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Migrate from Syncfusion PDF to IronPDF

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Originally Posted On: https://ironpdf.com/blog/migration-guides/migrate-from-syncfusion-pdf-to-ironpdf/

How to Migrate from Syncfusion PDF to IronPDF in C#

Migrating from Syncfusion PDF Framework to IronPDF transforms your PDF generation workflow from a coordinate-based graphics API bundled within a large suite to a standalone, HTML/CSS-first library with modern Chromium rendering. This guide provides a complete, step-by-step migration path that eliminates suite-only licensing, complex deployment requirements, and coordinate-based positioning.

Why Migrate from Syncfusion PDF to IronPDF

Understanding Syncfusion PDF Framework

The Syncfusion PDF Framework is a comprehensive library that provides a wide range of functionalities for creating, editing, and securing PDF documents using C#. It comes as a part of Syncfusion’s Essential Studio, which includes over a thousand components across multiple platforms.

However, one of its most significant drawbacks is that it cannot be purchased as a standalone product; developers must buy the entire suite of Syncfusion components. This requirement can be cumbersome for teams interested solely in PDF functionalities, especially since this bundle might include tools unnecessary for their projects.

The Bundle Licensing Problem

Syncfusion’s licensing model creates significant challenges for teams that only need PDF functionality:

  1. Suite-Only Purchase: Cannot buy PDF library standalone—must purchase entire Essential Studio
  2. Community License Restrictions: Free tier requires BOTH <$1M revenue AND <5 developers
  3. Complex Deployment Licensing: Different licenses for web, desktop, server deployments
  4. Annual Renewal Required: Subscription model with yearly costs
  5. Per-Developer Pricing: Costs scale linearly with team size
  6. Suite Bloat: Includes 1000+ components you may not need

Syncfusion PDF vs IronPDF Comparison

Aspect Syncfusion PDF IronPDF
Purchase Model Suite bundle only Standalone
Licensing Complex tiers Simple per-developer
Community Limit <$1M AND <5 devs Free trial, then license
Deployment Multiple license types One license covers all
API Style Coordinate-based graphics HTML/CSS-first
HTML Support Requires BlinkBinaries Native Chromium
CSS Support Limited Full CSS3/flexbox/grid
Dependencies Multiple packages Single NuGet
Suite Requirement Yes (entire suite) No
Focus on PDF Broad; part of larger suite Narrow; PDF-focused

IronPDF provides a more focused approach by offering its PDF capabilities as a standalone product. This difference significantly impacts both cost considerations and ease of integration.

For teams planning .NET 10 and C# 14 adoption through 2025 and 2026, IronPDF’s standalone licensing and HTML/CSS-first approach provides flexibility without suite dependencies.

Before You Start

Prerequisites

  1. .NET Environment: .NET Framework 4.6.2+ or .NET Core 3.1+ / .NET 5/6/7/8/9+
  2. NuGet Access: Ability to install NuGet packages
  3. IronPDF License: Obtain your license key from ironpdf.com

NuGet Package Changes

  1. # Remove Syncfusion packages
  2. dotnet remove package Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core
  3. dotnet remove package Syncfusion.HtmlToPdfConverter.Net.Windows
  4. dotnet remove package Syncfusion.Licensing
  6. # Install IronPDF
  7. dotnet add package IronPdf
SHELL

License Configuration

Syncfusion:

  1. // Must register before any Syncfusion calls
  2. Syncfusion.Licensing.SyncfusionLicenseProvider.RegisterLicense("YOUR-SYNCFUSION-KEY");

IronPDF:

  1. // One-time at startup
  2. IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-IRONPDF-KEY";

Complete API Reference

Namespace Changes

  1. // Before: Syncfusion PDF
  2. using Syncfusion.Pdf;
  3. using Syncfusion.Pdf.Graphics;
  4. using Syncfusion.Pdf.Parsing;
  5. using Syncfusion.HtmlConverter;
  6. using Syncfusion.Drawing;
  8. // After: IronPDF
  9. using IronPdf;
  10. using IronPdf.Rendering;

Core API Mappings

Syncfusion IronPDF Notes
PdfDocument ChromePdfRenderer Create PDFs
PdfLoadedDocument PdfDocument.FromFile() Load PDFs
HtmlToPdfConverter ChromePdfRenderer HTML conversion
graphics.DrawString() HTML text elements <p>, <h1>
graphics.DrawImage() <img> tag HTML images
PdfGrid HTML <table> Tables
PdfStandardFont CSS font-family Fonts
PdfBrushes.Black CSS color: black Colors
document.Security pdf.SecuritySettings Security
PdfTextExtractor pdf.ExtractAllText() Text extraction
ImportPageRange() PdfDocument.Merge() Merging
document.Save(stream) pdf.SaveAs(path) Saving
document.Close(true) Not needed Automatic cleanup

