Two tasks per day. That is Smallpdf's free-tier limit as of mid-2026, and it resets at midnight Central European Time -- not your local midnight. Compress a PDF at 11 PM in Paris and your second task is gone. Start a new month in Vancouver and the counter has already ticked over while you were asleep. For anyone processing documents regularly, the free plan stops working fast.
This guide compares four alternatives that lift those restrictions, with pricing converted to euros so EU users can compare real costs without a currency calculator.
Why the Smallpdf free tier stops working for regular users
Smallpdf built its reputation as the browser PDF tool that just works. But the free plan has tightened over the years. The current restrictions on the free tier are:
- 2 tasks per day across all tools combined
- 5 MB file cap on several operations including compression
- Tasks count against the daily limit even if they fail due to a file error
- Daily reset tied to Central European Time, regardless of where you are
- No batch processing on the free plan
For occasional use -- one PDF every few days -- these limits rarely matter. For a freelance accountant who sends three invoices a morning, a notary reviewing contracts, or a teacher generating course documents, the counter runs out before 10 AM.
Smallpdf also introduced a credit system for AI features in 2025. Certain operations such as AI summarize and AI rewrite consume multiple credits per use. This is documented in the pricing fine print, not on the main plan comparison page. A power user running AI operations daily can exhaust monthly credits before the billing period closes.
What Smallpdf Pro actually costs in EUR
Smallpdf publishes pricing in USD only and does not offer EUR invoicing. The Pro individual plan is priced at $9/month billed annually ($108/year) or $12/month billed monthly. At a EUR/USD rate of approximately 1.08 (mid-2026), the annual plan converts to roughly €8.30/month or €100 per year.
That figure matters for two practical reasons. First, European cardholders pay a currency conversion fee of 1 to 3% on USD charges, adding €1 to €3 per year to the effective cost. Second, Smallpdf does not issue EUR invoices. French companies, Belgian accounting firms, and German businesses that need VAT-compliant invoices for expense recovery cannot use a USD invoice from a non-EU entity for that purpose without additional documentation.
File size restrictions that remain on paid plans
The Pro plan removes the 5 MB cap for the compression tool, but some Smallpdf tools retain separate upload limits even on paid tiers. OCR and certain conversion operations have documented maximums that are lower than users expect after upgrading. Before committing to a Smallpdf subscription specifically for a file-size-constrained operation, check the individual tool's help page rather than the general pricing summary.
Team plan pricing
The Smallpdf Team plan is priced at approximately $9/seat/month billed annually with a minimum of two seats. For a team of five in France, the annual cost would be approximately $540 (around €500), again billed in USD with no EUR invoicing. Alternatives with EUR billing offer cleaner accounting for teams inside the EU.
Feature-by-feature comparison
The table below compares the five main options across seven criteria. EUR prices reflect annual billing where available. Tools with USD-only pricing are noted.
| Tool | Free tasks | Free file limit | Processing | Output watermark | Paid plan (EUR) | EUR invoice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpdf | 2/day | 5 MB (some tools) | Server-side | None | ~€8.30/mo (annual, USD only) | No |
| EasyPDF | Unlimited | 100 MB (browser) | Local device | None | Free | N/A |
| iLovePDF | ~1-2/hour | 25 MB | Server-side | Some tools | ~€3.99/mo (annual) | Yes |
| Sejda | 3/hour | 50 MB, 50 pages | Server-side | None | ~€5.25/mo (annual) | Yes |
| PDFsam Basic | Unlimited | No limit (local) | Local desktop | None | Free (open-source) | N/A |
EasyPDF: unlimited tasks, files stay on your device
EasyPDF processes files in your browser using WebAssembly. For documents under 100 MB, nothing is uploaded to a server. There is no account required, no daily task counter, and no subscription gate on core features.
The main tools available without restrictions include:
- PDF compressor -- a 14 MB sample document compresses to 2.3 MB at the strong setting, based on EasyPDF internal testing across 847 documents in Q2 2026
- PDF merge -- combine multiple files with drag-and-drop page ordering, no page count limit
- PDF editor -- add text, images, and annotations directly in the browser without uploading
- PDF split -- extract pages by range, by individual page, or split into fixed-size chunks
- OCR text recognition -- extract searchable text from scanned documents, with 96 to 98% accuracy on clean Latin-alphabet text at 200 DPI or higher
Why local processing matters under GDPR
Under GDPR, uploading a document that contains personal data to a third-party server creates a data processing relationship. That relationship requires a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) and, for transfers outside the EU, additional safeguards under Article 46. EasyPDF's browser-side processing for files under 100 MB eliminates this consideration entirely: no upload, no DPA required for the PDF tool layer.
For French notaries, accountants, and healthcare professionals who handle documents containing personal data daily, this distinction is practical rather than theoretical. Smallpdf, iLovePDF, and Sejda all upload files to remote servers for processing. EasyPDF does not, for files within the 100 MB browser limit.
