PDF tools / Compare
ABBYY FineReader vs Smallpdf
Both do 2 of the same PDF tools tasks. Below is what each says about its own limits and pricing, and how each ranks on signals we can measure or quote.
Disclosure: agathox makes some of the tools listed here. They are labelled and scored by the same method as every other tool.
A
ABBYY FineReader
ABBYY's latest AI-based OCR technology powers this PDF editor software. Use tool to convert files (PDF to Excel, PDF to Word, etc.), edit, share, collaborate & more!
Signals score: 4.1 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit pdf.abbyy.comB
Smallpdf
Online PDF tools by Smallpdf AG (Zurich, Switzerland).
Signals score: 4.2 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit smallpdf.comPricing, limits and privacy
- Free tier
- A: No free tier listed. A 7-day free trial with no payment required is offered.
- B: Limited access to basic features of 21 tools, with up to 2 conversions a day. The same limit applies with or without a free account. File-size and page limits are not stated.
- Paid plan
- A: In USD for one standalone license: Standard (Windows) $99/year, $267/3 years or $16/month; Corporate (Windows) $165/year, $446/3 years or $24/month; Mac $69/year or $186/3 years (no monthly option). The page does not say whether prices vary by country.
- B: Pro adds unlimited use of all tools, OCR, batch conversion, no ads and the desktop and mobile apps. The price is not shown on the official pages we could read.
- Signup
- A: Product registration is required. Website purchases are managed through an ABBYY Checkout account tied to the purchase email.
- B: Not required for most tools. Sign needs a free account.
- Watermark
- A: Not stated.
- B: Says it adds no watermark, even on the free plan.
- Where files go
- A: The privacy policy says ABBYY processes data uploaded to its cloud products, with no storage location named. Document contents of on-premise products stay with the customer. The FineReader PDF Mobile app processes on the device by default. No retention period for uploaded documents is given. The desktop FineReader PDF product is not specifically described.
- B: Cloud-based: files are uploaded and deleted automatically after one hour for most tools. Its servers are in Ireland.
From each tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01 (ABBYY FineReader) and 2026-10-31 (Smallpdf). Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Sources are listed on each tool's page.
Compare on a task
Neither tool has been hands-on tested on these tasks yet, and we do not guess. Open a task to see both ranked with every other tool.
- Only Smallpdf: Merge PDF, Split PDF, Compress PDF, Sign PDF, Word to PDF, PDF to Word, PDF to JPG, Protect PDF
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