Smallpdf, side by side. With the losses listed.
Smallpdf is the polished one — desktop app, clean interface, a free tier people actually use. It also uploads every file. Here is the comparison, including the rows where it wins.
- Where the file is processedSmallpdf:Uploaded to their serversHere:Inside your browser tab. No upload.
- Can they read your documentSmallpdf:Technically yes, while it sits on their diskHere:No copy exists to read
- Account requiredSmallpdf:YesHere:No for the free actions
- Works with the network offSmallpdf:NoHere:Yes, once the page has loaded
- Free tierSmallpdf:Two tasks a dayHere:3 actions a month
- PriceSmallpdf:Around $12 a month, less on an annual termHere:$12 a month, $79 a year
- Day pass, no subscriptionSmallpdf:Not offeredHere:$4 for 24 hours, no subscription
- Batch ceilingSmallpdf:Varies by toolHere:100 files or 200 MB
- Number of toolsSmallpdf:Roughly twentyHere:Fifteen
- Desktop appSmallpdf:YesHere:No — browser only
- Two tasks a day beats three actions a month for anyone using it regularly
- A desktop app for people who work offline by default
- More tools, and each one is more finished
- Support with a real team behind it
- Brand recognition — a link to Smallpdf is understood, a link to this site is a question
Smallpdf's free tier is genuinely more useful than the free tier here, and that is the row to weigh. What it cannot offer is a document that never leaves the machine. If that is the requirement, the free tier is not the deciding factor.
What SignSwift actually does
All of it on the $15 pass
- OpenMerge PDF
Combine several PDFs into one, in the order you choose.
- OpenSplit PDF
Pull a page range out of a PDF and save it as its own file.
- OpenOrganize PDF
Reorder pages and delete the ones you do not need, then save a clean copy.
- OpenRotate PDF
Turn all pages, or only the sideways ones, by 90, 180 or 270 degrees.
- OpenCrop PDF
Trim the edges of a scan, with a live preview of page one before you save.
- OpenCompress PDF
Shrink a scanned PDF by redrawing each page at a lower resolution.
- OpenRedact PDF
Black out text so the characters are gone from the file, not just hidden.
- OpenPage numbers
Add “1 of 12”-style page numbers as real text, in the corner you pick.
- OpenWatermark PDF
Stamp a word across every page as real text — sharp at any zoom, tiny in bytes.
- OpenJPG to PDF
Bind photos or screenshots into a single PDF, one image per page.
- OpenPDF to JPG
Render pages as JPEGs at screen or print resolution, one file per page.
- OpenPDF to Markdown
Rebuild the text layer as Markdown, with headings guessed from font size.
- OpenOCR a PDF
Pull the words out of a scanned PDF, with the engine running in your tab.
- OpenFill a PDF form
Type into the fields a fillable PDF already has, then save it flat or editable.
Competitor prices and free limits above were checked in October 2026 and are not controlled by us. If a number is out of date, it moved — not the argument.