PDFOnly vs Smallpdf — honest comparison

Smallpdf is one of the most popular PDF SaaS products on the web, and for good reason — they have a polished UI and a comprehensive tool set. But they also have aggressive paywalls, two-tasks-per-day limits on the free tier, and no self-hosting option. Here's an honest comparison.

## TL;DR

PDFOnly and Smallpdf cover roughly the same set of core PDF operations (compress, merge, split, convert, sign, etc.). PDFOnly has more tools (45+ vs ~25), is significantly more generous on the free tier (no two-tasks-per-day cap), supports self-hosting, and is built with AI/RAG workflows in mind (PDF-to-Markdown, OCR-to-Markdown). Smallpdf has a slicker UI today, a longer track record, and integrations with Dropbox/Google Drive that we haven't built yet.

## Free tier

**Smallpdf:** 2 tasks per day on the free tier. After that, you wait or pay.

**PDFOnly:** No daily task limit. 100 MB upload size on free, 200 MB on Pro. Anonymous use is fine — no signup gate.

For a one-off compress-and-go user, PDFOnly's free tier is meaningfully more useful — you can do 50 PDFs in a row without hitting a paywall.

## Tool count

**Smallpdf:** ~25 tools (compress, merge, split, conversions, e-sign, basic edit).

**PDFOnly:** 45+ tools, including categories Smallpdf doesn't have:

- **AI/LLM-focused:** PDF-to-Markdown, OCR-to-Markdown, AI-summarize. Built for ChatGPT/Claude/RAG ingestion. - **Legal:** PDF/A conversion (court e-filing), Bates numbering (legal discovery), Compare PDF (redline review). - **Page management:** Insert pages at position, extract pages, delete blank pages, flatten forms. - **Forms:** AcroForm filler with auto-detection of every field.

## Privacy and self-hosting

**Smallpdf:** SaaS only. Files processed on Smallpdf's servers under their privacy policy. ISO 27001 certified.

**PDFOnly:** SaaS by default. Files auto-deleted within an hour and never used to train AI. Self-hosting is also a first-class option — the entire stack is open source and deployable to a single VPS. For confidential contracts, regulated PII, or air-gapped environments, this matters.

## File-size limits

**Smallpdf:** Free tier has a small file-size cap. Pro tier raises it.

**PDFOnly:** 100 MB free, 200 MB on Pro. Self-hosted = unlimited (whatever your server has).

## UI and polish

Smallpdf has been at this longer and it shows in their marketing site and edge-case handling. We're newer and our UI continues to evolve. If you want the most-polished SaaS experience, Smallpdf is fine. If you want more tools, more generous limits, and the option to self-host, we're better.

## Pricing

**Smallpdf:** ~$9/mo for Pro after the free trial.

**PDFOnly:** Free is genuinely free for most users. Pro tier exists for higher limits and team features. See pricing page for current details.

## Bottom line

Smallpdf is a great choice if you only need the basics, want a polished UI, and don't mind the daily task cap on free. PDFOnly is the right choice if you need more tools, do AI/RAG work, want to self-host, or hit Smallpdf's free limits.