Smallpdf vs PDFgear

Smallpdf9.1Visit PDFgear8.6Visit

Higher score Smallpdf #3 in PDF Editors 9.1/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Smallpdf

vs

PDFgear #9 in PDF Editors 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit PDFgear

• Smallpdf fits best

  Simple cross-platform PDF editing

• PDFgear fits best

  Free, full-platform PDF editing

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Side by side

Feature	Smallpdf 9.1/10 Visit ↗	PDFgear 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.6
Ranking	#3 in PDF Editors	#9 in PDF Editors
Best for	Simple cross-platform PDF editing	Free, full-platform PDF editing
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$7/seat/mo	Free
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	7 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile, Browser extension	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Tickets, Docs	Email, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Smallpdf 5/5 · PDFgear 5/5
Text editing	✓	✓
Annotation tools	✓	✓
OCR	✓	✓
PDF conversion	✓	✓
Form creation	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	web, windows, ios, android, chrome_extension	web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Our review
Pros	Combines editing, OCR, conversion, forms, signatures, and security tools Supports web, Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome Free plan includes access to 30+ document management tools	Free access to editing, OCR, conversion, forms, signatures, and AI tools Supports Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, web browsers, and Linux Includes batch conversion and page organization tools
Cons	Free plan has limited downloads and mobile app access Business pricing is custom rather than published MacOS is not listed among currently supported platforms	Direct replacement of existing PDF text is limited to desktop software ChatGPT is the listed integration No paid tier adds premium features or expanded capabilities
Our verdict	Smallpdf is a PDF software suite for individuals and teams that need to edit, organize, convert, sign, and protect documents. Its tools cover editing existing text, adding text, annotations, OCR for scanned PDFs, file conversion, page… Read the review →	PDFgear is a free PDF software suite for individuals, educators, and businesses that need more than basic viewing or annotation. It covers editing existing PDF text and images, adding highlights, notes, comments, stamps, shapes, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Smallpdf — where it wins

  • Combines editing, OCR, conversion, forms, signatures, and security tools
  • Supports web, Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome
  • Free plan includes access to 30+ document management tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Free plan has limited downloads and mobile app access
  • Business pricing is custom rather than published
  • MacOS is not listed among currently supported platforms

• PDFgear — where it wins

  • Free access to editing, OCR, conversion, forms, signatures, and AI tools
  • Supports Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, web browsers, and Linux
  • Includes batch conversion and page organization tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Direct replacement of existing PDF text is limited to desktop software
  • ChatGPT is the listed integration
  • No paid tier adds premium features or expanded capabilities

• Smallpdf9.1/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

  A broad PDF toolkit for simple editing across web, Windows, mobile, and Chrome.

  Visit SmallpdfFull verdict →
• PDFgear8.6/10 · Free plan

  A broad free PDF suite for editing, conversion, OCR, forms, and document analysis.

  Visit PDFgearFull verdict →