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML/URL to PDF Conversion

Before (Syncfusion PDF):

  1. // NuGet: Install-Package Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core
  2. using Syncfusion.HtmlConverter;
  3. using Syncfusion.Pdf;
  4. using System.IO;
  6. class Program
  7. {
  8. static void Main()
  9. {
  10. // Initialize HTML to PDF converter
  11. HtmlToPdfConverter htmlConverter = new HtmlToPdfConverter();
  13. // Convert URL to PDF
  14. PdfDocument document = htmlConverter.Convert("https://www.example.com");
  16. // Save the document
  17. FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("Output.pdf", FileMode.Create);
  18. document.Save(fileStream);
  19. document.Close(true);
  20. fileStream.Close();
  21. }
  22. }

After (IronPDF):

  1. // NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
  2. using IronPdf;
  4. class Program
  5. {
  6. static void Main()
  7. {
  8. // Create a PDF from a URL
  9. var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
  10. var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
  12. // Save the PDF
  13. pdf.SaveAs("Output.pdf");
  14. }
  15. }

This example demonstrates the fundamental API differences. Syncfusion PDF requires an HtmlToPdfConverter instance, calling Convert() which returns a PdfDocument, then manually creating a FileStream, saving, and closing both the document and stream.

IronPDF uses a ChromePdfRenderer with RenderUrlAsPdf() in just three lines of code. No FileStream management, no Close() calls—IronPDF handles cleanup automatically. See the HTML to PDF documentation for comprehensive examples.

Example 2: Creating PDF from Text

Before (Syncfusion PDF):

  1. // NuGet: Install-Package Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core
  2. using Syncfusion.Pdf;
  3. using Syncfusion.Pdf.Graphics;
  4. using Syncfusion.Drawing;
  5. using System.IO;
  7. class Program
  8. {
  9. static void Main()
  10. {
  11. // Create a new PDF document
  12. PdfDocument document = new PdfDocument();
  14. // Add a page
  15. PdfPage page = document.Pages.Add();
  17. // Create a font
  18. PdfFont font = new PdfStandardFont(PdfFontFamily.Helvetica, 12);
  20. // Draw text
  21. page.Graphics.DrawString("Hello, World!", font, PdfBrushes.Black, new PointF(10, 10));
  23. // Save the document
  24. FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("Output.pdf", FileMode.Create);
  25. document.Save(fileStream);
  26. document.Close(true);
  27. fileStream.Close();
  28. }
  29. }

After (IronPDF):

  1. // NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
  2. using IronPdf;
  3. using IronPdf.Rendering;
  5. class Program
  6. {
  7. static void Main()
  8. {
  9. // Create a PDF from HTML string
  10. var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
  11. var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello, World!</h1>");
  13. // Save the document
  14. pdf.SaveAs("Output.pdf");
  15. }
  16. }

Syncfusion PDF uses a coordinate-based graphics model. You create a PdfDocument, add a PdfPage, create a PdfFont with PdfFontFamily.Helvetica, then call page.Graphics.DrawString() with explicit coordinates (new PointF(10, 10)), font, and brush (PdfBrushes.Black). Finally, you manage FileStream creation and disposal.

IronPDF uses an HTML/CSS-first approach. Instead of coordinates, you write <h1>Hello, World!</h1> and let CSS handle positioning, fonts, and colors. This approach is simpler, more maintainable, and leverages skills developers already have. Learn more in our tutorials.

Example 3: Merging PDF Documents

Before (Syncfusion PDF):

  1. // NuGet: Install-Package Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core
  2. using Syncfusion.Pdf;
  3. using Syncfusion.Pdf.Parsing;
  4. using System.IO;
  6. class Program
  7. {
  8. static void Main()
  9. {
  10. // Load the first PDF document
  11. FileStream stream1 = new FileStream("Document1.pdf", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
  12. PdfLoadedDocument loadedDocument1 = new PdfLoadedDocument(stream1);
  14. // Load the second PDF document
  15. FileStream stream2 = new FileStream("Document2.pdf", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
  16. PdfLoadedDocument loadedDocument2 = new PdfLoadedDocument(stream2);
  18. // Merge the documents
  19. PdfDocument finalDocument = new PdfDocument();
  20. finalDocument.ImportPageRange(loadedDocument1, 0, loadedDocument1.Pages.Count - 1);
  21. finalDocument.ImportPageRange(loadedDocument2, 0, loadedDocument2.Pages.Count - 1);
  23. // Save the merged document
  24. FileStream outputStream = new FileStream("Merged.pdf", FileMode.Create);
  25. finalDocument.Save(outputStream);
  27. // Close all documents
  28. finalDocument.Close(true);
  29. loadedDocument1.Close(true);
  30. loadedDocument2.Close(true);
  31. stream1.Close();
  32. stream2.Close();
  33. outputStream.Close();
  34. }
  35. }

