Smallpdf is a popular 47-tool PDF suite whose Redact tool works by having you manually select the text and images to remove — simple and permanent, but you must find every item yourself. Redact PDF AI is built specifically for redaction: its AI detects names, addresses, IBANs, and other PII automatically across 100+ languages, including scanned files, then lets you review before exporting. Both permanently remove the underlying content.
Smallpdf is an all-rounder: 47 PDF tools — convert, compress, merge, sign, and redact — on one cheap subscription, all in the browser. Its Redact tool removes content permanently, but it is manual: you select each piece of text or each image you want gone. Redact PDF AI does one thing and automates it — its AI reads the whole document and surfaces personal data for you, so you don’t have to know every name, address, or account number in advance. Both run in the browser and both produce permanent, non-recoverable redaction.
| Feature | Redact PDF AI | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Detection method | Automatic AI entity detection — names, emails, phones, addresses, organizations, dates, IBANs, credit cards | Manual: you select the text and images to remove yourself |
| Finds PII you didn’t look for | Yes — the AI recognizes entities across the whole document | No — only what you manually select is removed |
| Languages | 100+ languages detected automatically | Manual selection works in any language, but there is no automatic detection |
| Scanned documents & images | Yes — built-in OCR detects text in scans | Redaction is manual; OCR is a separate Smallpdf tool |
| Bulk / automation | Batch upload plus a REST API | One document at a time; no redaction API |
| Where it runs | In the browser — any device, nothing to install | In the browser, plus desktop and mobile apps |
| Permanent, irreversible redaction | Yes — output is flattened and rasterized | Yes — selected content is removed from the file |
| Scope | Focused on redaction (PDF and images) | 47 PDF tools: convert, compress, merge, sign, edit, redact, and more |
| Free tier | Yes — free to try, no credit card | Yes — limited free use; daily limits on the free tier |
| Price | Free to try; pay-as-you-go credits, no subscription required | Free tier; Pro about US$9/month for all 47 tools |
| Data residency | EU (Frankfurt) & Switzerland — Azure | Switzerland-based (GDPR, ISO 27001) |
| Trains AI on your documents | No — content logging disabled on the Azure AI services | Not publicly specified (manual redaction) |
This is the core difference. With Smallpdf you drive the process: you open the document and click or drag over each piece of text or image you want removed. That is fine for a short document where you can see everything at a glance. But across a long, dense, or scanned file, you have to find every name, address, and account number by eye — and anything you miss stays in the file. Redact PDF AI uses AI entity recognition to surface all of it automatically, which is what protects you when you don’t know every piece of PII in advance.
Because Smallpdf redaction is manual, it technically works in any language — but it offers no automatic detection, so multilingual or scanned documents mean reading every page yourself. Redact PDF AI detects entities across 100+ languages out of the box and uses OCR to read scanned pages, so French, German, Spanish, and mixed-language files are handled the same way as English.
Smallpdf’s appeal is breadth: 47 PDF tools for about US$9/month, so if you also convert, compress, and merge PDFs regularly, redaction comes bundled cheaply. Redact PDF AI is focused on redaction and prices pay-as-you-go with a free tier — you pay only when you redact, and you get automatic detection, batch processing, and a REST API that a general suite doesn’t provide.
A fair comparison cuts both ways. Smallpdf is the stronger choice when:
If you want an inexpensive, do-everything PDF suite and only redact short documents by hand, Smallpdf is great value. If you redact regularly, handle long, scanned, or multilingual documents, or don’t know every piece of personal data in advance, Redact PDF AI’s automatic detection is faster and more thorough — and free to try on your own files.
No. Smallpdf’s Redact tool is manual — you select the text and images to remove yourself. Redact PDF AI detects names, addresses, and other PII automatically with AI.
Yes. Smallpdf removes the selected content from the file so it cannot be copied or recovered. Redact PDF AI also produces permanent redaction by flattening the output.
Smallpdf has a limited free tier with daily limits; its Pro plan is about US$9/month for all 47 tools. Redact PDF AI is free to try and then pay-as-you-go, with no subscription.
Redact PDF AI. It uses OCR and detects PII across 100+ languages automatically, while Smallpdf redaction is manual with no automatic detection.