Differences between SharePoint Online and on-premises Document Converter

The Document Converter for SharePoint Online(opens in a new tab) as well as the on-premise product are both based on the same mature processing engine that handles conversion, merging, watermarking, securing and OCR processing. However, due to limitations in the SharePoint Online platform, and significant architectural differences, both products do not share the exact same end-user facilities.

Please note that the Online App can also be installed in SharePoint on-premise(opens in a new tab).

Similarities

• Based on the exact same mature processing engine.
• Exact same SharePoint Designer Workflow Activities.
• Exact same SharePoint User Interface to convert and merge files.
• Support for the exact same file types, with the exception of 3rd party converters (available in custom subscriptions only).
• Support for PDF/A for long time archiving.
• Support for OCR to make scanned / faxed content discoverable.
• Support for real-time watermarking & Security(opens in a new tab).
• Support for the conversion of SharePoint Lists, List Items and Web Pages(opens in a new tab).
• Support for K2 Cloud, see these 3 blog posts: Configure(opens in a new tab), Create(opens in a new tab), Convert(opens in a new tab).
• Free software updates.
• Access to premium support desk. ( Read independent reviews)

Key Differences

• No direct Nintex Workflow support due to lack of 3rd party integration facilities in Nintex for Office 365. As a workaround trigger a SharePoint Designer workflow from Nintex Workflow, invoke our REST interface from Nintex for Office 365 as per this blog post(opens in a new tab), or create a Nintex Component Workflow(opens in a new tab).
• Different API, the Document Converter for SharePoint Online uses a REST based service(opens in a new tab).
• The Online product provides direct integration with Microsoft Flow (Power Automate)
• No access to the underlying config files to 'tweak' settings. As a workaround use our XML syntax(opens in a new tab) to override settings during conversion.
• Due to the nature of the underlying platforms, both products are licensed completely differently.
• The SharePoint Online edition is much easier to install, the back-end is monitored and maintained by Muhimbi.