filedone vs Smallpdf
Use Smallpdf if you want one subscription for many PDF jobs, with a Windows app, a phone scanner and e-signing. Use filedone to change a few words on a scan while keeping its look, paid per job, or for free browser tools that never upload your file. On Smallpdf a scan goes through OCR and then the Pro editor; filedone redraws only the words you change.
Updated 4 October 2026Smallpdf facts checked 4 October 2026
What Smallpdf does better
Smallpdf is a broader product than filedone. Pro lists unlimited access to its 30-plus tools, strong compression, OCR, editing text and AI tools, and includes a Sign.com Premium subscription for e-signatures. It has a Windows app that works offline, a free phone scanner for iOS and Android with OCR, and Team and Business plans with central billing.
Its free OCR makes a scanned PDF searchable and selectable, and its pricing page says Smallpdf is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and GDPR, CCPA and nFADP compliant.
Where the two differ
Facts about Smallpdf are from smallpdf.com, read on 4 October 2026, and can change: check its own pages before you rely on them. Facts about filedone can be checked on this site now.
| What differs | filedone | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Changing words on a scan | Paints out the old words and draws new ones in a matching font | OCR first, then edit the text in the PDF Editor |
| Editing existing text | Paid per AI job; free tools add text | Pro only; a free account can add text, images and drawings |
| Free use | Browser tools: free, no account, no task limit | Free plan with a daily download limit on most tools |
| How you pay | Credits per job, from packs or a monthly plan | Pro, Team or Business plan; 7-day Pro trial |
| Files kept | Browser tools: never uploaded. AI uploads deleted after 2 hours | Deleted after one hour unless saved to your account |
| Apps | None: the website works on a phone | Windows app (offline) and a phone scanner |
Editing text in a scanned PDF
Smallpdf answers this on its Edit PDF page: its OCR tool converts a scanned document into editable digital text, and once converted you can edit the text in the PDF Editor. Editing existing text needs a Pro subscription, which it offers as a 7-day free trial. That is the convert-then-edit route: the scan becomes text first, so the page's look can change and OCR mistakes stay in the text unless you fix them.
filedone's scanned PDF editor keeps the scan and redraws only the words you change, in a matching font. It costs 8 credits a job, covering up to 10 pages, needs no subscription, and refuses some documents at any price, as the rules page lists.
Prices
Smallpdf's pricing page lists Free, Pro, Team (2 to 19 seats) and Business (20 or more, custom price) plans, billed monthly or yearly. Its prices are loaded in the browser and were not in the page we could read, so they are not quoted here: see smallpdf.com/pricing. If you cancel the 7-day free trial, Smallpdf says your account goes back to the free plan when the trial ends.
filedone has no plan you need: the browser tools are free, and the AI tools are paid in credits per job. Credit packs are $9 for 100 credits, $19 for 250 credits or $49 for 750 credits (in India ₹449 for 100 credits, ₹999 for 250 credits or ₹2,499 for 750 credits), bought credits do not expire, and monthly plans start at $12 a month for 200 credits. A new account gets 20 credits. Details on the pricing page.
Your files and privacy
Smallpdf's OCR page says uploaded files are deleted after one hour unless you save them to your Smallpdf account, and its help centre says the same "for most tools". Its privacy notice says files of signed-in users are deleted within one hour unless saved, and that files sent to its AI tools are not used to train models.
filedone's free browser tools never upload the file: it is opened and changed in your browser tab. For the AI tools, which do upload: Deleted from our servers after 2 hours. We do not train AI on your files, and the terms of our AI providers do not allow them to; they may keep request logs for up to 55 days, longer for a request they flag for abuse.
When to use which
| Your job | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Many PDF jobs every week, with e-signing | Smallpdf | One plan covers its tools and Sign.com |
| Change a date or amount on a scan, keep its look | filedone | Only the changed words are redrawn; no subscription |
| Rewrite a scanned page as new text | Smallpdf Pro, or PDF to Word | Convert-then-edit suits rewriting |
| Compress or merge without uploading | filedone | Free, no account, nothing leaves your device |
| Scan paper with your phone | Smallpdf | Its free scanner app does it |
Sources
Every fact about Smallpdf on this page comes from its own pages, listed here with the day we read them. Products and prices change: check the page before you rely on it, and if something here is out of date, tell us at the address at the foot of the page.
- Smallpdf, Edit PDFDirect text editing needs Pro (7-day trial); scans are converted with OCR, then edited in the PDF Editor. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Smallpdf, PDF OCRFree searchable PDFs; files deleted after one hour unless saved. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Smallpdf, PricingPlans, daily download limits on Free, what Pro includes, trial terms, ISO/IEC 27001. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Smallpdf, Help centreFiles removed after one hour of processing, for most tools. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Smallpdf, Privacy noticeSigned-in users' files deleted within one hour unless saved; AI tool files not used for training. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Smallpdf, Desktop app for WindowsChecked 4 October 2026.
- Smallpdf, PDF scanner appChecked 4 October 2026.
Questions
Can Smallpdf edit a scanned PDF?
Smallpdf says its OCR tool converts a scanned document into editable text, which you then edit in its PDF Editor; editing existing text needs Pro. filedone's scanned PDF editor instead changes the words on the scan itself, for 8 credits a job.
Is Smallpdf free?
It has a free plan with a daily download limit on most tools; editing existing text, strong compression and batch tools are in Pro. filedone's browser tools are free with no account and no daily limit, because they run on your device.
How long does each keep my files?
Smallpdf says files are deleted after one hour unless you save them to your account. filedone deletes files uploaded to its AI tools after 2 hours, and its free browser tools never upload the file at all.
Does filedone have a subscription?
You do not need one. The browser tools are free and AI jobs are paid in credits from a pack; monthly plans exist for people who run many jobs. See the pricing page.
The filedone tools named here
- Edit the text in a scanned PDFChange wording on a scan: the old words are painted out to match the paper and the new ones are typeset in a matching font. Your file is deleted after two hours.
- Make a scanned PDF searchable — OCR, free, no uploadAdd an invisible text layer to a scanned PDF so you can search it, select words and copy them. English, Hindi and four more Indian languages. Free, and the file stays on your device.
- Compress a PDF to a size in KBReduce a PDF's size for free — as small as it goes, or under 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB for a portal. Nothing is uploaded; text stays selectable.
- Merge PDF files into oneCombine up to 20 PDFs into one, in the order you choose, and take only the pages you need from each. It happens on your own device: your PDFs are never uploaded.
- Sign a PDF — draw, type or upload your signaturePut your signature and the date on any page of a PDF: draw it with a finger or a mouse, type your name in a handwriting font, or upload a photo of it. Free, and nothing is uploaded.