Pros of pdf.js

• More comprehensive and feature-rich PDF rendering solution
• Widely adopted and maintained by Mozilla, ensuring long-term support
• Extensive documentation and community support

Cons of pdf.js

• Larger file size and potentially more complex integration
• May be overkill for simple PDF embedding needs
• Steeper learning curve for customization

Code Comparison

embed-pdf-viewer:

<embed-pdf src="path/to/your/pdf.pdf"></embed-pdf>

pdf.js:

<div id="pdf-viewer"></div>
<script src="pdf.js"></script>
<script>
  pdfjsLib.getDocument('path/to/your/pdf.pdf').promise.then(function(pdf) {
    // Render PDF pages
  });
</script>

Summary

embed-pdf-viewer is a lightweight, easy-to-use solution for embedding PDFs in web pages. It offers a simple API and is ideal for basic PDF viewing needs. On the other hand, pdf.js is a more robust and feature-rich PDF rendering library maintained by Mozilla. It provides advanced functionality and wider browser support but may be more complex to implement and customize.

The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your project. If you need a quick and simple PDF embedding solution, embed-pdf-viewer might be the better choice. For more advanced PDF rendering and manipulation capabilities, pdf.js would be the preferred option.

Pros of vue-pdf

• Vue.js specific implementation, offering seamless integration with Vue applications
• More comprehensive PDF handling features, including page navigation and zooming
• Active development with regular updates and bug fixes

Cons of vue-pdf

• Larger bundle size due to more features and dependencies
• Steeper learning curve for developers not familiar with Vue.js
• May be overkill for simple PDF embedding needs

Code Comparison

embed-pdf-viewer:

<embed-pdf src="path/to/your/file.pdf"></embed-pdf>

vue-pdf:

<template>
  <pdf src="path/to/your/file.pdf" :page="1" @num-pages="pageCount = $event"></pdf>
</template>

<script>
import pdf from 'vue-pdf'

export default {
  components: { pdf },
  data() {
    return { pageCount: 0 }
  }
}
</script>

The embed-pdf-viewer offers a simpler implementation with a single custom element, while vue-pdf provides more control and features through Vue.js component structure. embed-pdf-viewer is more suitable for quick, straightforward PDF embedding, whereas vue-pdf is better for complex PDF interactions within Vue applications.

Pros of marker

• More comprehensive PDF annotation features, including highlighting and commenting
• Supports collaborative editing and real-time synchronization
• Offers a wider range of customization options for the viewer interface

Cons of marker

• Potentially more complex to implement due to additional features
• May have a steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with advanced annotation tools
• Could be overkill for simple PDF embedding needs

Code Comparison

embed-pdf-viewer:

<embed-pdf src="path/to/document.pdf" width="800" height="600"></embed-pdf>

marker:

const viewer = new PDFViewer({
  container: '#pdf-container',
  url: 'path/to/document.pdf',
  annotationTools: ['highlight', 'comment', 'draw'],
  collaborativeEditing: true
});

The code comparison shows that embed-pdf-viewer offers a simpler, more straightforward implementation for basic PDF embedding. In contrast, marker provides more configuration options and features out of the box, allowing for a more feature-rich PDF viewing and annotation experience.

Pros of react-pdf

• More comprehensive PDF rendering capabilities, including support for forms and annotations
• Better performance for large PDF files due to lazy loading and virtualization
• Extensive customization options and API for advanced use cases

Cons of react-pdf

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex API and configuration options
• Larger bundle size, which may impact initial load times for web applications
• Requires more setup and configuration compared to simpler solutions

Code Comparison

embed-pdf-viewer:

<embed-pdf src="path/to/document.pdf"></embed-pdf>

react-pdf:

import { Document, Page } from 'react-pdf';

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <Document file="path/to/document.pdf">
      <Page pageNumber={1} />
    </Document>
  );
}

The embed-pdf-viewer provides a simpler, more straightforward implementation with a single custom element. In contrast, react-pdf offers more granular control over the rendering process, allowing developers to handle individual pages and customize the viewer's behavior.

While embed-pdf-viewer is easier to use for basic PDF embedding, react-pdf provides more flexibility and features for complex PDF-related tasks in React applications. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the project and the desired level of customization.

Pros of pdfmake

• Allows dynamic PDF generation on the client-side
• Offers extensive customization options for PDF content and styling
• Supports complex layouts, tables, and images

Cons of pdfmake

• Steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive feature set
• Larger file size and potentially slower performance for simple PDF viewing tasks
• Requires more setup and configuration compared to embed-pdf-viewer

Code Comparison

embed-pdf-viewer:

<embed-pdf src="path/to/document.pdf"></embed-pdf>

pdfmake:

var docDefinition = {
  content: [
    'First paragraph',
    'Another paragraph, this time a little bit longer to make sure, this line will be divided into at least two lines'
  ]
};
pdfMake.createPdf(docDefinition).download();

embed-pdf-viewer is a simpler solution for embedding existing PDFs, while pdfmake offers powerful PDF generation capabilities but requires more complex setup and usage.