Smallpdf vs Sejda
Two browser toolkits that both upload your file, at very different prices.
The short answer
Both upload your files, so the privacy question is settled the same way for each. On redaction they differ: Smallpdf removes the content, and that verdict came from a test we ran; Sejda's page describes covering content, and that rests on documentation rather than a test. The two price figures are not comparable as printed, and the table invites exactly that mistake: Smallpdf's is a month, and Sejda's is a seven-day pass, which is the cheapest way to start rather than a subscription.
The difference that decides it
The figures are printed in units that cannot be compared, and the honest position is that this index has not recorded Sejda's monthly or annual numbers, so multiplying the week pass to meet Smallpdf's month would invent a price neither vendor publishes. Both also ship desktop editions alongside the web service, Smallpdf for Windows with iOS and Android apps and Sejda for Windows, macOS and Linux, so if a browser is not what you want, those records are the ones to read; neither is established as processing locally. On the safety question, the only verdict here resting on our own test is Smallpdf's.
Side by side
8 of 11 rows differ
| Compared | Smallpdf | Sejda |
|---|---|---|
| Files stay on your device | Mixed - depends on version and feature | Mixed - depends on version and feature |
| Redaction | Removes the content | Covers it - content is not removed |
| Price | Free · paid from £6.75 a month | £7.95 a one_off (Desktop Week Pass) - converted: Free · paid from £5.00 one-off |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web · Windows · iOS · Android | Web · Windows · macOS · Linux |
| Open source | Not verified | No |
| Self-hostable | Not verified | No |
| Data residency | Multiple regions | Not verified |
| Programmatic access | None | None |
| Owner | Smallpdf AG | Sejda BV |
| Website responded | Responded in 656 ms | Responded in 544 ms |
Rows that differ are shown in full contrast; rows where the two agree are dimmed. Every value here comes from the individual records, where each one names the page it came from - and says plainly when something has not been verified rather than filling the gap.
Smallpdf
Browser PDF toolkit with 30+ tools and a Pro subscription, built in Switzerland.
Visit Smallpdf Opens the vendor's own site.
Sejda
Browser and desktop PDF editor with 30+ tools and a limited free tier.
Visit Sejda Opens the vendor's own site.
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