pdfFiller vs Smallpdf
We give pdfFiller a 2.2 GPA and Smallpdf a 2.6, out of 4.0. 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.
pdfFiller
Online PDF editor and form filler with templates and e-signatures
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
How we grade them
| 2.2GPApdfFillerFair | 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CRewriting existing text needs Plus, $12 a month on a yearly plan or $30 month to month. That's the dear end of normal for PDF editors. Basic at $8 only adds text on top, and receiving faxes costs extra. | 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 | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial, which is longer than most. After that you pay. | 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 | CBuilds fillable forms and templates, sends for signature, takes payments on Premium, and faxes or posts documents, which no other editor here lists. But no OCR for scans is on record, so it's a forms tool more than a full 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 | C4.46 from 9,099 App Store ratings, just under the line for a B. And building templates and forms is real setting up before it pays off. | 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, iPhone, Android and add-ons for Chrome, Firefox and Gmail, with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Zapier and Stripe. No desktop app, which keeps it off the top grade. | 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 | filling, signing and sending forms | 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: pdfFiller and Smallpdf. How we grade
Where they differ
- Smallpdf has a free plan. pdfFiller does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Smallpdf lists a Windows app.
- pdfFiller also covers templates and forms.
At a glance
| pdfFiller | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 30-day free trial, cancel anytime | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | airSlate Inc. | Smallpdf AG |
| Price read from | pdffiller.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
pdfFiller
- People who fill in and sign government, tax or legal forms
- Small businesses that send forms and collect signatures and payments
- Anyone who needs to fax or mail a document without a fax machine
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
pdfFiller
- Month-to-month billing costs more than double the annual price on every plan.
- Rewriting existing text, redaction, fillable forms and signature requests need Plus or Premium.
- Receiving faxes costs extra: $19.99 a month on Basic, $14.99 on Plus and $9.99 on Premium.
- The enterprise plans need at least 20 users for Basic or 10 for Premium, on an annual commitment.
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
pdfFiller
- Edit and rewrite text
- Add text, images, highlights, tables and watermarks on every plan; from Plus, rewrite existing text and permanently redact.
- Fillable forms and templates
- Plus builds fillable forms and reusable templates, and Premium collects payments through Stripe and data through online forms.
- Form library
- Over a million ready-to-use templates on every plan, and Premium adds the US Legal Forms library of state-specific legal forms.
- Signature requests
- Plus sends documents for signature with tracking and reminders; Premium adds signNow signing order, bulk sending and stronger security.
- Send by fax or mail
- Export by download, email, print, fax, USPS mail or secure link, and receive faxes at a dedicated number for an extra monthly fee.
- Integrations and extensions
- Connects to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and Box, works inside Gmail, Chrome and Firefox, and automates work through Zapier.
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
pdfFiller
Basic$8
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Add text, images and signatures, organize pages, convert to Office formats, self-sign, share and comment, and 1M+ templates.
Plus$12
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Adds rewriting existing text, redaction, fillable forms and reusable templates, signature requests, shared workspaces and version history.
Premium$15
per month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
Adds signNow advanced e-signatures, the US Legal Forms library, payment and data collection by form, branding and Zapier workflows.
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Ways to pay less
pdfFiller
- Annual discount
Lower price with annual billing
pdfFiller lists Basic at $8 a month billed annually against $20 monthly, Plus at $12 against $30 and Premium at $15 against $40.
Smallpdf
No public discounts listed.
