Smallpdf has more polish and a much bigger toolbox. But PDFLite has absolute privacy — your files never leave your device, on any plan.
Side by side
Smallpdf
Cloud tool- • Uploads your file to their servers to process it
- • Free plan: 2 conversions per day
- • $12/mo billed monthly — or ~$9/mo billed annually ($108/yr)
- ✓ 40+ tools: compress, e‑sign, edit, OCR, Word/PowerPoint/Excel
- ✓ Desktop and mobile apps, years of reviews
PDFLite
100% local- ✓ Runs entirely in your browser — never uploaded, free or Premium
- ✓ Free plan: 3 actions/day, 15 pages/job
- ✓ Flat $5/month — no annual commitment
- ✓ Merge, split, redact, sign, OCR, JPG‑to‑PDF, Word‑to‑PDF, Excel‑to‑PDF
- ✕ No signature requests to others, PDF editing, or PDF‑to‑Word/PowerPoint yet
Where PDFLite is ahead
If what worries you is the document itself — a client contract, a patient record, a financial statement — this is why it matters.
No Upload Logs
There's no "we delete it after an hour." Nothing is ever sent, so there's nothing to log.
Zero Server Footprint
Your browser's own JavaScript engine does the work. No backend ever touches your file.
Flat $5/mo
One price, unlimited use. No monthly-vs-annual math to do.
Where Smallpdf is ahead
To be fair about it — Smallpdf simply does more.
40+ Tools
Sending documents to others for signature, editing, and PDF‑to‑Word/PowerPoint — PDFLite doesn't do these yet.
Desktop & Mobile Apps
PDFLite is browser-only for now — no native app on any platform.
Years of Track Record
An established product with a long history of reviews. PDFLite is new.
Which one should you use?
Need breadth
Need 40+ complex tools and cloud APIs, with no specific privacy concern?
Need privacy
Handling sensitive client contracts, patient records, or financial statements?
Stay with PDFLite — 100% local, nothing ever leaves your device.
Competitor pricing and free-plan limits are set by Smallpdf and can change — the figures above reflect their own pricing page as of late 2026. Check smallpdf.com/pricing for their current terms.