PDF Loft and Smallpdf compared
Smallpdf's home page lists 30 tools and a 7-day trial, but the pages we could read do not publish its prices, where it processes files, or how long it keeps them. PDF Loft publishes all three. Smallpdf offers more interface languages and a Team plan for up to 100 users.
Competitor facts as published on their websites, checked . Where a page did not say, the table reads Not published.
Where PDF Loft is stronger
- PDF Loft Pro is USD 12 a month billed yearly, or USD 18 a month billed monthly. The Smallpdf pages we read name a Pro and a Team plan but show no price.
- 21 of PDF Loft's 39 tools run in the browser, so the file never leaves your device. The Smallpdf pages we read do not say where files are processed.
- PDF Loft states exactly what is kept: nothing for browser tools on the web, and for server runs (which include every tool in the mobile apps and the API) the input is deleted when the run finishes and an unsaved result after 2 hours. The Smallpdf pages we read do not state a retention period.
Where Smallpdf is stronger or equal
- Smallpdf offers 24 languages in its selector. PDF Loft offers 10.
- Smallpdf states a 7-day trial with unlimited access to all of its tools.
- Smallpdf has a Team plan for 2 to 100 users.
Side by side
| Capability | PDF Loft | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Main paid plan | Pro: USD 12 a month billed yearly (USD 144 a year), or USD 18 a month billed monthly. Team: USD 48 a month billed yearly. Business: USD 199 a month billed yearly. Prices exclude tax. | Pro (1 user) and Team (2 to 100 users), each per user and billed annually. Amounts not shown on the page read.Source |
| Free use | Every tool, 3 tasks a day, files up to 25 MB, up to 5 files in one run. No card needed. | No cap stated. A 7-day trial gives unlimited access to all tools.Source |
| Where files are processed | On the web, 21 of 39 tools run in your browser, so the file is not uploaded. The other 18 run on PDF Loft servers, and so does every tool in the mobile apps and the API. | Not published |
| Files kept after processing | On the web, browser tools keep nothing on our servers. Server tools, and every tool run from the mobile apps or the API, delete the files you give them when they finish, and delete a result you do not save 2 hours after it is made. | Not published |
| Number of tools | 39 tools | 30 toolsSource |
| E-signing | Send a document for signature to people who need no account: signers sign one after the other or all at once, from a template or a one-off document, and each request has a timeline whose entries are chained so that a change shows, and a completion certificate. Signature requests a month: 2 on Free, 50 on Pro, 300 on Team and 1,500 on Business. Sign PDF also adds your own signature, drawn, typed or uploaded. | Not published |
| OCR | OCR PDF makes a scanned PDF searchable in 10 languages, up to 3 in one run. | Not published |
| Several files at once | Up to 5 files in one run on Free, 25 on Pro, 50 on Team and 100 on Business, for the tools that take several files. Each output file counts as one task. | Not published |
| Team plans | Team and Business plans. For a team sharing one library, one set of stamps and one allowance. Business adds SAML and OpenID Connect single sign-on with automatic provisioning (SCIM). | A Team plan for 2 to 100 usersSource |
| Developer API | A public REST API described by an OpenAPI 3.1 document, with API keys, scopes, idempotency keys and signed webhooks, and an MCP server for AI assistants. Included in the Team plan and above. The Zapier and Make apps are built but not yet published to their directories. | Not published |
| Desktop and mobile apps | A web app that runs in the browser. Mobile apps for iOS and Android, a desktop app and a browser extension are built but are not yet in the app stores or published for download, so there is no separate desktop or mobile app to install today. | Not published |
| Interface languages | 10 languages | 24 options in the language selectorSource |
Read the Smallpdf facts at smallpdf.com/. The full table of all products is on the comparison page.
Questions
- What does Smallpdf cost compared with PDF Loft?
- PDF Loft Pro is USD 12 a month billed yearly, or USD 18 a month billed monthly. The Smallpdf pages we read name Pro and Team plans billed annually per user but do not show a price, so no price comparison is possible from them.
- Where does Smallpdf process my files?
- The Smallpdf pages we read do not say. For PDF Loft, 21 of 39 tools run in your browser and the other 18 run on PDF Loft servers.