Verified 23 July 2026
FileGizmo vs online PDF editors
Choose by the job and data boundary. This table does not turn different features into a single winner.
| Question | FileGizmo | Sejda | Smallpdf | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online file path | Processed in your browser; no FileGizmo file upload | Official page describes encrypted upload and deletion after processing | Official editor instructs users to import or drag and drop a file | Official editor uses an upload workflow |
| Current free limit | No FileGizmo task counter, page quota, or watermark; device memory is practical | 200 pages or 50 MB; three tasks per hour | Free access has limited document downloads | Basic has limited processing; Edit PDF lists one file per task |
| Add text, images, and marks | Included | Included | Included for free accounts | Edit PDF listed in Basic |
| Rewrite existing PDF text | Yes, unlimited, in the browser | Advertised | Direct text editing requires Pro | Advertised; pricing lists Edit PDF in Basic |
| Find and replace across the document | Yes, unlimited | Yes, under the free task quota | Not in the free tier | Not listed for Edit PDF |
| Remove the replaced wording from the file | Yes, optional, per page | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| Crash recovery | Local edit-state autosave, explicit Restore/Discard, seven-day expiry | Not compared: no primary-source claim was strong enough to publish | ||
Where FileGizmo is deliberately narrower
FileGizmo now rewrites existing text, but it does so by painting over the original and drawing the replacement on top rather than by editing the underlying text stream. Embedded fonts, subset encodings, shaping and positioned glyph commands make stream rewriting unreliable without a deeper PDF engine, and we would rather do the honest version well than the impressive version badly.
The consequence matters and we would rather you heard it from us: by default the original wording is still in the finished file and can still be copied out or found by a search, even though the page no longer shows it. The editor says so on screen the moment you replace anything, and offers a way out: tick the box in that warning and the pages you corrected are exported as pictures, so the old words are genuinely gone. The price is that those pages stop being searchable or selectable at all. No other free editor we know of both admits the problem and hands you the fix. Opaque rectangles are still labelled Cover rather than Redact, because covering alone is not removal. Use the original source document when you need a faithful reflow of a whole paragraph, and a purpose-built, verified redaction application when confidential information genuinely has to be destroyed. FileGizmo’s advantage is the local processing boundary, crash recovery, unlimited product policy, and touch/keyboard editing, not a claim to perform every PDF operation.
Common questions
- Which of these actually uploads my file?
- Sejda, Smallpdf, and iLovePDF all describe an upload in their own documentation, with deletion after processing. FileGizmo processes the document in the browser, which is a different guarantee: not a promise to delete a copy, but no copy to delete.
- Can FileGizmo edit text that is already in the PDF?
- Yes. Choose Edit text, click any words already in the document, and retype them. The replacement keeps the original size, family, weight and slant, and the patch behind it is painted in a colour read off the page rather than assumed to be white. Two limits are worth knowing. It needs a real text layer, so a scan will not respond. And it paints over the original rather than rewriting the underlying text stream, so by default the old wording stays in the file and can still be copied out. The editor warns you about this the moment you replace anything and offers to export the corrected pages as pictures, which removes the old words for good at the cost of those pages no longer being searchable. Sejda offers existing-text editing free under a three-tasks-per-hour quota, Smallpdf requires Pro, and iLovePDF lists it in its free Basic plan with limited processing.
- Is FileGizmo really free, or is it a trial?
- There is no task counter, page quota, or watermark. Sejda limits free use to 200 pages or 50 MB and three tasks an hour, Smallpdf limits free downloads, and iLovePDF limits Basic processing. Device memory is the practical limit here.
- Why does the editor say cover rather than redact?
- Because an opaque rectangle changes appearance without destroying the content underneath it. Calling that redaction would be the wrong word for what it does, so the tool says cover and the redaction guide explains what real redaction requires.
Primary-source receipts
- Sejda PDF editor: editor features, upload description, and current free-service limits.
- Smallpdf PDF editor: free additions and the Pro requirement for direct existing-text editing.
- Smallpdf pricing: limited free downloads and Pro feature positioning.
- iLovePDF pricing: Basic limited processing and Edit PDF task size.
- iLovePDF editor: upload workflow and editing scope.
Vendor offers can change. The linked page controls when it conflicts with this dated summary.