Excise vs GroupDocs.Redaction
Excise
github.comGroupDocs.Redaction
products.groupdocs.comSide by side
| Figure | Excise | GroupDocs.Redaction |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $1,999/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · Document Redaction Software | 8.8 (#3) | 9.1 (#1) |
| Maker | The GitHub profile identifies the maintainer as Marc Jones and lists Hartford, Connecticut; it does not state a founding date. | GroupDocs.com is a document processing SDK provider and the second website launched by Aspose Pty Ltd; its website first went live in 2012. |
| What it does | Excise is a cross-platform PDF editor that removes redacted content from the PDF itself rather than covering it with a black box. | GroupDocs.Redaction removes or masks sensitive text, images, metadata, annotations and comments in PDFs, Office files, images and other business formats. |
Plans
GroupDocs.Redaction
- Developer Small Business$1,199, paid once
- Metered OEM$1,999 a month
- Metered Small Business$1,999 a month
- Developer OEM$3,597, paid once
- Site Small Business$5,995, paid once
- Site OEM$16,786, paid once
- Developer SDK$23,980, paid once
- Site SDK$59,950, paid once
In their own words
Excise
Excise is a free, open-source PDF editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its central feature is permanent redaction: it removes text, images, and vector graphics from PDF content rather than placing a visible cover over them. By default, the cleanup also removes metadata, attachments, JavaScript, thumbnails, and hidden layers, and reports those removals. The app handles search, text selection and copying, annotations, page organization, Bates numbering, file-size reduction, and AcroForm filling, flattening, and creation. Its command-line tools support batch work and stable JSON output; `unredact` checks for leaked redacted text, while `audit` looks for text beneath opaque overlays. Excise reads and writes AES-128 and AES-256 encryption and inspects digital signatures against the operating system trust store. Signature inspection does not check revocation or evaluate timestamp and long-term validation material. Dynamic XFA layouts are experimental and cannot be filled. Downloads include packages for Apple Silicon macOS, Windows 10/11 x64, Ubuntu/Debian, and x64 or ARM64 Linux; builds are unsigned, not notarized, and lack auto-update.
GroupDocs.Redaction
GroupDocs.Redaction is a document library for finding and concealing or removing private information in business files. Its text redaction can search for phrases with case-sensitive or case-insensitive matching, as well as regular expressions. It can cover all or part of images and remove or replace metadata such as Word author information and image EXIF data. The product page lists more than 30 supported file formats and.NET, Java, and Python editions. Automated detection, batch processing, and OCR redaction are listed capabilities. The library does not require external software such as Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Office to manipulate documents. Deployment is on-premises; GroupDocs says processing takes place on the customer’s machines and network, though metered licenses report usage for billing. A browser-based app is also available for redacting popular formats. Evaluation mode adds trial badges and restricts output to the first three pages; a 30-day temporary license is available for unrestricted testing. Developer Small Business costs $1,199, paid once.