PDF24 vs Smallpdf: free with ads or polished freemium?

Our verdict

PDF24 wins on cost. If you are comfortable with ads, it offers a very large toolbox without an account or subscription, and PDF24 Creator gives Windows users an offline program with a virtual PDF printer.

Smallpdf wins on experience and paid extras. The interface is calmer, the apps cover desktop and mobile, and its paid plans add signature requests and team features that PDF24 does not focus on.

pdfdots suits people who want neither ads nor uploads for everyday tasks. Most tools run in your browser, the free plan covers occasional use with a free account, and the PDF Dots app shares that account. If you cannot sign in or need an offline desktop program, PDF24 is the better fit.

The trade-off in one sentence

With PDF24 you pay with attention, because ads sit around the tools; with Smallpdf you pay with money once you go past the free limits. Both are legitimate. The right choice depends on how often you use PDFs and how much the interface matters to you.

For a one-off task, either works and PDF24 gets you there with no sign-up at all. For weekly use, Smallpdf's limits may push you towards a subscription, while PDF24 stays free but keeps the ads. For daily use with sensitive files, it is worth looking at where processing happens.

Where your documents are processed

Both services upload files for most online tools and describe deletion on their own pages. PDF24's desktop app is a local option on Windows. Smallpdf's apps connect to its cloud-based service.

pdfdots was designed around local processing. Compress PDF, Merge PDF, OCR PDF, Protect PDF and PDF to JPG work inside the browser tab, so nothing is uploaded. Office conversions and a few format tools use our server in Germany, and the file is removed immediately after the result is sent back.

• No upload: compress, merge, OCR, password protection, PDF to JPG
• Uploaded to Germany, then deleted: Office conversions, PDF/A, grayscale
• Saved only if you choose: My files, encrypted with AES-256-GCM

Signing and working with others

If you need to send a contract to several people and see who has signed, Smallpdf's paid plans are designed for that, and PDF24 is not the natural choice; pdfdots Studio covers occasional requests with ordered signers and an audit trail. If you only add your own signature to a form, all three options work; in pdfdots, Fill PDF Form and Sign PDF run entirely in the browser.

Scans and phone use

Many people reach for these tools to clean up phone scans: rotate pages, remove blank ones, compress the result and make the text searchable. PDF24 handles this well on the web and on Windows. Smallpdf's mobile apps are convenient if you already pay for Pro. In pdfdots, JPG to PDF, Rotate PDF, Remove Pages and OCR PDF cover the same steps, and the PDF Dots app can scan directly from the camera.

Task by task: what we would use

Here is how we would split common jobs between the two, based only on the differences above. Where pdfdots fits better we say so, and where it does not, we say that too.

None of the picks below is permanent. Free tiers change, which is why we date this page and re-check both providers' own pages when we review it.

• Compress a large attachment once: PDF24, with no account and no upgrade prompts, if the ads don't bother you; Compress PDF in pdfdots keeps the file on your device.
• Make a scanned contract searchable: PDF24 offers OCR without a subscription, while Smallpdf's OCR sits mainly on paid plans; OCR PDF in pdfdots runs in the browser.
• Collect signatures from a client and a colleague: Smallpdf's paid plans, or pdfdots Studio for occasional requests with ordered signers, reminders and an audit trail.
• Work on a Windows PC without internet: PDF24 Creator; pdfdots needs the page to load.
• Handle PDFs on a phone: Smallpdf's mobile apps if you already pay for Pro, or the PDF Dots app, which can scan from the camera.

Tools to try instead

Frequently asked questions