HTMLRadar vs Papermark
We borrowed Papermark's playbook. Then aimed it at HTML.
Papermark is the open-source DocSend alternative for PDFs. They got to $900K ARR doing exactly what we're doing — open-source code, hosted SaaS, AGPL license. Honest answer: if you live in PDFs, use them.
But if you live in HTML — investor decks rendered to a browser, AI-generated briefs, founder pitches that work better in a tab than as a download — PDF tools force you back into PDFs to track. HTMLRadar tracks what you already have.
| HTMLRadar | Papermark | |
|---|---|---|
| Native format | HTML | PDF / PowerPoint |
| Section-level dwell | Yes — heading-based, 3s threshold | Page-level only |
| Per-recipient links | Yes | Yes |
| Password + expiry per share | Yes | Yes (free) |
| Version control (replace, keep links) | Yes | Yes |
| Free-tier doc limit | 10 lifetime | 50 documents |
| Watermark on user content | No — chrome only | No |
| Custom domain | v1.1 paid | Business tier |
| Open source | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing (entry paid tier) | $15/mo | $29/mo |
When to use HTMLRadar
- · You write decks as HTML (AI-assisted, hand-coded, exported from Pitch/Tome/etc.)
- · You want section-level reading data, not just page-views
- · You care that the document stays clean (no watermark on your content)
When to use Papermark
- · You live in PDFs already and don't plan to switch
- · You need data rooms or e-signature in one product
- · You want a mature, well-funded product with a larger team behind it
Both products are AGPL-3.0. Both are bootstrapped. We hope they both do well.
Common questions
- How is HTMLRadar different from Papermark?
- Both are open-source AGPL-3.0 document trackers. Papermark is PDF-first with data rooms; HTMLRadar is HTML-native with section-level dwell tracking for decks, briefs, and proposals.
- Is HTMLRadar open source like Papermark?
- Yes — same AGPL-3.0 license. The tracker, proxy worker, schema, and web app are all on GitHub and can be self-hosted.
- Which is cheaper?
- HTMLRadar's paid tier is $15/mo flat. Papermark's entry paid tier is $29/mo. Both have free tiers, and both can be self-hosted for free.
Related: self-hosted document tracking and how we built HTMLRadar.
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