Smallpdf's Redact PDF tool is free to try in a browser, and you mark what to remove by hand. Omit Redact finds the PII for you, offline, on Windows.
| How they compare | Omit | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| True redaction | Removes the underlying content, then checks it cannot be recovered | Removes the selected content from the PDF rather than covering it |
| Finding the PII | Automatic detection of names, addresses, organisations and structured IDs | You highlight the text or areas to remove yourself |
| Where the file goes | Nowhere. Omit needs no network access at runtime | An online tool. Its page says processing is in your browser, and also that files are deleted from its servers after one hour |
| Cost to start | 15-day free trial, then a paid licence | Free with a daily download limit, and a 7-day trial of Pro |
| Pricing model | One-time licence | Subscription, billed monthly or yearly |
| Platforms | Windows desktop application | Any browser, on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS or Android |
| Security certification | No third-party certification | ISO/IEC 27001 certified |
| Other PDF tools | Redaction only, and the original file is never modified | 30+ tools, including compress, convert, merge, edit and sign |
| Reversible redaction | Encrypted vault, reversible tokens sealed with AES-256-GCM | No. Its page says applied redaction cannot be undone |
| Rows where Smallpdf leads are marked plainly and explained below. We concede what we do not win. Verified 25 September 2026. | ||
For one PDF where you already know what to remove, Smallpdf is quick, free to try and works on any device, and its redaction genuinely removes the content. Omit is not trying to beat that. It is for the document where you do not yet know every name in it, the batch that is too long to read line by line, or the file that should not go to a website at all.
Keep Smallpdf for compressing, merging and signing. Run Omit Redact first on anything with personal data in it, then take the redacted copy wherever you like. Omit writes a separate output file, so the original is untouched.
How the tool works, where files go and what it accepts were read from Smallpdf's own Redact PDF page, and plans, limits and certifications from its own pricing page, on the date shown. The pricing page loads its prices for your region, so we do not quote a figure.
Verified 25 September 2026.
Smallpdf's instructions are to drop in a PDF, tap the Redact icon, highlight the text or areas to remove, and click Finish. It accepts PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PNG and JPG files. The page describes no automatic detection of personal data.
Smallpdf, Redact PDFOne section says files are processed 100 percent in your browser and nothing is stored on its servers. The FAQ says files are deleted automatically after one hour and all processing happens on secure servers with strict access controls. Transfers use TLS either way.
Smallpdf, Redact PDFRedaction is on the free plan with a daily download limit. Pro gives unlimited use of its 30+ tools, billed monthly or yearly, with a 7-day free trial. Smallpdf states it is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and GDPR, CCPA and nFADP compliant.
Smallpdf pricingOmit's detection runs in a bundled local engine, so names and identifiers are found without anyone reading the page and without a network connection. You can verify it on a network-isolated machine.
How Omit is builtChoose Omit Redact when you need the PII found for you rather than marked by hand, when the file should not go to a website, or when you redact spreadsheets and email as well as PDFs.
Choose Smallpdf for a quick one-off redaction where you already know exactly what to remove, when you are not on Windows, or when you also want its compress, convert, merge and sign tools.
Omit runs fully offline, and Omit Redact is a free download. Read the Trust Center and verify the offline promise yourself.