At a glance
| PDFWrangle | Smallpdf (free plan) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up required | No | No for basic use; its support page describes what "non-registered and free account holders" get (Smallpdf Help, checked 2026-10-20) |
| Free allowance | No usage limit | "Up to 2 conversions per day" (Smallpdf Help, checked 2026-10-20); the pricing page shows a "Daily download limit" on free tools (Smallpdf pricing, checked 2026-10-20) |
| File size limit | None set | "Limited" on the free plan, with no number published; "Unlimited" on paid plans (Smallpdf pricing, checked 2026-10-20) |
| Where files are processed | In your browser; nothing is uploaded | Uploaded to Smallpdf's servers and deleted after one hour (Smallpdf Merge PDF, checked 2026-10-20) |
PDFWrangle facts come from our own tools: they run in your browser, have no usage cap and no account, and set no file size limit (very large files depend on your device's memory).
When Smallpdf is the better choice
- You need tools PDFWrangle doesn't have, such as PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint conversion, OCR or text editing (Smallpdf pricing, checked 2026-10-20).
- You want a mobile app or cloud storage for your documents (Smallpdf pricing, checked 2026-10-20).
- You work from Google Drive or Dropbox; Smallpdf integrates with both (Smallpdf Help, checked 2026-10-20).
When PDFWrangle is the better choice
- You need more than a couple of tasks a day without paying.
- You'd rather not create an account.
- The document is private, such as an ID, payslip or contract, and you don't want it on someone else's server.