PDFBear vs Smallpdf (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Smallpdf grades higher than PDFBear: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PDFBear grades higher on features. Smallpdf grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PDFBear
Browser-based PDF tools for converting, editing and signing
Free plan · from $8.33/mo
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
Free plan
Which one is for you
Pick PDFBear if
- Fits if you do PDF jobs from a browser
- Works for people who want a browser extension
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: guests get 5 single-file conversions a day and output carries a PDFBEAR.COM watermark
- Watch out: the Premium trial puts a temporary $1 card authorization on your card
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app
- Watch out: files stay on the vendor's servers for 30 days after last activity on a free account
- Pricey if you need big OCR jobs, which need Premium
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
| 2.4GPAPDFBearFair | 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $8.33 a month billed yearly ($13.99 monthly), close to the $7.99 middle 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 account gives 50 MB files and batches of 30, but guests get 5 conversions a day and the output has a watermark. | 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 | BConvert, merge, split, compress, edit, sign, OCR, security and 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 plus Chrome, Edge and Firefox extensions; no desktop or mobile app. | 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 | browser PDF tools plus extensions | 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: PDFBear and Smallpdf. How we grade
Where they differ
- PDFBear also covers forms.
In commonFree planWebBrowser extensionAI featuresPDF editing
At a glance
| PDFBear | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.33 per month, billed yearly ($13.99 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | Standard PDF tools with files up to 50 MB and batches of 30 on a free account; guests get 5 single-file conversions a day. | 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 of Premium; a temporary $1 card authorization is made and released | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Targa Limited | Smallpdf AG |
| Price read from | pdfbear.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PDFBear
- It is a browser product only; there is no desktop or mobile app, just browser extensions.
- Guests are limited to 5 single-file conversions per day, and free output carries a PDFBEAR.COM watermark.
- Files go to the vendor's servers and are kept 30 days after last activity on a free account.
- AI tools, larger OCR jobs and 90 MB files need the Premium subscription.
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
PDFBear
- Conversion between formats
- Converts PDFs to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, text, EPUB and other formats, with batch conversion on paid and free accounts.
- Edit, annotate and sign
- Edit PDF, annotator, rotate, page numbers, watermark, header and footer, eSign and fillable form tools run in the browser.
- OCR
- Scanned input is recognized automatically: guests get 10 pages, free accounts 30 pages and Premium 150 pages.
- AI tools
- Chat with PDF, Summarize, Translate and a question generator are listed as Premium features.
- Organize and compress
- Merge, split, delete or extract pages, crop, compress, resize and repair PDFs without installing software.
- Security tools
- Protect, unlock and redact PDFs and remove metadata; the vendor says files are sent over HTTPS and not read by people.
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
PDFBear
Free$0
Convert, merge, split, compress and sign; 50 MB files, OCR up to 30 pages, files kept 30 days after last activity.
Premium$8.33
per month, billed yearly ($99.99; $13.99 billed monthly)
90 MB files, batches of 200, OCR up to 150 pages, AI tools, no ads or watermark, priority speed and support.
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Ways to pay less
PDFBear
- Annual discount
Save 40% with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as a 40% saving: $99.99 a year against $13.99 a month.
Smallpdf
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PDFBear or Smallpdf?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PDFBear starts at $8.33 per month, billed yearly ($13.99 billed monthly), and Smallpdf has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, PDFBear or Smallpdf?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both PDFBear and Smallpdf have a free plan.
Which platforms do PDFBear and Smallpdf run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Smallpdf lists Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app 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.