What EasyPDF does not cover
EasyPDF does not currently offer a desktop application, so a working internet connection is required to load the tool (though the file itself is not uploaded). For very large files over 100 MB or for offline processing without any browser dependency, PDFsam Basic is the better option.
iLovePDF: the lowest paid EUR price
iLovePDF Premium costs approximately €3.99/month billed annually, or €7/month billed monthly. It is the cheapest paid option among the server-based tools in this comparison and offers EUR billing, which simplifies accounting for European businesses.
The free tier allows roughly 1 to 2 tasks per hour depending on the operation. That is more permissive than Smallpdf's 2 per day, but the hourly rate limit still catches users who process documents in batches. The 25 MB free-tier file cap is more limiting than Sejda's 50 MB.
iLovePDF is operated by Montserrat Solutions S.L. in Barcelona, Spain, an EU member state. Server-side processing stays within the EU, which satisfies data residency requirements without cross-border transfer concerns. iLovePDF suits users who need a paid plan at the lowest EUR price, work primarily with documents under 25 MB, and do not have strict requirements against server-side uploads.
Sejda: transparent limits and no watermarks on free tier
Sejda's free tier limits are explicitly documented: 3 tasks per hour, maximum 50 pages per document, maximum 50 MB per file, and images processed at a maximum of 200 DPI. There are no watermarks on free-tier output. For users who need occasional PDF work beyond what Smallpdf's 2-task-per-day limit allows, Sejda's hourly model is far more workable.
The paid plan costs approximately €5.25/month billed annually (roughly €7.50/month billed monthly) and removes all of the above restrictions. EUR billing is available. Sejda also offers a desktop application that processes files locally for users who want to avoid server uploads without switching to a different tool entirely.
Sejda works well for users who routinely exceed 50 pages per document and need a server-based tool with clear upgrade economics. The lack of free-tier watermarks also makes it practical for sending a tested output to a client before deciding whether to subscribe.
PDFsam Basic: unlimited free, fully offline
PDFsam Basic is an open-source Java desktop application available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It handles merge, split, rotate, and extract operations with no internet connection, no task limits, no file size caps, and no account required. Files never leave your machine, period.
The limitations are real: no PDF editing, no form filling, no OCR, no compression, and no browser-based access. For users whose entire PDF workflow is merge and split, PDFsam Basic covers everything at zero cost indefinitely. PDFsam Pro (€49/year, one-time annual license) adds editing and conversion but is a separate paid product.
How to switch from Smallpdf in 5 steps
- List the Smallpdf tools you use most often -- compress, merge, convert, sign, or OCR -- and note which are hitting the daily limit.
- Test the equivalent tool on EasyPDF with a real document from your workflow, checking that output quality matches what you need.
- Bookmark the specific EasyPDF tool pages you will use daily so the switch requires no searching on day one.
- Cancel your Smallpdf subscription at least 24 hours before the next billing date to avoid an automatic renewal charge. Smallpdf's cancellation flow is under Account Settings.
- Export any documents stored in Smallpdf's cloud storage before your plan expires, since cloud access is removed when the subscription ends.
Which alternative fits your situation
- Sensitive documents or GDPR constraints: EasyPDF processes files locally in the browser, no upload required for files under 100 MB.
- Lowest paid EUR price: iLovePDF Premium at approximately €3.99/month billed annually, with EUR invoicing.
- Transparent free limits, no output watermark: Sejda -- 3 tasks/hour, 50 pages, 50 MB on the free tier.
- Merge and split only, fully offline: PDFsam Basic, open-source, no account, no internet.
- Complete browser tool, no daily cap, no account: EasyPDF for all standard operations on files under 100 MB.
Frequently asked questions
Is EasyPDF completely free?
Yes. EasyPDF's core tools -- compress, merge, split, edit, OCR, and convert -- are free with no task limits for files under 100 MB. No subscription is required to access full functionality for standard PDF operations.
Does EasyPDF work in French?
Yes. EasyPDF's interface is available in French at easypdf.fr, with full French-language support across all main tools. It is one of the few browser-based PDF tools with a dedicated French domain and complete interface localization.
Can Smallpdf alternatives handle large files?
EasyPDF handles files up to 100 MB in the browser without uploading. Sejda accepts up to 50 MB on the free tier. iLovePDF allows 25 MB on free. For files over 100 MB, Sejda or iLovePDF's paid plans are the practical options among the tools compared here. PDFsam Basic handles files of any size locally with no cap.
Why does Smallpdf only charge in USD?
Smallpdf is a Swiss company and prices exclusively in USD. European customers pay at the current exchange rate plus any card foreign transaction fee, typically 1 to 3%. At EUR/USD of 1.08, the $108/year annual plan costs approximately €100/year before fees. Without a EUR invoice, VAT recovery for the subscription is not straightforward for businesses in France, Germany, or Belgium.
Is iLovePDF GDPR-compliant?
iLovePDF is operated by an EU company (Spain) and processes files on EU-based servers, so data transfers remain within the EU and are subject to GDPR. It publishes a privacy policy and Data Processing Agreement for business customers. Files are processed server-side and are not stored permanently. For users with strict data residency requirements, confirm the current DPA terms directly with iLovePDF before uploading sensitive documents.
Ready to switch? See EasyPDF's Smallpdf alternative page to find the matching tool for each operation, with no account and no daily task limit.