Brevio vs Smallpdf
Brevio processes PDFs entirely in your browser. Smallpdf uploads files to its servers.
Brevio
In-browser PDF processing using pdf-lib (JavaScript library). Files never leave your device.
Smallpdf
Cloud-based PDF processing. Files are uploaded to Smallpdf servers for processing.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Brevio | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| File upload to server | Never (for PDF tools) | Yes — files sent to Smallpdf servers |
| Signup required | Never | Required for some features |
| Free tier limit | Unlimited | 2 tasks/hour free |
| PDF operations | 16 tools (merge, split, compress, rotate, sign, watermark, protect, unlock, organizer, page numbers, image-to-pdf, pdf-to-jpg, pdf-to-text) | 25+ tools including format conversion |
| Works offline | Yes — after page load | No — requires internet connection |
| Image tools | 18+ tools | Basic image tools |
| AI / LLM tools | 28 tools | None |
| Dev tools | 24+ tools | None |
| GDPR / privacy | GDPR-compliant by design; no data sent | GDPR-compliant; data processed server-side |
Comparison data based on publicly available information. Competitor details may change.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Smallpdf upload my PDFs?
- Yes. Smallpdf processes PDFs on its cloud servers. Files are uploaded to Smallpdf during processing. Brevio processes PDFs entirely in your browser using pdf-lib — nothing is uploaded.
- Is Smallpdf free?
- Smallpdf has a free tier limited to 2 tasks per hour and 2 conversions per day. Brevio is fully free with no rate limits.
- Which is better for privacy-sensitive documents?
- If your PDFs contain confidential information, Brevio is the safer choice because files are never transmitted over a network — all processing uses the pdf-lib JavaScript library running in your browser.