Lumin vs Smallpdf (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Smallpdf grades higher than Lumin: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Smallpdf grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lumin
Cloud PDF editor with team collaboration and e-signing
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
Which one is for you
Pick Lumin if
- Fits if a small team edits and signs PDFs together in a browser
- Works for people who need a few signed documents a month at no cost
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you handle many files, as Free allows 3 documents a month and Starter 10
- Watch out: a document counts as completed when you share, download, print or sync it
- Watch out: extra document blocks are added automatically unless an admin switches it off
- Pricey if you need redaction or Slack and Drive connectors, which need Business at $99 a month per team
- Not for you if you want a desktop program, as there is none
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
| 2.2GPALuminFair | 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $9 a month and Pro $19 a month per team, so five people pay under $4 each on Pro; one person pays more than the $6.67 middle. Business is $99 per team. | 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 plan with 3 completed documents a month, plus a 7-day trial of each paid 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 | CEditing, collaboration, e-signatures, Google Drive sync and AI tools. Redaction and domain control are Business only. | 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 | CNo rating on record; a web app where you set up a workspace and connect Drive. | 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 | BWeb, iOS, Android and a browser extension, with eight integrations. No desktop program. | 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 | sharing and signing PDFs in the browser | 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: Lumin and Smallpdf. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lumin also covers documents.
At a glance
| Lumin | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month (Starter plan, 10 docs a month) | Not published |
| Free plan | Basic PDF editing and e-signatures; 3 documents a month and annotation on up to 3 docs. | 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 free trial on every paid plan | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Lumin PDF Corporation | Smallpdf AG |
| Price read from | luminpdf.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lumin
- Plans are capped by completed documents a month: 3 on Free, 10 on Starter and 200 on Pro and Business.
- A document counts as completed when you share, download, print or sync it, and extra blocks are added automatically unless an admin turns that off.
- Redaction, domain control and connectors such as Slack and Drive sit on Business, at $99 a month per team.
- The pricing page shows monthly figures only and does not say whether yearly billing is cheaper.
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
Lumin
- PDF text and page editing
- Edit text directly, add shapes and images, and merge, split, extract and rearrange pages.
- Real-time collaboration
- Teammates can edit the same file at once, with comments, tagging and view or edit sharing links. Collaboration is a paid feature.
- E-signatures and fillable fields
- Sign documents, add fillable fields and check boxes, and send or share forms with customers.
- Google Drive sync
- Changes can sync back to the original file in Google Drive, and storage can be restricted to one platform on higher plans.
- Redaction and scanned-text search
- Conceal sensitive content and make scanned PDFs searchable. Redaction is listed on Business and above.
- AI tools
- Includes a PDF summarizer, chat with a PDF and an AI agreement generator, available through Lumin AI.
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
Lumin
Free$0
Basic PDF editing and e-signatures, 3 completed docs a month, mobile and desktop apps.
Starter$9
per month, starting price; billing basis not shown
Student plan: 10 docs a month, retained document access, Google integration and signing.
Pro$19
per month per team, starting price; billing basis not shown
200 docs a month team-wide, advanced PDF editing, document collaboration and 5 agreements a month.
Business$99
per month per team, starting price; billing basis not shown
Adds member access control, domain control, sign-in enforcement, connectors, redaction and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Sold through sales: storage controls, enterprise SSO, Microsoft integration, onboarding and a customer success manager.
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Ways to pay less
Lumin
- Nonprofit
Discounts for not-for-profits
Lumin states that it offers discounts to non-profit organizations; the amount is not published.
- Education
Free for K-12 teachers and students
Lumin says it is committed to keeping the product free for K-12 teachers and students.
Smallpdf
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lumin or Smallpdf?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lumin starts at $9 per month (Starter plan, 10 docs a month), and Smallpdf has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Lumin or Smallpdf?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Lumin and Smallpdf have a free plan.
Which platforms do Lumin and Smallpdf run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Smallpdf lists a Windows app. Both list a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. 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.