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41+ PDF tools, free forever for the basics

Every PDF tool you need. Beautifully fast.

Merge, split, compress, convert, OCR, edit, sign, and AI-summarize PDFs in seconds. Free for the basics. No install, no signup, no watermarks. Files auto-delete within an hour.

Auto-deleted in 1 hour 256-bit SSL encryption Near-instant processing AI tools included
pdfonly.com

Q4-financial-report.pdf

2.4 MB · 8 pages

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Selection

Extracting 3 pages: 1, 3, 5

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30+ native engines

qpdf · Ghostscript · OCRmyPDF · Tesseract · LibreOffice

TLS 1.3 + 1-hour deletion

Files never used to train AI models

100+ OCR languages

Including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian

Open-source friendly

Self-host the entire stack on your own VPS

41+ tools and counting

One toolkit for every PDF task

From quick merges to AI-powered summaries — everything is fast, free for the basics, and built to feel premium. Most tasks complete in under three seconds.

Organize

Combine, split, and reorder pages.

Convert

PDF in. PDF out. Either direction.

Optimize

Smaller files, faster delivery.

Secure

Passwords, encryption, redaction.

AI tools

Summarize, chat, translate.

Extract

Pull text, tables, and images.

Why PDFOnly

Faster, cleaner, and trustworthy.

Built by engineers who use PDFs every day — and got tired of slow, ad-laden tools that watermark output and silently train on uploaded files.

Fast where it matters

Native binaries (qpdf, Ghostscript, OCRmyPDF, LibreOffice, Tesseract, Playwright Chromium) on dedicated workers — not slow general-purpose cloud APIs. A 50-page PDF compresses in seconds. A 10-file merge in seconds. Most desktop applications take longer just to open the file.

Private by default

Files upload over HTTPS (TLS 1.3), are processed in isolated worker containers with no outbound internet access, and are auto-deleted within one hour of processing. We never train AI models on your documents. We never share files with third-party analytics. We're GDPR and CCPA compliant; HIPAA-aligned controls available on Enterprise.

AI where it adds value

Summarize a 50-page report into actionable bullet points. Chat with a PDF and get cited answers. Translate documents into 100+ languages while preserving layout. Powered by Claude and GPT-class models, billed transparently. AI features come with the same privacy guarantees as the rest of the toolkit — your documents are never used to train the underlying models.

Built for teams

Shared workspaces, single sign-on (Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra), audit logs, role-based access control, custom data retention windows, and SOC 2-aligned security controls. Designed from day one for legal teams, accounting firms, healthcare practices, and enterprise IT departments that can't compromise on compliance.

By role

Who uses PDFOnly

A few common workflows by industry. The same toolkit works across all of them — what changes is which tools you use most.

Legal teams

Combine exhibits in order, OCR depositions in 100+ languages, password-protect drafts, redact PII, and bates-stamp filings. Trusted by litigation teams at boutique firms and AmLaw 200 alike.

Accountants & finance

Combine receipts into expense reports, extract tables from bank statements to Excel, OCR vendor invoices for searchability, and convert quarterly reports between PDF and Word.

Healthcare practices

Combine patient records, redact PHI for research, OCR scanned charts for EHR ingestion, and convert legacy PDFs to editable formats. HIPAA-aligned controls on Enterprise.

Students & researchers

Compress PDFs to fit assignment-submission limits, extract chapters from textbooks, OCR scanned papers for citations, and merge thesis chapters into a final manuscript.

HR & operations

Convert Word job descriptions to PDF, combine candidate documents into review packets, sign offer letters digitally, and watermark draft policies before circulation.

Marketing & content

Compress PDF whitepapers for download speed, convert to JPG for social posts, watermark drafts, and use AI summarize to turn long reports into landing-page hooks.

Compared

PDFOnly vs. other PDF websites

The basics are universal — every PDF site can merge and compress. What sets us apart is the limits, the privacy posture, and what we don't do (ads, watermarks, training on your data).

FeaturePDFOnlyTypical competitor
Free tier file size limit100 MB / file5–25 MB on most
Watermarks on free outputNeverOften
Ads on the pageNoneHeavy on most free tiers
Files auto-deletedWithin 1 hour24 hours typical
Used to train AI modelsNeverVaries; often unclear
OCR languages supported100+10–30 typical
AI summarize / chat with PDFBuilt inSeparate paid tier or absent
API accessPro plan and aboveEnterprise-only on many

The product, stripped to numbers

Built to do the job, not to upsell.

45+

PDF tools

100+

OCR languages

1h

Auto-delete window

0

Watermarks · Ads · Training

FAQ

Common questions about PDFOnly

Are PDFOnly's tools really free?

Yes — every tool's core function is free for files up to 100 MB and 10 files per batch. We do offer a Pro plan that raises the limits, removes file count caps, retains your processed files for 7 days, and unlocks AI features (Summarize, Chat with PDF). The free tier isn't a stripped-down trial; it's the same fast, watermark-free, signup-free experience as Pro.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Everything runs in your browser. There's no Adobe license to buy, no desktop app to install, no plugin to update. Works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android.

Are my files private?

Yes. Files upload over HTTPS (TLS 1.3), are processed in isolated worker containers with no internet access, are auto-deleted within an hour, and are never used to train AI models or shared with third parties. We're GDPR and CCPA compliant out of the box. Pro and Team plans add SOC 2-aligned controls and HIPAA-eligible options for healthcare workflows.

How fast are PDFOnly's tools compared to other PDF websites?

We use native binaries (qpdf, Ghostscript, OCRmyPDF, Tesseract, LibreOffice) running on dedicated workers — not slow general-purpose APIs. Most operations complete in under 3 seconds. Heavy ones like OCR or LibreOffice conversion can take 10-30 seconds for very large files; everything else feels near-instant.

Can I use PDFOnly without signing up?

Yes. The entire core toolkit works fully anonymously. Sign up only if you want larger file limits, API access, longer file retention, AI features, or team workspaces. No credit card required to use the free tier.

What file size limits do you have?

Free: 100 MB per file, 10 files per batch. Pro: 200 MB per file, unlimited files per batch. Team: 500 MB per file. Enterprise: 1 GB+ files. There's no hard cap on processing volume — Pro users routinely process 10,000+ files per month.

Does PDFOnly work on mobile?

Yes. The whole site is mobile-first responsive. Drag-and-drop, multi-file upload, and all tool options work on iOS Safari, Chrome on Android, and any modern mobile browser. Use the camera to capture pages directly into JPG-to-PDF for on-the-go scanning.

Can PDFOnly handle scanned PDFs?

Yes. Our OCR PDF tool runs Tesseract on scans in 100+ languages — Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Hindi, and more. The output is a searchable PDF that looks identical to the scan but has a hidden text layer behind every word. After OCR, scans become Ctrl+F-searchable, copy-pasteable, and indexable.

What's the difference between PDFOnly and tools like iLovePDF or Smallpdf?

Faster — we use native binaries on dedicated workers, not slow general-purpose APIs. Cleaner — no ads, no upsell modals, no watermarks on free output. Smarter — first to ship Edit PDF v2 with a real interactive canvas editor, real-time AI summarization with citation, and OCR for 100+ languages including non-Latin scripts. Privacy-first — files auto-delete in 1 hour and we never train AI models on your documents.

Ready to handle your next PDF?

Free forever for the basics. Pro starts at $5/month — for unlimited files, AI tools, longer file retention, and API access.