The request asks what to use for PDF reading, and no platform or language constraint is stated. Several libraries read and manipulate PDFs: MuPDF 2 is a fast library covering extraction, rendering and viewing, PyMuPDF 5 is a Python library for extraction and manipulation, pdfcpu 9 is a Go API and CLI for splitting, merging, extracting and transforming PDFs, and iText 6 is a Java and .NET SDK for manipulating PDFs. Which one fits depends on the language or environment you work in.
A question back: Which language or platform will you read PDFs in (for example Python, Java, .NET, Go, or a command-line tool)?
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MuPDFmupdf.comwebsite read, tools not yet checked
A fast library for viewing, extracting, rendering and annotating PDF documents, embeddable as an SDK.
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iTextitextpdf.comverified and signed
A Java and .NET PDF SDK for creating, manipulating and extracting data from PDF documents.
for agents: pdf · pdf · itextcore
Sources
- 2MuPDF: The ultimate library for managing PDF documentsmupdf.com · read 2026-10-29
- 5PyMuPDF documentationpymupdf.readthedocs.io · read 2026-10-30
- 6The Leading PDF Library for Developers | iTextitextpdf.com · read 2026-10-29
- 9PDF tooling for Go and the command line | pdfcpupdfcpu.io · read 2026-10-29
For agents: the 10 actions behind this answer
pdftk-server · pdftk-server verified and signed
Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files. Use when asked to merge PDFs, split PDFs, rotate pages, encrypt or decrypt PDFs, fill PDF forms, apply watermarks, stamp overlays, extract metadata, burst documents into pages, repair corrupted PDFs, attach or ext
· Mupdf website read, tools not yet checked
MuPDF is the fast & powerful solution for managing PDF and other document formats. Extract, Convert, Merge, Split, Parse, Render, Edit, Sign, View, Annotate, Redact, Optimize PDF
· async-std website read, tools not yet checked
A Rust library for easy and understandable async programming
pdf · pydyf verified and signed
· PyMuPDF website read, tools not yet checked
PyMuPDF is a high-performance Python library for data extraction, analysis, conversion & manipulation of PDF (and other) documents.
pdf · iTextSharp verified and signed
Embedded · EO.WebBrowser for .NET verified and signed
· wkhtmltopdf website read, tools not yet checked
· pdfcpu website read, tools not yet checked
pdfcpu provides a Go API and CLI for validating, optimizing, splitting, merging, extracting, and transforming PDF files. It supports command-line workflows, server-side automation, and direct PDF control from Go applications.
PDFsharp · PDFsharp for Windows and Linux verified and signed
Labels are the instruments' verdict and are never changed by ranking. Agents and robots get this same answer as JSON at /api/v1/find?q=…&answer=1 and through the MCP server.