DocuForge vs jsPDF

Compare DocuForge’s server-side API against client-side jsPDF

DocuForge vs jsPDF

jsPDF is a client-side JavaScript library that generates PDFs in the browser. DocuForge is a server-side API that renders PDFs using headless Chromium for pixel-perfect output.

Feature Comparison

Feature	DocuForge	jsPDF
Runs on	Server (API)	Client (browser)
HTML/CSS support	Full CSS3	Very limited (html2canvas)
Flexbox / Grid	Full support	Not supported
Custom fonts	Upload via API	Manual embedding (complex)
Output quality	Pixel-perfect (Chromium)	Approximate (canvas-based)
File size	0KB client bundle	~300KB+ (with plugins)
Tables	Full HTML tables	Manual coordinate positioning
Images	URL or base64	Base64 only
Multi-page	Automatic page breaks	Manual page management
React support	Native	Not supported
Templates	Visual editor + API	Not supported
Batch generation	Yes (server-side)	Not practical
Cost	Free tier, from $29/mo	Free (MIT license)

Key Differences

jsPDF generates PDFs entirely in the browser by drawing to a canvas. This means:

• No CSS layout engine — you position elements by x/y coordinates
• Limited text wrapping and table support
• html2canvas plugin is needed for HTML, but output is approximate
• Large documents can freeze the browser

DocuForge renders PDFs server-side using Chromium, giving you:

• Full CSS3 support (the same rendering as Chrome)
• Automatic page breaks, headers, footers
• Zero client-side bundle size impact

Code Comparison

jsPDF

import jsPDF from 'jspdf';

const doc = new jsPDF();

// Manual positioning — no CSS support
doc.setFontSize(22);
doc.text('Invoice #1234', 20, 30);
doc.setFontSize(12);
doc.text('Amount: $500.00', 20, 45);
doc.text('Date: March 1, 2026', 20, 55);

// Tables require a plugin
doc.autoTable({
  head: [['Item', 'Qty', 'Price']],
  body: [
    ['Consulting', '10', '$1,500'],
    ['Development', '20', '$4,000'],
  ],
  startY: 70,
});

doc.save('invoice.pdf');

DocuForge

import { DocuForge } from 'docuforge';
const df = new DocuForge('df_live_...');

const pdf = await df.generate({
  html: `
    <h1>Invoice #1234</h1>
    <p>Amount: $500.00</p>
    <p>Date: March 1, 2026</p>
    <table>
      <tr><th>Item</th><th>Qty</th><th>Price</th></tr>
      <tr><td>Consulting</td><td>10</td><td>$1,500</td></tr>
      <tr><td>Development</td><td>20</td><td>$4,000</td></tr>
    </table>
  `,
  options: { format: 'A4' },
});

When to Choose jsPDF

• You need client-side PDF generation (offline, no API calls)
• You’re generating simple documents with manual layouts
• You can’t send data to a third-party server

When to Choose DocuForge

• You need pixel-perfect PDFs with proper CSS layout
• You’re building production invoices, reports, or certificates
• You want to keep your client bundle small (zero KB)
• You need batch generation or template support