PDF tools / Compare
Smallpdf vs UPDF
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
Smallpdf
Online PDF tools by Smallpdf AG (Zurich, Switzerland).
Signals score: 4.2 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit smallpdf.comB
UPDF
Create, edit, annotate, convert, translate, and sign PDFs with UPDF. Use AI to understand documents faster and work seamlessly across Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and the web.
Signals score: 3.9 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit updf.comPricing, limits and privacy
- Free tier
- A: 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.
- B: Free version adds a trial watermark when saving. Free limits listed: 1 GB cloud storage with 10 MB per file, 2 file conversions per day, 5 OCR uses, batch processing of 2 files, AI assistant with 5 PDFs and 100 questions. The page contradicts itself on some limits.
- Paid plan
- A: 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.
- B: UPDF Pro is a yearly auto-renewing plan or a one-time lifetime purchase, covering 4 devices. AI Assistant is yearly, quarterly or monthly. 30-day money-back guarantee. Prices for these plans are Not stated in the page text I could read.
- Signup
- A: Not required for most tools. Sign needs a free account.
- B: Not stated. A pop-up says to sign in to get free access to some features, but it is unclear whether an account is needed for every use.
- Watermark
- A: Says it adds no watermark, even on the free plan.
- B: Yes. The free version adds a trial watermark when saving edited, annotated, protected or organized documents.
- Where files go
- A: Cloud-based: files are uploaded and deleted automatically after one hour for most tools. Its servers are in Ireland.
- B: UPDF Cloud and AI features upload documents to UPDF Cloud, stored in data centers in the user's region. AI-processed content is said not to be used to train general-purpose AI models. Personal data is kept while the account is active. No retention period is given for uploaded documents. The policy does not say whether desktop editing is local only.
From each tool's own pages, checked 2026-10-31 (Smallpdf) and 2026-11-01 (UPDF). 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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