Working with the PDF format in Python can be super helpful, whether you're building a CLI application, automating reports for web development, or extracting custom data from existing files. But with so many popular Python libraries available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the choices.

So, I decided to test and break down the 5 most useful Python PDF libraries — each one a solid Python package for handling PDF tasks. If you're just getting started or want to streamline your project using multiple libraries, this guide is for you.

Let’s get into it.

🥇 1. IronPDF for Python — Best Overall PDF Tool (Seriously)

IronPDF is, hands down, the most comprehensive and capable Python PDF library I’ve worked with. It’s based on the well-known IronPDF engine from .NET and now runs cleanly across every operating system that supports Python. It offers features for converting HTML content into polished PDFs, reading and extracting document information, and even editing or securing files.

Whether you're creating PDFs from web pages, merging files, applying metadata, or rendering PDFs as PNG, IronPDF can do it all.

It’s perfect when you want one tool that can generate pdf documents, read, split, merge, extract text, apply security, add custom data, or even deal with viewing options font size, links, and annotations.

Installation

You can install it using the following command:

pip install ironpdf

💻 Code Example 1 – Create a PDF from HTML

This example shows how to create a PDF from HTML content using IronPDF and then save it:

from ironpdf import *


# Instantiate Renderer
renderer = ChromePdfRenderer()

# Create a PDF from a HTML string using Python
pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>")

# Export to a file or Stream
pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf")

The above code lets you use HTML and CSS just like you would in a browser, but the result is a clean, downloadable PDF file.

Output File:

💻 Code Example 2 – Read and Extract Text from Existing PDF

You can also open and extract text from an existing document using this pure Python PDF library:

from ironpdf import *

# Load existing PDF document
pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("sample.pdf")

# Extract text from PDF document
all_text = pdf.ExtractAllText()

print(all_text)

Output:

Great for: Creating PDFs from web pages, extracting metadata, viewing/editing content, form support, OCR, and more.

Just note: It’s a commercial library (free trial available), ideal when you want advanced features out of the box.

2. PyPDF2 / pypdf – The Reliable Classic

If you’ve worked with PDFs in Python before, chances are you've come across PyPDF2. The library has now been continued under the name pypdf, and it’s better maintained. It's great for basic operations like combining PDF files, rotating pages, or reading content from existing PDFs.

Installation

pip install pypdf

💻 Code Example

This example reads all pages of a PDF and prints their text:

from pypdf import PdfReader

reader = PdfReader("sample.pdf")
for page in reader.pages:
print(page.extract_text())

✅ Great for: Basic PDF manipulation, reading content, merging/splitting files.

❌ Not ideal for: Creating custom layouts or adding images.

Output:

3. ReportLab – Generate PDFs from Scratch

ReportLab is perfect when you need to build PDFs from the ground up, like when generating invoices, receipts, or any custom-formatted document. You control every inch of the layout using coordinates, fonts, tables, and more.

Installation

pip install reportlab

💻 Code Example

Here’s how you can create a simple PDF file using ReportLab:

from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

c = canvas.Canvas("hello.pdf")
c.drawString(100, 750, "This PDF was made with ReportLab.")
c.save()

Output PDF File:

✅ Great for: Custom PDF generation, layout design, reports.
❌ Not meant for: Reading or modifying existing PDFs.

4. pdfplumber – Extract Data with Precision

pdfplumber is like the surgeon of PDF tools. It doesn’t just grab text — it understands layout. It can pull out content from tables, columns, and even get precise coordinates of where each piece of text lives on the page.

Installation

pip install pdfplumber

💻 Code Example

Here’s a simple example to extract both text and table data from the first page of a PDF:

import pdfplumber

with pdfplumber.open("sample-invoice.pdf") as pdf:
    page = pdf.pages[0]
    text = page.extract_text()
    table = page.extract_table()
    print(text)

Output:

✅ Great for: Table extraction, layout-aware reading.
❌ Can’t modify or create new PDFs.

5. PyMuPDF (fitz) – Fast and Visual

PyMuPDF (imported as fitz) is surprisingly fast and covers a wide range of features — from text extraction to rendering PDF pages as images. It supports annotations, highlights, and form filling too.

Installation

pip install pymupdf

💻 Code Example

Here’s a quick demo to extract text from the first page of a PDF:

import fitz

doc = fitz.open("sample.pdf")
page = doc[0]
print(page.get_text())

Output:

✅ Great for: Rendering, annotations, form handling.
❌ The API can take a bit to learn.

Final Thoughts – Which One Should You Use?

Every project is different, so here's a simple cheat sheet:

If you're building anything PDF-heavy and need performance + accuracy + features, IronPDF is hard to beat — especially when compared to other libraries that focus on limited tasks. Whether you're converting HTML to PDF, extracting content, write your own layouts, or using a high-level method to generate professional PDFs, IronPDF wraps it all in one consistent tool.

But if you're just starting out or doing smaller projects, the open-source tools above are also solid picks.

⚙️ Technical Verdict

From a developer’s point of view, IronPDF is the most technically complete solution. It provides high-fidelity rendering, solid performance across platforms, and supports advanced editing and layout operations, all without worrying about low-level PDF structure.

On the other hand, if you’re doing focused tasks — like extracting data or merging files — lightweight libraries like pypdf or pdfplumber are still excellent and efficient.

So, for production apps, document automation, or anything HTML-driven, go with IronPDF — it offers a free trial and delivers enterprise-grade features out of the box.

For lightweight scripting and read-only workflows, lean on open-source tools like pypdf.