PDFtk vs Smallpdf

PDFtk is a PDF toolkit from PDF Labs, available as graphical and command-line editions for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted deployments. PDFtk Free provides a graphical interface for merging and splitting PDF documents and pages, and includes the PDFtk Server command-line tool. PDFtk Pro adds splitting, merging, rotation, watermarks, stamps, and security controls for pages and documents. PDFtk Server handles command-line processing such as filling forms with X/FDF data, adding or updating bookmarks and metadata, attaching or unpacking files, and attempting repairs on corrupted PDFs. It can decrypt an input when its password is supplied and encrypt output. Pro can set opening passwords or restrict printing, assembly, copying, and editing. Server is free under GPL Version 2; commercial redistribution generally needs a separate license. PDF Labs lists Free and Server at free, Pro at $3.99, paid once, and a redistribution license at $995 as a one-time purchase. Products may create temporary local troubleshooting logs.

Smallpdf is a PDF service with tools for editing, converting, compressing, organizing, sharing, protecting and scanning documents. Users can add text, shapes, images and freehand annotations, create forms and use OCR. It supports electronic signatures, including signing, requesting signatures and tracking documents. Files can be stored, managed and shared across devices, and the mobile app supports PDF scans, document organization and file sharing. Smallpdf is available on the web, Windows, iOS and Android, and also supports a Chrome extension. Integrations include Google Workspace and Dropbox. Thirty PDF tools are available for free, and the free trial lasts seven days. Pro costs $12 a month, billed monthly per user. Team costs $10 a month per user and covers 2 to 100 users, with a minimum of two seats. Smallpdf says it uses 256-bit TLS encryption for information transfer and is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and compliant with GDPR, CCPA and nFADP. Customer support is available around the clock.