BleachPDF vs pdf-redactor
BleachPDF
github.compdf-redactor
github.comSide by side
| Figure | BleachPDF | pdf-redactor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Document Redaction Software | 8.8 (#2) | 7.3 (#20) |
| License | The package is licensed as GNU AGPL-3.0-or-later and is classified as OSI-approved AGPLv3+. | The repository displays a CC0-1.0 license. |
| Maker | The README identifies the author as John Byrd. | The README credits Joshua Tauberer and Antoine McGrath as the authors. |
| Purpose | BleachPDF blacks out sensitive information in PDF files, including scanned documents. | pdf-redactor is a general-purpose PDF text-layer redaction tool written in pure Python. |
Plans
In their own words
BleachPDF
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.
pdf-redactor
pdf-redactor has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.