LocalRedact vs PrivacyScrubber

LocalRedact is a free, open-source PDF redaction tool that follows plain-English instructions using deterministic rules. It removes text beneath redacted areas and blanks image pixels where those areas overlap. Detection can target personal, financial, government, health, and credential data, as well as quoted values and selected page or layout instructions. Processing happens locally: the project says it uses no LLM, cloud API, telemetry, or model download, and reads text and coordinates with PyMuPDF. By default, it removes common PDF extras such as metadata, embedded files, JavaScript, links, and saved form state. After saving, it reopens the document and checks whether detected values remain extractable. Interfaces include a Python API, two command-line tools, and an optional HTTP service. Scanned PDFs can use locally installed Tesseract; image-only pages fail closed without OCR by default. The package requires Python 3.10 or later and is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The project calls the software alpha and warns that detection is best effort, not a compliance certification. It recommends visually reviewing high-stakes output.

PrivacyScrubber is a cloud-deployed web tool for removing sensitive information from documents and images. It combines automated detection, OCR redaction, batch processing, and an audit trail. Listed inputs are PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TXT, and images. A free plan requires no card and permits 15,000 characters per scrub, 5,000 specialized-profile characters per session, three PDF pages per session, and three document uploads every 24 hours. PRO costs $15.00 per month and covers up to three personal devices; PRO Lifetime costs $110.00 once with the same device limit. TEAMS costs $99.00 per month as a flat rate with unlimited seats. Developer SDK plans cost $199.00 per month or $1,990.00 per year and list unlimited production nodes. The monthly SDK plan includes a free local development quota. A 14-day trial is listed.