After (IronPDF):

  1. // NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
  2. using IronPdf;
  3. using System.Collections.Generic;
  5. class Program
  6. {
  7. static void Main()
  8. {
  9. // Load PDF documents
  10. var pdf1 = PdfDocument.FromFile("Document1.pdf");
  11. var pdf2 = PdfDocument.FromFile("Document2.pdf");
  13. // Merge PDFs
  14. var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(new List<PdfDocument> { pdf1, pdf2 });
  16. // Save the merged document
  17. merged.SaveAs("Merged.pdf");
  18. }
  19. }

The contrast in merging PDFs is dramatic. Syncfusion PDF requires creating FileStream objects for each input document, loading them as PdfLoadedDocument, creating a new PdfDocument, calling ImportPageRange() with start and end indices for each source, creating an output FileStream, and then closing six separate objects (finalDocument, loadedDocument1, loadedDocument2, stream1, stream2, outputStream).

IronPDF uses PdfDocument.FromFile() to load each PDF and a static PdfDocument.Merge() method that accepts a list of documents. No stream management, no manual page range calculations, no close calls.

Key Differences in API Philosophy

Coordinate-Based vs HTML/CSS-First

Syncfusion PDF uses a coordinate-based graphics model inherited from traditional PDF libraries:

  1. // Syncfusion: Manual positioning
  2. page.Graphics.DrawString("Text", font, PdfBrushes.Black, new PointF(100, 200));
  3. page.Graphics.DrawRectangle(brush, new RectangleF(50, 50, 200, 100));

IronPDF uses HTML/CSS for layout:

  1. // IronPDF: CSS-based positioning
  2. var html = @"
  3. <div style='margin: 50px; padding: 20px; border: 1px solid black;'>
  4. <p style='color: black;'>Text</p>
  5. </div>";
  6. var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);

The HTML/CSS approach is more intuitive for web developers, easier to maintain, and produces consistent results across different page sizes.

Stream Management vs Automatic Cleanup

Syncfusion PDF requires explicit stream and document disposal:

  1. // Syncfusion: Manual cleanup
  2. FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("Output.pdf", FileMode.Create);
  3. document.Save(fileStream);
  4. document.Close(true);
  5. fileStream.Close();

IronPDF handles cleanup automatically:

  1. // IronPDF: Automatic cleanup
  2. pdf.SaveAs("Output.pdf");

Feature Comparison

Feature Syncfusion PDF IronPDF
Standalone Purchase No (suite only) Yes
Licensing Commercial with community restrictions Simplified commercial
HTML to PDF Requires BlinkBinaries Native Chromium
CSS3 Support Limited Full (flexbox, grid)
API Style Coordinate-based graphics HTML/CSS-first
Stream Management Manual Automatic
Dependencies Multiple packages Single NuGet
Deployment Complexity Potentially complex Straightforward

Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

  • Inventory all Syncfusion PDF usages in codebase
  • Document licensing costs and deployment requirements
  • Identify PdfGrid, PdfGraphics, and HtmlToPdfConverter usages
  • Obtain IronPDF license key from ironpdf.com

Code Updates

  • Remove Syncfusion packages (Syncfusion.Pdf.Net.Core, Syncfusion.HtmlToPdfConverter.Net.Windows, Syncfusion.Licensing)
  • Install IronPdf NuGet package
  • Update namespace imports (using Syncfusion.Pdf; → using IronPdf;)
  • Replace Syncfusion.Licensing.SyncfusionLicenseProvider.RegisterLicense() with IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "..."
  • Replace HtmlToPdfConverter.Convert() with ChromePdfRenderer.RenderUrlAsPdf() or RenderHtmlAsPdf()
  • Replace PdfDocument + Pages.Add() + Graphics.DrawString() with ChromePdfRenderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf()
  • Replace PdfLoadedDocument with PdfDocument.FromFile()
  • Replace ImportPageRange() with PdfDocument.Merge()
  • Replace document.Save(stream) with pdf.SaveAs(path)
  • Remove all document.Close(true) and stream.Close() calls
  • Replace PdfGrid with HTML <table> elements
  • Replace PdfStandardFont with CSS font-family
  • Replace PdfBrushes with CSS color properties

Testing

  • Visual comparison of PDF output
  • Verify CSS rendering improvements (flexbox, grid now work)
  • Test text extraction
  • Test merging and splitting
  • Performance comparison

 

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