Compare
Filecraft vs Smallpdf
Smallpdf is a capable tool — but it limits what you can do for free, and every task sends your file to their servers. Filecraft removes both constraints.
You hit limits — and your file is uploaded. Here, neither happens.
How each approach works
This is not a feature difference. This is an architectural difference.
- 1Your file is sent to their server over the internet
- 2Their server processes your file on their infrastructure
- 3A copy of your file exists on systems you don't control
- 4You trust their promise to delete it afterward
- 1Your file stays in your browser — it is never sent anywhere
- 2JavaScript in your browser tab does all the processing
- 3No copy of your file exists outside your device
- 4There is nothing to delete because we never had it
Feature comparison
| Feature | Smallpdf | Filecraft |
|---|---|---|
| Where processing happens | Smallpdf servers | Your browser |
| File transmitted | Yes | No |
| Free task limit | 2 per day | Unlimited |
| Account required | Required beyond free tier | No |
| Works offline | No | Yes |
| Privacy model | Upload + deletion promise | Local — no transmission |
What you're giving up
Smallpdf's free tier allows a limited number of tasks per day. This is a deliberate product constraint: because processing runs on their servers, each task has an infrastructure cost. The limit is how that cost is managed.
Both of those free tasks involve transmitting your file to Smallpdf's servers. The limit and the upload are separate constraints that appear together in normal use — you run out of free tasks and your files have already been sent each time.
Filecraft removes both constraints. Because processing runs in your browser, there is no server cost to meter and no file to transmit. Core tools are unlimited, and no account is required to use them.
How Filecraft is different
- ✓Processing happens in your browser using WebAssembly — not on a server.
- ✓Files are never transmitted to any server, including Filecraft's.
- ✓No server-side copy is created or stored at any point.
I understand — now try it yourself.
Process your file locally