Smallpdf
Browser-based PDF conversion, compression, merging, splitting and e-signing.
Cost
Free to start, paid to go further
Roughly two free tasks per day, with file size limits. Paid removes both.
Open source
No
The code is private. You depend on the company that makes it.
Your data
Goes to their servers
Your files and text are sent to the company running the service.
Use it for this
The same everyday PDF jobs as iLovePDF, with a cleaner interface and slightly better conversion to Word and Excel. Good when a converted file needs to keep its layout.
Do not use it for this
Confidential documents, and heavy daily use — the free tier caps you at a couple of tasks per day.
A moment where you would reach for it
Turning a PDF report back into an editable Word document so you can fix one wrong figure.
How hard is it to pick up?
Anyone can use this on day one.
Worth knowing before you use it
Files are uploaded to their servers and deleted on a stated schedule. Same trade as any online converter: convenience in exchange for handing over the file.
Other things that do this job
No tool is best at everything. These solve a similar problem, with different trade-offs.
- iLovePDFA browser toolkit for merging, splitting, compressing, converting, rotating and unlocking PDFs.
- Stirling PDFOpen sourceFreeA self-hostable toolkit for merging, splitting, converting, compressing and signing PDFs.
- LibreOfficeOpen sourceFreeA free, open-source office suite: documents, spreadsheets, presentations.
About this entry
Checked on 1 Sept 2026. Prices and free limits change without warning, and often quietly. Treat everything above as a starting point and confirm on the official site before you rely on it.
Nothing here is sponsored. A tool appears because it solves a real problem, not because someone paid for it to be listed.