HiPDF vs Smallpdf (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HiPDF and Smallpdf share a 2.6 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money and features, where HiPDF grades higher, or ease of use and platforms, where Smallpdf does.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HiPDF
Wondershare's online PDF editor and converter with AI tools
Free plan · from $39.99/yr
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
Free plan
Which one is for you
Pick HiPDF if
- Fits if you do PDF jobs in a browser on a low yearly price
- Makes sense if you want AI chat with a PDF
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the $0.99 and $1.99 trial renews into $39.99 or $69.99 a year unless canceled
- Tight if you stay free, since OCR, batch processing and page ranges are paid
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, as these plans are web only
- Watch out: AI uses are capped at 50 chat questions on free and Basic, 1,000 on Advanced
Pick Smallpdf if
- Fits if you convert or shrink a PDF in the browser now and then
- Works for people who want PDF tools and e-signatures in one subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you use it daily on the free plan, as downloads are capped each day and Sign.com stops at 2 documents a month
- Skip it if you want a Mac desktop app, as the desktop app is Windows only and doesn't edit text
- Not for you if you build fillable forms or redact, as neither is on record
- Watch out: US prices couldn't be confirmed; Smallpdf's own comparison page gives Pro as $9 to $12 a month
- Pricey if your team passes 19 seats, as 20 or more are quoted by sales
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHiPDFGood | 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBasic is $39.99 a year, about $3.33 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of $4.17 for PDF editors. | CNo confirmed dollar price: the pricing page fills prices in by location. Smallpdf's own comparison page puts Pro at $9 to $12 a month, which would sit in the normal range. With nothing confirmed, it's a C. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree use has batches of 5 files, 20 MB, 100 pages a file and 50 chat questions, so you will hit the caps. | CA free plan with all 30-plus tools, but downloads are capped each day and text editing needs Pro. Fine for the odd job, not regular use. The 7-day Pro trial drops you back to free if you cancel. |
| Features | BEdit text, convert, merge, compress, protect, sign, OCR and batch plus AI tools. The listing names no gap in the core job. | CConverts, compresses, merges, and on Pro edits text and OCRs, with AI tools and Sign.com for sending to sign. But no form builder or redaction is on record, and the Windows app converts and merges rather than edits. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. You upload and work in the browser. | A4.84 from 6,891 App Store ratings. Drop a file in the browser, pick a tool, download. No setup at all. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on these plans; Wondershare's desktop and mobile apps are a different product, PDFelement. | BWeb, Windows, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. Integrations are thin, though: Google Workspace and Dropbox, plus its own Sign.com. And Mac users get the browser only. |
| Best for | Wondershare browser PDF tools with AI | quick PDF jobs in the browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HiPDF and Smallpdf. How we grade
Where they differ
- HiPDF also covers chat assistant.
In commonFree planWebAI featuresPDF editing
At a glance
| HiPDF | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.99 per year (7-day access for $0.99 first) | Not published |
| Free plan | Free users get limited access to most PDF and image tools: batches of 5 files, 20 MB files, 100 pages per file and 50 chat questions. | The 30+ tools with a daily download limit, basic compression, limited AI and mobile app use, and a Sign.com account for 2 documents a month. |
| Free trial | 7-day Basic access for $0.99 or Advanced access for $1.99, then the yearly plan renews | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Wondershare | Smallpdf AG |
| Price read from | hipdf.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HiPDF
- The pricing page lists web only for these plans; Wondershare's desktop and mobile apps are PDFelement.
- The $0.99 and $1.99 trials renew into $39.99 and $69.99 yearly plans unless canceled.
- OCR, batch processing and page-range selection are missing on the free tier.
- AI plans cap uses: 50 chat questions free and Basic, 1,000 on Advanced or the monthly plan.
Smallpdf
- US dollar prices could not be read: the pricing page fills them in by location. Smallpdf's own comparison page gives Pro as $9 to $12 a month.
- The same comparison page gives Teams, for 2 to 19 seats, as $7 to $10 per seat a month; 20 or more seats are quoted by sales.
- The free plan limits downloads each day, so regular use of any tool needs Pro.
- The desktop app is for Windows only; Mac users work in the browser.
Key features
HiPDF
- Edit PDF text
- Modify, erase, copy and paste, and search and replace text; also rotate and crop pages.
- Convert
- Converts Word, JPG, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML and Publisher files to PDF, and PDFs back to Word, JPG, Excel, PowerPoint and HTML.
- Organize and protect
- Merge, split, compress, rearrange, extract images, protect or unlock, redact and sign PDFs.
- AI tools
- Chat with PDF, AI Reader, AI Detector, a translator, proofreader and mind-map tool, plus an AI agent.
- Batch processing and OCR
- Paid plans have unlimited batch processing and OCR, 100 MB files and up to 2,000 pages per file.
- Data handling
- The vendor says uploaded files are permanently deleted within 60 minutes and cites ISO 27001 and SSI SECURE certifications.
Smallpdf
- Convert and compress
- Converts PDFs to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and images, with basic compression on the free plan and strong and batch compression on Pro.
- Edit text and OCR
- Pro edits text in a PDF and recognizes text in scans, alongside tools to merge, split, rotate, unlock and protect files.
- AI tools
- An AI PDF assistant, summarizer and question generator, limited on the free plan and unlimited on Pro.
- Sign.com included
- Pro includes an unlimited Sign.com Premium subscription for sending documents for e-signature; the free plan's Sign.com account is capped at 2 a month.
- Offline Windows app
- A desktop app for Windows converts, compresses, merges, unlocks and protects PDFs without an internet connection.
- Mobile scanning
- The iOS and Android apps scan paper to PDF, run OCR and use the same tools, limited on the free plan.
Plans
HiPDF
Basic Plan$39.99
per year, billed annually
Unlimited batches, OCR, 100 MB and 2,000 pages per file, no ads; 50 AI chats. Page shows a 58% OFF label.
Advanced Plan$69.99
per year, billed annually
Basic plus 1,000 uses of Chat with PDF, AI Reader and AI Detector. The 7-day trial costs $1.99.
AI monthly plan$3.99
per month, renews automatically
1,000 AI uses a month for Chat with PDF, AI Reader and AI Detector on the web, with a 2,000-character chat input.
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HiPDF or Smallpdf?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HiPDF starts at $39.99 per year (7-day access for $0.99 first), and Smallpdf has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, HiPDF or Smallpdf?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HiPDF and Smallpdf have a free plan.
Which platforms do HiPDF and Smallpdf run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Smallpdf lists Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.