What is the difference between Gotenberg and Puppeteer?

Gotenberg is known for Self-hosted (no vendor lock-in) and Supports Office files. Puppeteer stands out for Free and open source and Pixel-perfect output. The main trade-off: Gotenberg Requires Docker hosting, while Puppeteer Requires Node.js server.

How much does Gotenberg cost compared to Puppeteer?

Gotenberg is open-source, starting at $0. Puppeteer is open-source, starting at $0.

Should I use Gotenberg or Puppeteer?

Choose Gotenberg if self-hosted (no vendor lock-in). Choose Puppeteer if free and open source. Both are strong choices — the best pick depends on your team size, budget, and specific use case.

Gotenberg vs Puppeteer(2026)

Gotenberg is better for teams that need self-hosted (no vendor lock-in). Puppeteer is the stronger choice if free and open source. Gotenberg is open-source (from $0) and Puppeteer is open-source (from $0).

Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.

By Bikram Nath

Affiliate disclosure: Some “Visit” links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you. It does not affect our rankings or editorial coverage. Learn more.

Gotenberg

open-source

Gotenberg is a Docker-powered PDF microservice that wraps Chromium and LibreOffice — converting HTML, Word, Excel, and other formats to PDF via a simple REST API.

Starting at $0

Visit Gotenberg

Puppeteer

open-source

Puppeteer is Google's Node.js library to control Chrome/Chromium — widely used to generate pixel-perfect PDFs from HTML by launching a headless browser with page.pdf().

Starting at $0

Visit Puppeteer

How Do Gotenberg and Puppeteer Compare on Features?

Feature	Gotenberg	Puppeteer
Pricing model	open-source	open-source
Starting price	$0	$0
HTML to PDF (Chromium)	✓	—
Office files to PDF (LibreOffice)	✓	—
URL to PDF	✓	—
PDF merge/split	✓	—
Webhook callback	✓	—
Docker-based	✓	—
REST API	✓	—
HTML to PDF	—	✓
Screenshot capture	—	✓
Full Chrome control	—	✓
Headless mode	—	✓
PDF format options (margin, paper size)	—	✓
Network interception	—	✓
CDP protocol	—	✓

Gotenberg Pros and Cons vs Puppeteer

Gotenberg

+Self-hosted (no vendor lock-in)

+Supports Office files

+Docker simple deployment

+Free

−Requires Docker hosting

−No managed cloud option

−Heavy resource usage

Puppeteer

+Free and open source

+Pixel-perfect output

+Full Chrome rendering

+Huge community

−Requires Node.js server

−Heavy (Chrome binary)

−No hosted API

−Memory-intensive

Should You Use Gotenberg or Puppeteer?

For most teams, Gotenberg is the better default: it offers self-hosted (no vendor lock-in) and is open-source (from $0). Choose Puppeteer instead if free and open source matters more than requires docker hosting. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value self-hosted (no vendor lock-in) or free and open source more.

Choose Gotenberg if…

•Self-hosted (no vendor lock-in)
•Supports Office files
•Docker simple deployment

Choose Puppeteer if…

•Free and open source
•Pixel-perfect output
•Full Chrome rendering

More PDF Generation APIs Comparisons

Puppeteer vs Playwright (PDF)Puppeteer vs Gotenberg Puppeteer vs WeasyPrint Puppeteer vs PDFMonkey Puppeteer vs DocRaptor Playwright (PDF) vs Gotenberg