Common Ninja is a library of embeddable website widgets, including a PDF flipbook. ShareText is built specifically around hosting a PDF as its own branded, shareable page — with an embed, a public link, and a QR code from the same upload.
If you only need a widget inside an existing page, Common Ninja covers that. If you want a standalone PDF page you can link, print as a QR code, and embed anywhere without a watermark, ShareText is the more direct fit.
Feature comparison
ShareText vs Common Ninja — side by side.
| Feature | ShareText | Common Ninja |
|---|---|---|
| Embed PDF as iframe | Yes | Yes |
| Page-turn flipbook layout | Yes | Yes |
| No watermark on free tier | Yes | Paid plan |
| Standalone public page | Yes | No |
| Shareable short link | Yes | No |
| QR code for the document | Yes | No |
| Custom branding (logo, cover, accent) | Yes | Yes |
| Password protection & expiry | Yes | No |
| No account needed for readers | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
Why choose ShareText?
Key reasons ShareText works better for temporary, controlled sharing.
No watermark, free
Your embedded viewer shows only your document and your branding — no ShareText watermark over the content.
Link + QR + embed in one
Every upload becomes a public page with a short link, a scannable QR code, and a one-line iframe — not just a widget bound to one site.
One-line iframe anywhere
Paste a single iframe into WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify or raw HTML. Update the PDF and every embed stays in sync.
Branded viewer or flipbook
Pick a clean simple viewer or an interactive page-turn flipbook, then add your logo, cover image and accent color.
Which one is right for you?
Choose ShareText if…
Hosting a PDF as a branded, standalone page you can link, embed and turn into a QR code — brochures, menus, catalogs, reports and resumes.
Choose Common Ninja if…
Adding a variety of small website widgets (not just PDFs) inside an existing site, where a multi-widget library is the priority.
Widget platform versus focused document host
Common Ninja is a broad widget platform — dozens of embeddable components, of which a PDF viewer and flipbook are two. That breadth is the product: if you want a countdown, a testimonial slider, and a document viewer from one vendor and one dashboard, it makes sense.
ShareText does one of those things. You upload a PDF, choose between a plain viewer and a page-turn flipbook, brand it, and get a link, a QR code, and an embed. The narrower scope means the document is the whole product rather than one widget among many.
Watermarks, branding, and what free means
The usual dividing line on widget platforms is attribution: free tiers carry the vendor's branding on your page, and removing it is the first thing you pay for. That is a reasonable business model, but it means the free version is not something you would put on a client-facing page.
ShareText's free tier carries no watermark. Your logo, accent colour, title, and tagline are the only branding on the page, and every one of them is optional — leave them blank and readers get a clean document with no chrome at all.
A link, a QR code, and an embed from one upload
Every document produces three things at once: a public page you can send directly, an embed URL that is explicitly framable for your own site, and a QR code for print. Most widget tools give you the embed, since the widget is the point — the link and the QR are yours to arrange separately.
That matters for anything that lives in both worlds. A restaurant menu needs a table-tent QR code and an embed on the website. A conference programme needs a printed code and a page attendees can open on their phones. Getting all three from one upload keeps them in step, because they are views of the same document rather than three separate exports.
Frequently asked questions
Does ShareText add a watermark to embedded PDFs?
No. The embedded viewer shows only your document and your branding — no ShareText watermark over the content.
Does ShareText give me a public link and QR code, not just an embed?
Yes. Every hosted PDF gets a standalone public page, a short link, a scannable QR code, and a one-line iframe embed snippet.
Can I show the PDF as a page-turn flipbook?
Yes. Choose a clean simple viewer or an interactive page-turn flipbook layout, then brand it with your logo, cover and accent color.
Is ShareText free for embedding PDFs?
Yes, you can host and embed a PDF for free, with no watermark on the viewer.
Is there a watermark on the free tier?
No. Your document renders with your own branding, or with none at all if you leave the branding fields blank.
Can I change the PDF without changing the embed code?
Yes. The embed URL is stable, so any page already using it reflects your changes without an HTML edit.
Do I get a QR code as well as an embed?
Yes. Every document produces a public link, a framable embed URL, and a QR code from the same upload, so print and web stay in step.
What is the file size limit?
PDFs up to 20 MB. Pages render on demand, so a long document begins displaying before the whole file has downloaded.
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