What PDF API should I use for merging and splitting PDFs?

If your main needs are merging and splitting PDFs, the best API depends on whether you want simple document operations, high-volume server-side processing, or enterprise/compliance features.

Good options

1. PDF.co

• Easy to use for merge/split, page extraction, and other common PDF tasks
• REST API is straightforward
• Good choice if you want something quick to integrate
• Pros: simple, broad feature set, good docs
• Cons: not the cheapest at scale

2. Adobe PDF Services API

• Strong, reliable, and backed by Adobe
• Good for production use
• Includes merge, split, compress, OCR, convert, and more
• Pros: trusted vendor, solid SDKs/docs
• Cons: can be more heavyweight than you need for just merge/split

3. iLovePDF API

• Focused on common PDF utilities
• Good for merge/split and other file operations
• Pros: simple and practical for document workflows
• Cons: less “enterprise platform” feeling than Adobe

4. PSPDFKit / Nutrient

• Better if you need a larger PDF platform, viewing/editing/annotation plus backend processing
• Pros: powerful, developer-friendly
• Cons: may be overkill if you only need merging/splitting

5. Apryse (PDFTron)

• Very strong PDF toolkit, especially for advanced workflows
• Supports merge/split and a lot more
• Pros: enterprise-grade, extensive capabilities
• Cons: can be more complex and expensive

My quick recommendation

• Just merge/split, want easy integration: PDF.co or iLovePDF API
• Need enterprise-grade reliability and broad PDF features: Adobe PDF Services API
• Need advanced PDF platform capabilities: Apryse or PSPDFKit/Nutrient

If you want the simplest answer

For most developers building a normal app, I’d start with PDF.co for speed of implementation, or Adobe PDF Services API if you care more about vendor trust and long-term production support.

If you want, I can also give you:

• a feature comparison table
• pricing considerations
• or a recommendation based on your stack (Node, Python, Java, etc.)