LightPDF vs Smallpdf
We give LightPDF a 2.8 GPA and Smallpdf a 2.6, out of 4.0. LightPDF grades higher on value for money. Smallpdf grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LightPDF
Online PDF editor and converter with AI tools paid for in credits
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
How we grade them
| 2.8GPALightPDFGood | 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$15.99 a year, or $39.99 once, for web, desktop and phone with 1,000 AI credits a month. That's the cheapest paid plan among PDF editors by a distance, and the lifetime deal spread over three years is cheaper still. Monthly is $5.99. | 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 | CThere's a free plan, but it's web only, with limited access to selected features and files up to 10MB. The 3-day trial covers the yearly plan. | 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 | CEdits PDFs, even the text in scans, converts, OCRs and signs, and the AI translates whole files, chats with them and pulls invoice data into Excel. Clever stuff. But no form builder or redaction is on record. | CConverts, compresses, merges, and on Pro edits text and OCRs, with AI tools and Sign.com for sending to sign. Everyday jobs are well covered. 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. It's a web app plus apps you install and open, with nothing to set up first. | A4.84 from 6,891 App Store ratings, about as good as it gets. Drop a file in the browser, pick a tool, download. No setup at all. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, which covers everything. But no integrations or API are on record, and one account works on one device at a time. | 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 | AI translation and data extraction on a budget | 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: LightPDF and Smallpdf. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only LightPDF lists a macOS app.
- Only Smallpdf lists a browser extension.
- LightPDF can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| LightPDF | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5.99 per month | Not published |
| Free plan | Free plan on the web only: limited access to selected features, files up to 10MB and cloud storage for 5 files for a year. | 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 | 3-day free trial of the yearly plan | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Wangxu Technology Co., Ltd. | Smallpdf AG |
| Price read from | lightpdf.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
LightPDF
- People who translate or summarize PDFs with AI on a small budget
- Office staff who turn invoices and bank statements into spreadsheets
- Buyers who want a low one-time price across web, desktop and mobile
Smallpdf
- People who convert or shrink a PDF now and then in the browser
- Small teams that want PDF tools and e-signatures in one subscription
- Windows users who need PDF tools that work offline
Worth knowing
LightPDF
- AI tools spend credits: 1,000 a month on subscriptions, expiring monthly, or 40,000 in total on Lifetime; more can be bought.
- One Premium account signs in on every platform but works on only one device at a time.
- Cancelling a subscription means filing a support ticket; refunds are offered within 3 days on Monthly, 7 on Yearly and 30 on Lifetime.
- The free plan is web only, with files up to 10MB.
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
LightPDF
- Edit, sign and organize
- Edit, annotate, sign and organize PDFs, and edit the text in images and scanned PDFs while keeping the font and background.
- Convert and OCR
- Converts PDFs to and from other formats and recognizes text in scans, with batch processing on paid plans.
- Chat and translate
- Chat with documents and trace citations, and translate whole PDFs, images and scans into 20+ languages while keeping the layout.
- Data extraction
- Pulls structured data from invoices, receipts, purchase orders and bank statements into Excel, at 2 credits a page.
- AI generation
- Generates PDFs, slide decks, mind maps and summaries from documents, and removes watermarks, logos and handwriting.
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
LightPDF
Free Plan$0
Web only, files up to 10MB, limited features and cloud storage for 5 files.
Monthly Plan$5.99
per month
Web, mobile and desktop with no file size limit, batch processing, unlimited cloud storage and 1,000 AI credits a month.
Yearly Plan$15.99
per year
The same as Monthly, billed once a year, with 1,000 AI credits a month and a 3-day free trial.
Lifetime Plan$39.99
one-time purchase
Marked as a limited offer: Premium on every platform paid once, with 40,000 AI credits that last until used.
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Ways to pay less
LightPDF
- Annual discount
Yearly plan costs far less than monthly
LightPDF's pricing page lists the Yearly Plan at $15.99 a year against the Monthly Plan at $5.99 a month.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plan for $39.99
A one-time $39.99 payment buys Premium on web, mobile and desktop with 40,000 AI credits, shown as a limited offer.
Smallpdf
No public discounts listed.
