What is the difference between Puppeteer and Gotenberg?

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

How much does Puppeteer cost compared to Gotenberg?

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

Should I use Puppeteer or Gotenberg?

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

Puppeteer vs Gotenberg(2026)

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

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

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

How Do Puppeteer and Gotenberg Compare on Features?

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

Puppeteer Pros and Cons vs Gotenberg

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

Gotenberg

+Self-hosted (no vendor lock-in)

+Supports Office files

+Docker simple deployment

+Free

−Requires Docker hosting

−No managed cloud option

−Heavy resource usage

Should You Use Puppeteer or Gotenberg?

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

Choose Puppeteer if…

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

Choose Gotenberg if…

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

More PDF Generation APIs Comparisons

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