PDF tools / Compare
Foxit PDF Editor 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
Foxit PDF Editor
Fast, secure PDF software trusted by businesses worldwide. Edit, convert, and eSign documents with Foxit’s affordable tools.
Signals score: 4.2 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit www.foxit.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 plan for the editor is described. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, and every subscription includes 300 free AI credits per month. Foxit PDF Reader is listed as free but not described.
- 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: PDF Editor $129.99/user/year; PDF Editor+ $159.99/user/year; perpetual Foxit PDF Editor 14 $209.99 one-time per user; AI Assistant add-on $49.99/year for 2,000 credits per month; volume licensing is custom. Billing can be annual, annual billed monthly, or monthly (from $10.99). Prices are subject to local taxes.
- 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: Not stated clearly. The trial needs no credit card. A Foxit account is needed for the education discount.
- 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: Per the privacy policy, files uploaded to Foxit cloud services are deleted after processing unless you choose to store them, and output files are typically deleted within one day. Azure OCR data is deleted within 24 hours. Servers are in the US, Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan. Processing by the desktop editor is not 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 (Foxit PDF Editor) 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, Word to PDF, PDF to Word, PDF to JPG, Protect PDF, OCR PDF
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