chrome that has a built-in Chromium engine. The renderer is set to accept some parameters, including the print CSS media type to employ, all page margins to zero, and a timeout for waiting until the page is fully loaded before rendering. There is a bit of render delay included so that dynamic content can be rendered in the correct manner.

The application then converts the target HTML file into a PDF and stores it in the system with the given filename. The method gives direct control over layout, spacing, and timing in generating PDFs from HTML content.

About License

Puppeteer Sharp

Puppeteer is an open-source .NET implementation of the well-known Node.js library Puppeteer, licensed under the Apache License 2.0. The license permits developers to use the software freely, distribute, and modify the software for commercial purposes as well, provided the proper notice and attribution are given under the license. There are no royalties or usage charges, so the solution is a low-cost and general-purpose option for browser automation or PDF rendering initiatives.

IronPDF

IronPDF is a proprietary, commercial PDF library by Iron Software that comes with an appropriate license key to use for full functionality, since the free version adds a watermark to PDFs created. IronPDF supports varying models of licenses, ranging from project and development licenses to enterprise and SaaS distribution, offering flexibility based on varied business needs.

Unlike open-source solutions, commercial support, frequent updates, and access to enhanced features such as HTML to PDF conversion, security, and PDF editing are available in the commercial license.

Conclusion

In short, both IronPDF and Puppeteer Sharp provide powerful ways of generating PDFs from HTML material in .NET, but are utilized for different purposes. Puppeteer Sharp is more ideal for browser automation and screenshotting of fully rendered, dynamic web pages because it allows complex browser interactions or execution of JS scripts prior to generating a PDF.

IronPDF, on the other hand, offers a complete, feature-rich solution for PDF creation, editing, and customization, including headers, footers, watermarks, merging, and security, without relying on an external browser, providing the same functionality as Puppeteer Sharp in many scenarios. The choice depends on user specific needs: use Puppeteer Sharp for taking snapshots of dynamic web pages and automation, including utilizing CSS selectors, and IronPDF for large-scale PDF production and document workflow manipulation. To learn more about other iron software product check here.