MCP Pdf vs SmartPDF
A side-by-side look at the MCP Pdf and SmartPDF MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
S
SmartPDFDeveloper Tools24 PDF tools: convert to and from Office and JPG, compress, merge, split, OCR, sign, watermark53GoodAuth: api key requiredVerdict: choose MCP Pdf for developer tools work as a local process; choose SmartPDF for developer tools. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Pdf when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
pdf-document, pdf-image, pdf-layout.
SChoose SmartPDF when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SMARTPDF_API_KEY. - You want tools like
pdf_to_word, word_to_pdf, merge_pdfs.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | S SmartPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 57/100 · Good | 53/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | No auth required | API key required |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | SMARTPDF_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Pdf tools 5
pdf-documentCreate a flowing PDF document with automatic pagination. Best for: Reports, articles, letters, contracts, and documents with sequential content. Content flows naturally from top to bottom. Pages break automatically when content exceeds page height. Use "pageBreak" to force page breaks, "divider" for horizontal rules, and "spacer" for vertical spacing. Supported content types: - text: Body text with optional formatting (bold, italic, color, alignment) - heading: Section headings (larger font, bold by default) - image: Inline images that flow with content - divider: Horizontal line separators - spacer: Vertical whitespace - pageBreak: Force new page Default margins: Varies by page size (e.g., 72pt/1" for Letter, ~56pt for A4).pdf-imageGenerate PNG image(s) from PDF pages. Use this to visually verify PDF output without opening external applications. **Pages Options:** - Single page: `pages: 1` or `pages: 3` - Multiple pages: `pages: [1, 3, 5]` - All pages: `pages: "all"` - Default: page 1 only **Viewport Scale Recommendations:** - **0.25 (thumbnail)**: ~150px wide, smallest file (~15-30KB). Use for quick verification. - **0.5 (preview)**: ~300px wide, good balance (~40-80KB). **Recommended default.** - **1.0 (full)**: ~612px wide, detailed view (~150-300KB). Use when details matter. Lower scales produce smaller files, reducing context usage when sharing images.pdf-layoutCreate a PDF with precise positioning using Yoga flexbox layout. Best for: Dashboards, slides, certificates, flyers, and designs requiring exact placement. All items are positioned absolutely on specific pages. Use the "page" property to target different pages (e.g., page: 2 for multi-slide presentations). Pages are created as needed. Use groups for flexbox containers - they support direction, gap, justify, alignItems, and alignment properties for sophisticated layouts. Default margins: 0 (full canvas access for precise positioning).pdf-resumeGenerate a professional resume PDF from JSON Resume format. Supports layout customization, date/locale formatting, styling, fonts, and automatic page breaks.text-measureMeasure text width and height before rendering. Returns exact dimensions based on font, font size, and text content. Use this to: - Calculate text width to set proper container sizes - Determine if text will fit in a given space - Plan multi-line layouts by specifying width constraint Width is measured as single-line natural width. Height accounts for text wrapping when width is specified.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Pdf
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-pdf-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mcp-z/cli"
]
}
}
}
SmartPDF
No confirmed install command for SmartPDF yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
MCP Pdf is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. SmartPDF belongs to Developer Tools and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick MCP Pdf for developer tools work and SmartPDF for developer tools.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. SmartPDF has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
MCP Pdf is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. SmartPDF has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add mcp-pdf-2 and smartpdf as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Pdf has a quality signal of 57/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. SmartPDF has 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.