Smallpdf vs Xodo
We give Smallpdf a 2.6 GPA and Xodo a 2.2, 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.
Smallpdf
30-plus PDF tools in the browser, with Windows and mobile apps
Xodo
PDF tools on web, desktop and mobile, sold separately or as a suite
How we grade them
| 2.6GPASmallpdfGood | 2.2GPAXodoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CXodo Web is $7.99 a month on a yearly plan and the desktop editor $9.99, both normal for PDF editors. The full Suite is $14.99, or $8.99 for new yearly subscribers until Dec 31, 2026. The $240 perpetual license, spread over three years, is middling too. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CThere's a free plan, but it's 1 action a day on the web tools, barely a taste. The 3-day trial needs a payment method, and Xodo doesn't give refunds. |
| Features | 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. | CEdits, compresses, redacts, OCRs, converts, compares two PDFs, checks PDF/A and even edits Word files, with AskPDF AI. A good spread. But no form builder is on record, and the web plan has no desktop app. |
| Ease of use | 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. | C4.35 from 1,703 App Store ratings, below most PDF apps here. And working out which of the separate products you need takes some reading first. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, as wide as it gets. But the only integration on record is Xodo Sign, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | quick PDF jobs in the browser | a desktop PDF editor that also runs on Linux |
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: Smallpdf and Xodo. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only Smallpdf lists a browser extension.
- Only Xodo lists macOS and Linux apps.
- Xodo can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Smallpdf | Xodo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $7.99 per month, billed annually ($10.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 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. | 1 action a day with limited Xodo Web tools and 1GB of Xodo Drive; the Xodo PDF Reader and mobile apps can be installed free. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Pro; cancelling returns the account to the free plan | 3-day free trial of Xodo Web or PDF Studio, payment method required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Smallpdf AG | Apryse Software Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | xodo.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Xodo
- Linux users who need a full desktop PDF editor
- Buyers who want a perpetual desktop license instead of a subscription
- People who only need browser-based PDF tools at a low yearly price
Worth knowing
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.
Xodo
- Each product is sold separately: the Web plan has no desktop app, and only the Document Suite covers web, desktop and mobile.
- The free plan allows only 1 action a day, and the free trial needs a payment method.
- Xodo does not give refunds; a cancelled plan runs to the end of the paid period.
- The perpetual license includes only 12 months of version upgrades and covers two devices.
Key features
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.
Xodo
- Edit, redact and organize
- Edit, compress, annotate and redact PDFs, merge, split and reorder pages, and add passwords or strip hidden data.
- Convert and OCR
- Converts to and from PDF and between image formats, runs OCR on scans, and validates PDF/A on the web.
- Compare and edit DOCX
- Shows two PDFs side by side to compare them, and edits Word files without Microsoft Word.
- AskPDF AI
- Summarizes PDFs and answers questions about them, as one of the web tools on paid plans.
- Offline desktop editor
- PDF Studio runs on Windows, macOS and Linux without an internet connection and automates repetitive PDF tasks.
- Mobile apps
- iOS and Android apps for editing, annotating, signing and sharing documents, included in the Document Suite.
Plans
Smallpdf
Pricing could not be confirmed. See smallpdf.com.
Xodo
Free$0
One action a day on the web tools, no premium tools and 1GB of Xodo Drive.
Xodo Web$7.99
per month, billed annually ($10.99 billed monthly)
40+ online tools with unlimited use and downloads, including AskPDF AI, strong compression and PDF/A; no desktop app.
Xodo PDF Studio Desktop$9.99
per month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly)
Offline desktop editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with 60+ tools.
Xodo Document Suite$14.99
per month, billed annually ($24.99 billed monthly)
Web, desktop and mobile in one subscription with priority support; $8.99 a month for new annual subscriptions through Dec 31, 2026.
PDF Studio Perpetual License$240
one-time purchase per user
PDF Studio Desktop without a subscription, on up to two devices, with 12 months of free version upgrades.
Ways to pay less
Smallpdf
No public discounts listed.
Xodo
- Other savings
40% off Document Suite for life, until Dec 31, 2026
New annual Document Suite subscriptions started by Dec 31, 2026 cost $8.99 a month ($107.93 a year), a discount that stays on every renewal while the plan is active.
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Xodo lists Web at $7.99 a month billed yearly against $10.99 monthly, PDF Studio at $9.99 against $19.99, and the Suite at $14.99 against $24.99.
- Other savings
Volume discounts for teams
Xodo discounts team licenses by seat count, starting at 2 seats for the Web and Document Suite plans and growing with volume for PDF Studio.
