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Stirling-PDF

DEVOPS
Velocity6.3

Locally hosted web app to perform 50+ operations on PDF files.

Stirling-PDF is hardening its desktop app while commercializing a metered, AI-billed SaaS.

pdf-toolsopen-sourcedesktop-appsaaspay-as-you-gomcpdocument-signing
Current state
Stirling-PDF is shipping fast on two fronts. The open-source desktop app keeps hardening, with hardware-token signing, multi-window, memory-efficient merge/split via JPDFium, and broad package distribution, while a parallel SaaS effort adds pay-as-you-go billing for AI and automation, MCP support, and org-wide policy enforcement. A v2 UI rework, files on the left and tools on the right, runs through recent releases.
Where it's heading
The project is splitting into a free self-hosted tool and a commercial SaaS with metered AI and automation. Backend work, cluster backplane, S3 storage, pay-as-you-go billing primitives, and policy enforcement on upload and export, is groundwork for running Stirling as a multi-tenant service. On the desktop side the focus is enterprise-grade signing and distribution. Release cadence is high, roughly weekly.
Prediction
Expect the SaaS pay-as-you-go and MCP features to move toward general availability and the desktop app to keep adding enterprise signing and management features; the in-progress file-management UI is the likely next thing to stabilize.

Recent moves

  1. 2d ago

    2.14.0 Hardware token signing and shared signing

    Adds desktop hardware-token signing (PKCS#11 USB/smart-card and OS certificate stores) plus shared signing and side-menu improvements. Extends the signing surface toward enterprise and regulated use, continuing the desktop-hardening arc.

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  2. 8d ago

    2.13.2 Desktop performance fix, and security fixes

    Security fixes, removal of unused Docker dependencies, and a desktop UI performance fix. Maintenance-heavy, but the security and desktop-performance work is user-relevant.

    View source ↗
  3. 13d ago

    2.13.1 bug fixes for desktop upload from mobile and multitool rotations

    Quick bug fixes for multi-tool PDF rotation and desktop QR-code mobile upload. A small corrective release with no new capability.

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  4. 14d ago

    2.13.0 MCP, files UI tweaks and bug fixes

    ⚡ SPARK

    Introduces pay-as-you-go billing for AI, automation, and API, an MCP page, and org-wide policy enforcement, the clearest sign yet that Stirling is building a commercial SaaS alongside the open-source tool.

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  5. 23d ago

    2.12.0 JDK25, Folder storage, Huge memory improvements for merge and lots more

    A large release: up to 99% less memory on merge/split via JPDFium, enforced JDK 25, a new folder storage system, desktop multi-window, and cluster/S3 backplane groundwork. Major performance and infrastructure work underpinning both the desktop app and the coming SaaS.

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  6. 1mo ago

    2.12 pre relase test - dont use

    A pre-release test tag (marked 'dont use') that the crawler picked up as a release; its content is just an automated license-file bump. Not a real user-facing release, a feed artifact.

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