Redactable vs RedactFile

Redactable is a web-based platform for detecting and permanently removing sensitive information from documents and images. Its AI identifies personal, health, financial, and other sensitive patterns for redaction. Built-in OCR makes scanned documents and image-based PDFs searchable before redaction. Supported inputs include PDF, TIFF, PNG, and JPG files from device uploads or supported third-party services; output is PDF. Redactable says it removes hidden metadata, embedded objects, and residual data from redacted files. Collaboration tools include shared workspaces, task assignments, comments, role-based permissions, activity logs, and version history. It can generate redaction certificates and audit logs recording who redacted what and when. Integrations listed include Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, SharePoint, and Clio. Redactable states that it is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant, uses AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 or higher in transit, and does not retain document content beyond the redaction job or use it to train AI models. Three documents are free; pay-as-you-go costs $7.50 after that. Starter costs $19 a month billed annually.

RedactFile is a web and API service for identifying and removing sensitive information from documents and images before sharing them. Its OCR and PII detection can find names, emails, phone numbers, IDs, account data, and addresses, including in scanned PDFs. Users can review matches, add redaction marks themselves, apply changes, and export a protected copy. Methods include black boxes, blur, pixelation, masking, replacement labels, and removal. File cleanup tools check metadata, comments, author data, OCR layers, annotations, bookmarks, embedded files, forms, and scripts. Some supported browser workflows process files locally; upload, dashboard, public-link, and API workflows may use RedactFile infrastructure and storage. The external v1 API supports OCR and structured extraction through JSON requests with document URLs and an API key; documentation includes JavaScript and Python examples and signed asynchronous webhooks. RedactFile publishes tests and a checker for examining recoverable text and hidden file data. It cautions that the service is not a compliance certification or guarantee that every document is safe to disclose, and recommends manual validation for regulated disclosures. The free plan costs nothing and has a 2MB upload limit, 10 daily uploads, 500MB storage, and no API.