FileGizmo

Checked against each vendor’s own pages on

Smallpdf vs iLovePDF vs Sejda vs FileGizmo

For everyday PDF jobs on files you would rather not upload, FileGizmo does them free in your browser with no daily cap. Pay for Sejda or Smallpdf when changed text has to replace the original words inside the file, or for iLovePDF when you want one plan across desktop apps and the web.

Choose Sejda if

  • A few edits an hour is enough, and you want to change existing text without paying
  • A one-off project fits a $5 week pass
  • You want a desktop app on Linux as well as Windows and macOS

Choose iLovePDF if

  • You want desktop apps on Windows and macOS alongside the website
  • OCR and AI translation in one Premium plan are worth paying for
  • Your organisation already accepts its ISO 27001 certification

Choose Smallpdf if

  • Direct text edits and Chat with PDF in one account are worth a Pro subscription
  • You mainly work on Windows and want its desktop app

Choose FileGizmo if

  • The PDF should not be uploaded anywhere
  • You process more files in a day than a free daily or hourly limit allows
  • You also need OCR, signing or redaction without a subscription

Side by side

QuestionFileGizmoSmallpdfiLovePDFSejda
Free use Every tool is free with no task counter or watermark; paid plans only raise batch and pipeline allowances sourceDaily limits; the help centre gives 2 conversions a day. Direct text editing, strong compression and batch are paid sourceLimited processing that differs by tool, such as 25 merge tasks up to 100 MB. No OCR sourceWeb: 3 tasks an hour, up to 50 pages and 50 MB. Desktop: 3 tasks a day, up to 200 pages and 50 MB source
Paid price Starter $10 a month or $99 a year; Lifetime $199 once. Paid plans never unlock a tool sourcePro, with a 7-day free trial. The price is filled in by the page after it loads and was not published as text sourcePremium ₹500 a month or ₹3,400 a year (India pricing; varies by region) source$5 for a week, $7.50 a month for Web, or $63 a year for Desktop and Web source
Where your file goes Stays in your browser; never uploaded to FileGizmo sourceUploaded to Smallpdf sourceUploaded to iLovePDF; its desktop app works on your computer sourceWeb uploads over an encrypted connection; Desktop works on your computer source
Deleted after Nothing to delete, because FileGizmo never receives the file sourceOne hour for most tools, unless you save the file to your account sourceWithin two hours of processing sourceTwo hours (Web) source
Edit existing PDF text Yes. Edit text paints over the old words, which stay in the file unless those pages export as images sourcePro only sourceYes; the editor page does not say which plan sourceYes, free within the limits source
OCR Free, on your device, up to 100 pages sourceFree within the daily limit sourcePremium only sourceFree up to 10 pages a task; 100 pages on paid plans source
AI features Free on every plan with your own OpenAI key: summarize, ask, translate, extract tables. The document goes to OpenAI after you confirm sourceChat with PDF, free with usage limits and higher limits on Pro sourceSummarizer and PDF translation; Premium includes 2,000 AI credits sourceNot published
Apps None needed; works in current browsers on desktop and phone sourceWindows desktop app with Pro sourceWindows and macOS sourceWindows, macOS and Linux source
Account to start Not needed sourceNot needed for basic tools sourceNot publishedNot needed source

Prices in rupees are what the vendor’s page showed from India on 13 September 2026; they vary by region. “Not published” means the vendor’s own pages did not say.

What the free plans actually allow

The three online suites all have free plans, and all three meter them differently. Smallpdf’s help centre gives free users two conversions a day, and its pricing table keeps direct text editing, strong compression and batch work for Pro. iLovePDF sets a separate limit for each tool: merging allows 25 tasks up to 100 MB on the free plan, while OCR is not included at all. Sejda counts tasks per hour on the web, three of them, on documents up to 50 pages and 50 MB.

FileGizmo has no task counter. What limits it is the device: OCR takes up to 100 pages at a time and PDF tools up to 10,000 pages, because those keep a browser tab from running out of memory.

Where your document goes

Every online tool from Smallpdf, iLovePDF and Sejda uploads the file to the vendor and deletes it afterwards. Smallpdf says one hour for most tools unless you save the file to your account, iLovePDF says within two hours, and Sejda says two hours. All three publish security pages, and iLovePDF and Smallpdf both state ISO/IEC 27001 certification.

A deletion window still starts with an upload. If your document policy rules that out, the desktop apps from iLovePDF and Sejda keep the work on your computer, and FileGizmo keeps it in the browser. You can watch FileGizmo’s network activity while a file is processed on the privacy proof page.

Changing text that is already in the PDF

This is where the products differ most. Sejda lets free users edit existing text within its hourly limits. Smallpdf keeps direct text editing for Pro. iLovePDF’s editor lets you select and change existing text, though the page does not say which plan it needs.

FileGizmo’s Edit text matches the original size, font and weight, but it works by painting over the old words and drawing the new ones on top. The old words stay in the file and can still be copied out, unless you export the corrected pages as images, which the editor offers when you make the change. For a typo that is fine. For wording that must not survive, use Redact PDF, which removes the marked text from the file.

If you decide to pay

Sejda publishes the simplest prices: $5 for a week, $7.50 a month for the web version, or $63 a year for desktop and web together. iLovePDF showed rupee prices from India, which vary by region. Smallpdf offers a seven-day free trial of Pro but did not publish the price in its page text.

FileGizmo’s paid plans do not unlock tools. They raise allowances for repeated work, such as larger background-removal batches, more saved workflows and bigger pipeline runs.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these does not upload my PDF?

The websites of Smallpdf, iLovePDF and Sejda all upload the file and delete it later, after one to two hours. The desktop apps from iLovePDF and Sejda work on your computer instead. FileGizmo's website processes the file in your browser and never receives it.

Is Smallpdf or iLovePDF cheaper?

iLovePDF showed Premium at ₹500 a month or ₹3,400 a year from India on 13 September 2026. Smallpdf's pricing page fills its prices in after the page loads and did not publish them as text, so open both pricing pages in your own region before choosing.

Does Sejda's desktop app have the same free limits?

No. Sejda Web allows three tasks an hour on documents up to 50 pages and 50 MB. Sejda Desktop allows three tasks a day, on documents up to 200 pages and 50 MB.

Sources

Every competitor fact above links the vendor page it came from, checked on 13 September 2026. Offers change; when a vendor page disagrees with this one, the vendor page is right.