Fillable vs PDF Studio

Fillable is a web and API service for turning PDFs into guided client workflows. It detects fields, accepts document uploads, supports signatures, and creates shareable completion links that clients can use without an account or app. Browser tools can fill, create, sign, merge, split, compress, convert, and OCR PDFs. Guided packs collect completed forms and requested documents; the free plan includes one active pack, all library templates and official forms, and a test API key. Teams can import existing PDFs, apply field validation and conditional logic, and export PDF or JSON. The REST API parses PDF fields and text into JSON and fills existing form fields. Each key allows 100 requests per calendar day, counting authenticated calls that succeed or return errors. It does not create PDFs from HTML, convert file formats, or add fields to flat PDFs. Core tools run in the browser; server-side conversions upload files and delete them afterward. Paid monthly plans start at $9/mo.

PDF Studio is a PDF editor that maintains compatibility with the PDF Standard. It creates PDFs from scans, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, and image files, and supports direct editing of PDF text, images, and shapes as well as redaction. OCR can recognize text and make searchable PDFs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Pro adds batch processing for multiple documents and an Action Wizard for automating tasks. Integrations include DocuSign, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive; cloud documents are edited as temporary local copies and returned to the service when saved. Security features include password protection, encryption, permissions, digital signatures, digital IDs, and trusted certificates. Pro also supports PDF/A, PDF/X, and PDF/UA validation or conversion, plus accessible tagged PDF creation. The free PDF Studio Viewer can read and annotate PDFs and fill interactive forms. PDF Studio Pro costs $149, paid once for one user on two computers, with a perpetual license. The Unix installer does not include native OCR or scanning features.