--- title: "Capability and component comparison: Web SDK" canonical_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-web-sdk/" md_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-web-sdk.md" last_updated: "2026-06-08T17:11:05.589Z" description: "Compare Web SDK capabilities for client-side PDF rendering, annotations, forms, and editing, plus supported components and deployment needs." --- # Compare deployment options and use cases for Nutrient document solutions ### Document Engine [Document Engine](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-document-engine.md) ### Web SDK + Document Engine [Web SDK + Document Engine](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-web-sdk-document-engine.md) ### Web SDK [Web SDK](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-web-sdk.md) Formerly known as Web Standalone, the Web SDK is designed for 100 percent client-side document viewing and editing, with all processing performed entirely in the browser. It operates independently, without requiring a backend server or integration with Document Engine. The Web SDK is ideal for lightweight document workflows that don’t demand backend processing or real-time collaboration. Typical use cases include viewing, annotating, and editing small-to-medium-sized documents directly in the browser, making it a cost-effective solution for environments with limited infrastructure or simpler document processing needs. **Use cases** Ideal for straightforward workflows that don’t demand rapid document opening and rendering (suitable for documents of ordinary size), that lack the need for backend bulk processing and real-time collaboration, and where there’s limited expertise and budget for managing server infrastructure. **Examples** - A small sales office seeking to enable its sales representatives to work on few-page PDF invoices, allowing them to edit form fields and send them for signatures. - A medical office aiming to implement online patient intake forms, making them accessible for patients to fill out directly from their browsers. **Deployment** **100 percent frontend**: Can be added with `npm install`, and it then loads, renders, and saves PDFs — all in the browser using [WebAssembly](https://www.nutrient.io/blog/webassembly-a-new-hope/). ## Capability comparison | Capability | Document Engine | Web SDK + Document Engine | Web SDK | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | ------------------------- | ------- | | Client-side user interface | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Server-side processing | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Significantly reduced client-side processing load | N/A | ✅ | ❌ | | High-performance PDF processing for documents with large file sizes | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Fastest document rendering (document streaming support) | N/A | ✅ | ❌ | | Backend processing for PDFs (including OCR, redactions, data extraction) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Backend PDF generation, editing, conversion, and processing | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Real-time collaboration on documents | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | | Permission-based document management and sharing | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ## Component comparison | Component | Document Engine | Web SDK + Document Engine | Web SDK | | -------------------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Document Engine Connector | ❌ | ✅ (Web SDK) | ❌ | | Viewer | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Form Viewing and Filling | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Form Filling API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Annotations | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Annotations API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Electronic Signatures | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Electronic Signing API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Digital Signatures | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Digital Signing API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Document Editor | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Document Editor API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Content Editor | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Instant Collaboration | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | | Comments and Replies | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Comments API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Form Creator | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Form Creator API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Redaction | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Redaction API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | OCR | N/A | ✅ | N/A | | OCR API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Data Extraction API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Measurement Tools | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Measurements API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Compression | N/A | ✅ | ❌ | | Compression API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Linearization | N/A | ✅ | ❌ | | Linearization API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | PDF/A | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | PDF/A API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | HTML-to-PDF Conversion | N/A | ✅ | ❌ | | HTML Conversion API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Office Conversion (via.NET SDK) | N/A | ❌ | ✅ **Note**: Office Templating for Web SDK is covered by the Office Conversion (via.NET SDK) license. However, in Document Engine, Office Templating is implemented using a separate component (Office Templating API). | | Office Conversion API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Office Templating API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | | Image-to-PDF Conversion | N/A | ✅ | ✅ | | Image Conversion API | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | --- ## Related pages - [Browser support for our JavaScript PDF viewer](/guides/web/pspdfkit-for-web/browser-support.md) - [Compare deployment options and use cases for Nutrient document solutions](/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-document-engine.md) - [Compare deployment options and use cases for Nutrient document solutions](/guides/web/about/capability-and-component-comparison-web-sdk-document-engine.md) - [Licensing](/guides/web/pspdfkit-for-web/licensing.md) - [File type support](/guides/web/about/file-type-support.md) - [JavaScript PDF framework support](/guides/web/about/frameworks.md) - [Ways to use Web SDK](/guides/web/about/operational-modes.md)