Two editors, two sites
Stirling PDF vs Sejda is a comparison of install shape. Sejda is a PDF editor and converter family: online tools, an in-browser editor, and a desktop app Sejda documents for offline work. Stirling PDF is the project you install from GitHub, winget, or Docker; Stirling files stay on GitHub Releases. Sejda stays on sejda.com.
People search both names for merge, split, rotate, and “edit PDF in the browser.” That is not a contest. Sejda’s web UI is a product; Stirling’s Windows window and Docker tab are a different product. Sister pages: vs Adobe Acrobat, vs PDF24, vs iLovePDF, PDF editor or Bento.
Where each PDF editor runs
Stirling PDF: Windows desktop (winget, MSI, Scoop, no login), Docker (docker.stirlingpdf.com/stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest, port 8080, login on with admin / stirling), or a JAR on Java JDK 25. Official Modes docs: local desktop does merge, split, rotate, and sign; OCR and some conversions need a self-hosted server or Stirling Cloud.
Sejda: web tools and an online editor on sejda.com, plus a desktop build Sejda describes for Mac and Windows offline use. Sejda’s numbers for file-size caps, task limits, or plan names change on their pricing page; this comparison talks about origin and where bytes go.
If your habit is “open sejda.com, drop a file, download,” that is a website job. If your habit is “winget, Start menu, save next to the original,” that is Stirling desktop. If your habit is “compose, localhost:8080,” that is Stirling Docker. Sejda Desktop, when you install it from sejda.com, is Sejda’s local app, not Stirling’s winget id.
Feature table
| Feature | Stirling PDF | Sejda |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor origin | stirling.com and docs.stirlingpdf.com | sejda.com |
| Where work runs | Your Windows desktop, your Docker/JAR server | Sejda web tools, plus Sejda Desktop as they document |
| How you install it | winget, MSI, Scoop, compose, JAR | Use sejda.com |
| Accounts | Desktop: none. Docker: login on by default | Follow sejda.com for accounts and the web editor |
| Source | Public GitHub repo, mixed licenses | Sejda product on their site |
| Merge, split, rotate, compress | Yes on the install you run | Sejda lists those jobs on sejda.com |
| Sign | Sign tool on the install you run | Sejda documents signatures in its editor |
| OCR | Server or Cloud. Not desktop local-only | Read sejda.com for Sejda OCR |
| Offline desktop | Stirling Windows desktop, local tools | Sejda Desktop, as Sejda documents |
| File host | GitHub Releases, docker.stirlingpdf.com | sejda.com |
| Self-host price | Free up to 5 users; Server about US$99/month or US$999/year | Check sejda.com |
| Licence mix | MIT with directory exceptions | Sejda terms on their site |
When Sejda still fits
If you already finish a weekly convert-to-Word on sejda.com, keep that URL. Use Stirling when you want GitHub-hosted binaries, a compose file you can read, and a default that can stay off the public web. Use Sejda when you want Sejda’s editor and you accept sejda.com (or Sejda Desktop) as the vendor. For leaving web toolkits as a class, read move PDF tools off the web.
Install Stirling PDF when you want that shape
winget install StirlingTools.StirlingPDFWindows notes: PDF editor download; Docker and port 8080: PDF editor Docker; JAR: JAR server; daily jobs: merge pdf, compress pdf, split pdf.
Sejda stays on sejda.com; do not fetch either app from Softonic, CNET, or a random “PDF editor” mirror.
Self-host versus a Sejda tab
Stirling Docker and the JAR server give you a URL on hardware you run. Sejda’s public products are Sejda Web, which uploads files, and Sejda Desktop, which Sejda documents as a local app. Official sejda.com can sit first for people who typed that name.
Sejda documents free-tier limits on its own desktop and web pages; those numbers change; Stirling desktop local tools are not Sejda-capped. Stirling OCR is still a server job: a Docker or JAR instance you run, or Stirling Cloud. That is a capability split from official Modes docs, not a Sejda quota.
If the file is a contract, a payroll PDF, or a passport scan, do not send it to Sejda Web or to Stirling Cloud. Stirling local merge, split, rotate, and sign stay on the device. A private scan that must become searchable belongs on Docker or on a JAR with Tesseract. Related jobs: OCR a PDF, sign a PDF, redact a PDF.
Most of the Stirling public repo is MIT (Copyright 2025 Stirling PDF Inc.); folders proprietary, saas, engine, desktop, cloud, and portal use other licenses. Sejda’s terms are on sejda.com; Stirling self-host is free up to 5 users; Server is about US$99 per month or about US$999 per year; Enterprise is custom. Read Paid Offerings and stirling.com/pricing; trust: about, editorial policy, is it safe, guides.
Pick a shape. Do not run two editors on the same file “to be sure” and then forget which output you sent.
Common questions
Is Stirling PDF the same product as Sejda? No. Stirling PDF is the GitHub project you install with winget, Docker, or a JAR. Sejda is the editor and converters on sejda.com, with an online editor and a desktop app Sejda documents. Both can merge, split, and rotate; they are different vendors; read sejda.com for Sejda.
Does Sejda process PDFs locally like this PDF editor? Sejda documents a desktop app that can edit offline. Stirling PDF desktop local also keeps merge, split, rotate, and sign on the device; Stirling Docker keeps work on the container you run. Sejda’s web tools run on sejda.com; do not mix those three shapes; official Sejda details stay on sejda.com.
Can I use Sejda and this PDF editor together? Yes. There is no shared project file; keep Sejda for jobs you already finish there. Install Stirling PDF when you want the winget window or a localhost:8080 server; save results into folders you name. If you are leaving web tools in general, use move PDF tools off the web.
What does Sejda cost next to this PDF editor? Sejda publishes plans and limits on sejda.com. Stirling self-host is free up to 5 users; Server is about US$99 per month or about US$999 per year. Enterprise is custom; read Paid Offerings and sejda.com; check each vendor’s pricing page.
How do I download each PDF editor? Stirling PDF: GitHub Releases, winget id StirlingTools.StirlingPDF, or docker.stirlingpdf.com. Sejda: sejda.com; skip Softonic, CNET, and unofficial wrappers around either name.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stirling PDF the same product as Sejda?
No. Stirling PDF is the GitHub project you install with winget, Docker, or a JAR. Sejda is the editor and converters on sejda.com, with an online editor and a desktop app Sejda documents. Both can merge, split, and rotate. They are different vendors. Read sejda.com for Sejda.
Does Sejda process PDFs locally like this PDF editor?
Sejda documents a desktop app that can edit offline. Stirling PDF desktop local also keeps merge, split, rotate, and sign on the device. Stirling Docker keeps work on the container you run. Sejda's web tools run on sejda.com. Do not mix those three shapes. Official Sejda details stay on sejda.com.
Can I use Sejda and this PDF editor together?
Yes. There is no shared project file. Keep Sejda for jobs you already finish there. Install Stirling PDF when you want the winget window or a localhost:8080 server. Save results into folders you name. If you are leaving web tools in general, use move PDF tools off the web.
What does Sejda cost next to this PDF editor?
Sejda publishes plans and limits on sejda.com. Stirling self-host is free up to 5 users. Server is about US$99 per month or about US$999 per year. Enterprise is custom. Read Paid Offerings and sejda.com. Check each vendor's pricing page.
How do I download each PDF editor?
Stirling PDF files stay on GitHub Releases, winget id StirlingTools.StirlingPDF, or docker.stirlingpdf.com. Sejda files stay on sejda.com. Skip Softonic, CNET, and unofficial wrappers around either name.