A Smallpdf alternative with no daily limit
Smallpdf is polished and easy, and its free plan has a daily download limit. It also keeps editing existing text for Pro. Burgundy PDF does the everyday PDF jobs for free with no daily count, including retyping the text already on the page. Everything runs in your browser, so your file is never sent to a server.
Checked against Smallpdf's own pages on 25 September 2026 by the Burgundy PDF team. We make Burgundy PDF, so read this as a maker's comparison, not a neutral review. Burgundy PDF is not affiliated with Smallpdf.
At a glance
| Burgundy PDF | Smallpdf (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | In your browser. It is never sent anywhere. | On servers "located in the European Union" (Hetzner) |
| How long it is kept | Nowhere to keep it | "we automatically delete files after one hour" |
| How much you can do | No limit | "Daily download limit" |
| File size | No limit built in; your device's memory is the ceiling | Up to 5 GB, according to Smallpdf's blog |
| Edit the document's own text | Yes, free | "requires a Pro subscription" |
| OCR | 82 languages, free | Free, "though some limits apply" |
| Sign your own document | Yes, free | Yes, free |
| Account | None | None needed |
| Works offline | No | Windows app |
| Price | Free. There is no paid plan. | Free with the limits above; Pro (opens in a new tab) removes them |
Smallpdf's figures are quoted from smallpdf.com/pricing (opens in a new tab), its Edit PDF page (opens in a new tab), its Compress page (opens in a new tab) and its privacy notice (opens in a new tab).
The daily limit
Smallpdf's pricing page marks most free tools with a "Daily download limit" and describes the free plan as "Limited document downloads". It does not give a number there. Smallpdf's own blog is more specific: one post says "With a free account, you get 2 compressions per day", and another says "In many cases, that's up to two actions daily."
Burgundy PDF has no daily, hourly or per-task count. Compress ten files, then merge them, then compress the result again. No limit on size, pages or file count is built in either. The one real ceiling is your device's memory, because the whole file is held in memory while a tool works on it. The Help page lists every limit that does exist, each checked against the code.
Editing the text that is already there
This is the biggest practical difference. Smallpdf's Edit PDF page says: "Direct PDF text editing requires a Pro subscription, which you can try with a 7-day free trial." On the free plan you can add new text on top of a page, but you cannot change the words that are already on it.
In the Burgundy PDF editor, you click a line of existing text and retype it, for free. Your words go into the page in the font the line was set in, and the old words are removed from the page, not hidden under a white box. Deleting and moving lines work the same way. There are two limits, both properties of the file rather than the tool. A scanned page has no text to click, so run OCR first. And if a font was embedded without a character you type, the editor uses the closest match and tells you.
Where your file goes
According to its privacy notice, Smallpdf processes files on Hetzner servers in the European Union, and its tool pages say files are deleted after one hour.
Burgundy PDF never has your file to delete. The tools download to your browser as ordinary website code. When you choose a document, the browser reads it from your disk into memory, and nothing sends it anywhere after that.
Tool by tool
| On Smallpdf | On Burgundy PDF |
|---|---|
| Compress PDF | Compress |
| Edit PDF | Editor |
| Sign PDF | Fill & Sign |
| Merge PDF | Merge |
| Split PDF | Split, Extract Pages |
| Organize PDF | Organize, Delete Pages |
| PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, JPG | PDF to Word, PDF to Excel, PDF to PowerPoint, PDF to JPG |
| Word, JPG, HTML to PDF | Word to PDF, JPG to PDF, HTML to PDF |
| Protect, Unlock | Protect, Unlock |
| Rotate, Crop, Watermark | Rotate, Crop, Watermark |
When Smallpdf is the better choice
- You want your files kept for you. Smallpdf offers "storing, managing, and sharing files across devices" from its web platform. Burgundy PDF stores nothing except in your own browser, so you download every result.
- You need AI tools or translation. Smallpdf has AI features such as chat with a PDF, and a translate tool. Burgundy PDF has neither.
- You need to sign with other people. Smallpdf's pricing includes Sign.com (the free account is "limited to 2 documents a month"). Burgundy PDF signs your own copy only, with everyday signatures, not certificate-based ones.
- You want a Windows app. Smallpdf's Windows app works offline. Burgundy PDF has no offline mode.
Check it yourself
- Open Compress and your browser's developer tools (F12, or right-click → Inspect). Go to the Network tab.
- Clear the list, choose a PDF and run the tool.
- Look through the requests. None carries your file, and none is the size of your document.
The Security page explains the rest: what the browser keeps locally, and the few requests that do leave your device.
Questions
Is there a free Smallpdf alternative with no limits?
Burgundy PDF has no daily, hourly or per-task limit, no paid plan and no watermark. The only ceiling is your device's memory, which the Help page explains.
Is Smallpdf safe for confidential documents?
Smallpdf states that it deletes files after an hour and processes them in the EU, and many people are comfortable with that. If you would rather a confidential file were never on anyone else's server at all, use a tool that runs in the browser. You can confirm Burgundy PDF does, with the network test above.
Can I edit the existing text of a PDF without paying?
Yes. In the Burgundy PDF editor, click the text and retype it. There is no Pro tier to unlock.
How do I compress a PDF without a daily limit?
Use Compress as often as you like. Pick a target size, such as 1 MB or 200 KB, and it finds the sharpest version of the file that fits, or choose the image quality yourself. If a file cannot fit, the result says why, and splitting it or removing pages will do more than any setting.
Compress a PDF or open the editor. Or see how Burgundy PDF compares with iLovePDF and Sejda.
Smallpdf is a trademark of its owner. Facts about Smallpdf are quoted from smallpdf.com as it appeared on 25 September 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us at hello@burgundypdf.com and we will correct it.