Normfluss vs veraPDF

Normfluss checks PDF documents for accessibility, applies structural fixes, and provides a signed record describing the checks and decisions made. It evaluates PDFs against PDF/UA-1 and the parts of WCAG 2.2 AA that apply to PDF files. The platform can automatically handle tags, reading order, and tables; people review judgment calls in a guided editor. A self-hosted model drafts image descriptions in English, French, German, or Dutch, but a person must accept each suggestion before it is applied.

Users can check up to 25 PDFs at once for free. Files may be up to 100 MB and 150 pages without an account, or 1,000 pages with a free account. A remediated file can be downloaded with a signed evidence record. Normfluss offers a REST API and HMAC-signed webhooks. Processing takes place in the EU; the maker says models are self-hosted, files are not used for training, and no third-party AI is used. Unauthenticated free-check files are deleted after 72 hours; account documents remain until deleted. Plans include a free check and one-time credit bundles from €50, paid once. The platform reports technical conformance, not legal certification or advice.

veraPDF is an open source validator for PDF/A and PDF/UA conformance. Its Implementation Checker validates all PDF/A parts and conformance levels, and performs machine checks for PDF/UA parts 1 and 2. The Policy Checker evaluates PDF Features Reports against institutional policy profiles. A Metadata Fixer makes a limited set of repairs, such as removing an incorrect PDF/A flag or repairing broken XMP when that is the only obstacle to a legitimate flag. The Reporter transforms machine-readable reports from the Implementation Checker, Policy Checker, and Metadata Fixer into other forms for downstream use. Developers can use the validation library as a Java archive through Maven, a desktop GUI, or a command-line application. Plugins can add third-party feature extraction tools to PDF Features Reports. The project describes digital preservationists and memory institutions as key users, and offers an API and test files for developers. Desktop installers are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux; these systems need Java 8 or later. veraPDF is dual licensed under GPLv3 or later and MPLv2 or later. Downloads include GPG signatures and instructions to check installer integrity. Development builds may contain bugs or missing features and come without support or guarantees. The validator costs nothing.