BleachPDF vs GoCalma

BleachPDF is a free desktop utility for Linux and macOS that redacts sensitive information from PDF files, including scanned pages. It converts each page into an image, applies OCR to locate text you specify, covers matches with black boxes, and writes a new PDF. The resulting file contains images only, so it has no hidden text layer that could reveal redacted wording through copying and pasting. Matching can use exact text or more complex patterns, including case-insensitive rules and digit patterns. Its command line accepts a folder or file pattern for batch processing. After redaction, BleachPDF rescans the output; if matching text is still exposed, verification fails and processing stops. It runs locally without uploading documents. Installation uses pip and requires Tesseract, with OCR language selection such as eng or eng+kor. Handwriting, unusual fonts, poor scans, and tiny dense text can cause recognition errors, so manual checking is advised.

GoCalma is open-source browser software for detecting and redacting sensitive information in PDF files without sending document contents to a server. It identifies more than 30 personal-information types and validates formats across more than 10 European ID formats. Users can choose redaction, masking, hashing, highlighting, or synthetic replacement by information type, then review candidates with the strategy, pattern, and confidence behind each flag. OCR for scanned or image-heavy PDFs runs locally. Listed profiles include Swiss DPA, EU GDPR, Healthcare, Financial, and Full Scan. An encrypted .gocalma recovery key can restore the original document later with the matching key. The repository says key payloads use AES-GCM encryption and redaction removes PDF author, title, and timestamp metadata. Its audit summary records a design-level concern involving raw key storage when no password is set. The Vercel demo uses regex-only detection because model files exceed its 250 MB limit. Local setup requires Node.js 18 or later, npm, and a modern desktop browser. The software is distributed under the MIT License.