PDF Candy vs Smallpdf
We give PDF Candy a 2.4 GPA and Smallpdf a 2.6, out of 4.0. PDF Candy grades higher on value for money. Smallpdf grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PDF Candy
90-plus online PDF tools and a Windows app, free within limits
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPDF CandyFair | 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$4 a month on a yearly plan for web and desktop, among the cheapest paid PDF tools. The $99 lifetime license, spread over three years, is cheap too, but it covers the current desktop version only, not future major ones. | 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 on web and desktop with no account and no ads, but with page and hourly limits, smaller files and no batch processing. Fine for the odd job. | 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 | CConverts to and from Office and e-book formats, edits, merges, splits, compresses and protects, with AI summaries and chat. A big toolbox. But no OCR, form builder or signing is on record, so it's lighter as an editor. | 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. No account needed: pick a tool in the browser and go. | 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 | CThe web, plus a desktop app for Windows only. No phone apps and no integrations on record. | 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 | lots of PDF tools for a small one-time fee | 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: PDF Candy and Smallpdf. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only Smallpdf lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Smallpdf lists a browser extension.
- PDF Candy can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| PDF Candy | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per month, billed yearly | Not published |
| Free plan | Free on web and desktop with no account or ads: page and hourly limits, smaller files, no batch processing and a cap on desktop operations. | 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 | None listed | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | PDF Candy (Icecream Apps) | Smallpdf AG |
| Price read from | pdfcandy.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
PDF Candy
- People who convert or merge PDFs now and then without signing up
- Windows users who want an offline PDF tool for a one-time fee
- Students and teachers, who can get a year of online Pro free
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
PDF Candy
- The free plan limits pages, hourly use and file size, with no batch processing.
- The desktop app is for Windows only, and the Web Monthly plan does not include it.
- The lifetime license covers the current desktop version and its minor updates, not future major versions.
- Refunds within 30 days are given if errors keep happening and support cannot fix them.
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
PDF Candy
- Convert to and from PDF
- Converts PDFs to and from Office files, images and e-book formats such as MOBI, and between many other formats.
- Edit and organize
- Edit PDFs and their metadata, merge, split, compress, rotate and reorder pages, and add or remove passwords.
- AI tools
- Summarize a PDF, translate it or chat with it from the web tools.
- Offline Windows app
- PDF Candy Desktop brings 35 tools to Windows for editing, converting and organizing files without an internet connection.
- Short file retention
- Uploaded files and results are kept for no longer than 2 hours, and the free plan needs no account.
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
PDF Candy
Free$0
Most tools on web and desktop with page, hourly, file-size and operation limits.
Desktop + Web Yearly$4
per month, billed yearly
Shown as 75% off a crossed-out $18 a month: web and desktop with no hourly limits, 500MB files, priority processing, plus Video and Image Candy.
Web Monthly$6
per month
PDF Candy Web only, with no hourly limits, 500MB files and priority processing.
Desktop + Web Lifetime$99
one-time purchase
Pay once for PDF Candy Web and a permanent desktop license for the current version, with its minor updates but not major upgrades.
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Ways to pay less
PDF Candy
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license for $99
A one-time payment of $99 buys PDF Candy Web and a permanent PDF Candy Desktop license for the current version.
- Education
A free year of online Pro for education
Students and teachers can get a year of PDF Candy's online Pro subscription at no cost.
Smallpdf
No public discounts listed.
