PuppeteerSharp vs IronPDF: Technical Comparison Guide

Understanding PuppeteerSharp

PuppeteerSharp is a .NET adaptation of Google's Puppeteer, bringing browser automation capabilities to C#. It generates PDFs using Chrome's built-in print-to-PDF feature, similar to pressing Ctrl+P in a browser. This produces print-ready output optimized for paper, which differs from screen rendering.

This distinction is important: PuppeteerSharp's PDF output is equivalent to Chrome's print dialog, not a screen capture. Layouts may reflow, backgrounds may be omitted by default, and output is paginated for printing rather than matching the browser viewport.

PuppeteerSharp excels at modern CSS3 support because it uses the Chromium engine for rendering. The library also enables rich browser interaction for web scraping, automated testing, and browser automation tasks beyond PDF generation.

However, PuppeteerSharp has significant deployment considerations. A 300MB+ Chromium binary must be downloaded before first use. Under heavy load, the library experiences memory accumulation that requires manual browser recycling. The architecture demands complex async patterns with browser lifecycle management.

Accessibility Limitation: PuppeteerSharp cannot produce PDF/A (archival) or PDF/UA (accessibility) compliant documents. For Section 508, EU accessibility directives, or long-term archival requirements, dedicated PDF solutions become necessary.

Understanding IronPDF

IronPDF is purpose-built for PDF generation, offering a leaner footprint and complete PDF manipulation without browser automation overhead. The library provides a bundled Chromium rendering engine, automatic memory management, and extends beyond generation to include editing, merging, splitting, and digital signatures.

IronPDF's architecture eliminates the separate Chromium download requirement, simplifies deployment through a single NuGet package, and provides both synchronous and asynchronous API patterns for different application needs.

The Browser Automation Problem

PuppeteerSharp was designed for web testing and scraping, not document generation. This creates fundamental issues when using it primarily for PDFs:

Memory and Performance Metrics

The architectural differences between PuppeteerSharp and IronPDF translate to measurable production metrics:

PuppeteerSharp's memory accumulation under sustained load represents a significant production concern. The library requires explicit browser recycling to prevent memory leaks:

// PuppeteerSharp - Memory grows with each operation
// Requires explicit browser recycling every N operations
for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
    var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
    await page.SetContentAsync($"<h1>Document {i}</h1>");
    await page.PdfAsync($"doc_{i}.pdf");
    await page.CloseAsync(); // Memory still accumulates!
}
// Must periodically: await browser.CloseAsync(); and re-launch

// PuppeteerSharp - Memory grows with each operation
// Requires explicit browser recycling every N operations
for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
    var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
    await page.SetContentAsync($"<h1>Document {i}</h1>");
    await page.PdfAsync($"doc_{i}.pdf");
    await page.CloseAsync(); // Memory still accumulates!
}
// Must periodically: await browser.CloseAsync(); and re-launch

IronPDF maintains stable memory through automatic management:

// IronPDF - Stable memory, reuse renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
    var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf($"<h1>Document {i}</h1>");
    pdf.SaveAs($"doc_{i}.pdf");
    // Memory managed automatically
}

// IronPDF - Stable memory, reuse renderer
var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
    var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf($"<h1>Document {i}</h1>");
    pdf.SaveAs($"doc_{i}.pdf");
    // Memory managed automatically
}

Platform Support Comparison

The libraries differ in their .NET version compatibility:

IronPDF's complete support across .NET platforms ensures developers can use it in various environments without compatibility issues, providing flexibility for modern .NET applications targeting future deployment timelines.

HTML to PDF Conversion

The most common PDF generation scenario involves converting HTML content. The code patterns reveal fundamental API differences.

// NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp
using PuppeteerSharp;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        var browserFetcher = new BrowserFetcher();
        await browserFetcher.DownloadAsync();

        await using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
        {
            Headless = true
        });

        await using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.SetContentAsync("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>");
        await page.PdfAsync("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp
using PuppeteerSharp;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        var browserFetcher = new BrowserFetcher();
        await browserFetcher.DownloadAsync();

        await using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
        {
            Headless = true
        });

        await using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.SetContentAsync("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>");
        await page.PdfAsync("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}

URL to PDF Conversion

Converting live web pages to PDF requires navigation and page loading handling.

// NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp
using PuppeteerSharp;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        var browserFetcher = new BrowserFetcher();
        await browserFetcher.DownloadAsync();

        await using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
        {
            Headless = true
        });

        await using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.GoToAsync("https://www.example.com");
        await page.PdfAsync("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp
using PuppeteerSharp;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        var browserFetcher = new BrowserFetcher();
        await browserFetcher.DownloadAsync();

        await using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
        {
            Headless = true
        });

        await using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.GoToAsync("https://www.example.com");
        await page.PdfAsync("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}

Custom Rendering Settings

Production PDF generation typically requires control over page dimensions, margins, and orientation.

// NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp
using PuppeteerSharp;
using PuppeteerSharp.Media;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        var browserFetcher = new BrowserFetcher();
        await browserFetcher.DownloadAsync();

        await using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
        {
            Headless = true
        });

        await using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.SetContentAsync("<h1>Custom PDF</h1><p>With landscape orientation and margins.</p>");

        await page.PdfAsync("custom.pdf", new PdfOptions
        {
            Format = PaperFormat.A4,
            Landscape = true,
            MarginOptions = new MarginOptions
            {
                Top = "20mm",
                Bottom = "20mm",
                Left = "20mm",
                Right = "20mm"
            }
        });
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package PuppeteerSharp
using PuppeteerSharp;
using PuppeteerSharp.Media;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        var browserFetcher = new BrowserFetcher();
        await browserFetcher.DownloadAsync();

        await using var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions
        {
            Headless = true
        });

        await using var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.SetContentAsync("<h1>Custom PDF</h1><p>With landscape orientation and margins.</p>");

        await page.PdfAsync("custom.pdf", new PdfOptions
        {
            Format = PaperFormat.A4,
            Landscape = true,
            MarginOptions = new MarginOptions
            {
                Top = "20mm",
                Bottom = "20mm",
                Left = "20mm",
                Right = "20mm"
            }
        });
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Landscape;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 20;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 20;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginLeft = 20;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginRight = 20;

        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Custom PDF</h1><p>With landscape orientation and margins.</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("custom.pdf");
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize = PdfPaperSize.A4;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperOrientation = PdfPaperOrientation.Landscape;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginTop = 20;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginBottom = 20;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginLeft = 20;
        renderer.RenderingOptions.MarginRight = 20;

        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Custom PDF</h1><p>With landscape orientation and margins.</p>");
        pdf.SaveAs("custom.pdf");
    }
}

API Mapping Reference

Teams evaluating PuppeteerSharp migration to IronPDF can reference this mapping of equivalent operations:

Feature Comparison

Beyond basic conversion, the libraries differ substantially in PDF manipulation capabilities:

When Teams Consider PuppeteerSharp Migration

Several factors prompt development teams to evaluate alternatives to PuppeteerSharp for PDF generation:

Deployment size concerns arise when the 300MB+ Chromium download bloats Docker images and causes cold start issues in serverless environments. IronPDF eliminates this separate download, reducing deployment size significantly.

Memory leak challenges under sustained load require manual browser recycling with PuppeteerSharp. Teams building high-volume PDF generation services find that memory accumulation by browser instances necessitates complex operational patterns.

Missing PDF manipulation features become blockers when requirements include merging documents, adding watermarks, applying digital signatures, or extracting text. PuppeteerSharp focuses on generation only.

Compliance requirements for accessibility (Section 508, PDF/UA) or archival (PDF/A) cannot be met with PuppeteerSharp's current capabilities.

Thread safety limitations affect applications handling concurrent PDF requests, where IronPDF's full thread safety provides more reliable behavior.

Performance Comparison Summary

Strengths and Trade-offs

Conclusion

PuppeteerSharp serves as an excellent browser automation tool that includes PDF generation capabilities. For teams already using Puppeteer patterns who occasionally need PDF output and can manage the Chromium dependency, memory recycling, and async complexity, the library provides functional results.

For applications where PDF generation represents a core requirement—especially those needing manipulation capabilities, compliance standards, stable memory behavior, or high-volume processing—IronPDF offers a purpose-built solution. The elimination of 300MB+ Chromium downloads, automatic memory management, and comprehensive PDF features address the primary production challenges teams face with browser-based PDF generation.

When evaluating PuppeteerSharp migration to IronPDF, teams should consider their specific requirements around deployment size, memory stability under load, compliance needs, and PDF manipulation requirements. For PDF-centric workflows targeting .NET 10 and C# 14 in 2026, IronPDF's dedicated architecture provides a more appropriate foundation than repurposing a browser automation tool.

For implementation guidance, explore the IronPDF HTML-to-PDF tutorial and documentation covering PDF generation patterns for .NET applications.