Smallpdf is one of the best-known PDF sites, with a large set of tools and a polished interface. If you came here looking for a way to change the words already in a PDF, the main difference is simple: on Smallpdf that is a Pro feature, and on PencoPDF it is free.
The short answer
- To change existing text for free, use PencoPDF.
- For a wide range of PDF tools, team features and integrations, Smallpdf offers far more, on a paid plan.
Changing existing text
Smallpdf's own Edit PDF page says: "direct text editing is a feature available with a Pro subscription, which includes a 7-day free trial." On the free plan you can add text, images, highlights and drawings to a PDF, which is to say you can add to the page but not change what is printed on it.
On PencoPDF you click a line, retype it, and the new words are set in the page's own font, at the same size and in the same place. The old words are removed from the file. There is no trial and no account.
Scanned documents
A scan is a picture of a page, so there is no text to change until the letters have been read. PencoPDF reads them as the file opens, then lets you retype a line on the scan itself: the old letters are lifted out and the paper behind them rebuilt. See how to edit a scanned PDF.
Side by side
| PencoPDF | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Change existing text | Free | Pro subscription (7-day trial) |
| Add text, images, signatures | Free | Free |
| Retype a line on a scan in place | Yes | Not found on its edit page |
| Account needed | No | Required for Pro |
| Watermark on downloads | No | See Smallpdf's pricing page |
| Desktop and mobile apps | No, browser only | Yes |
| Integrations (Drive, Dropbox and others) | No | Yes |
Smallpdf's limits and prices change from time to time. Check smallpdf.com/pricing for the current ones.
Where Smallpdf is the better choice
- You need a broad toolset in one place, including e-signature workflows sent to other people.
- You work in a team and want shared billing and admin.
- You want native apps rather than a browser page.
- You process many large files every day and a subscription makes sense.
Where PencoPDF is the better choice
- You want to fix a typo, a date or a name without paying for a subscription.
- The change has to be invisible: same font, same size, same position.
- The PDF is a scan.
- You would rather not make an account for a one-off job.
Privacy
PencoPDF processes files on servers in Germany and deletes them 24 hours after your last edit. There is no account and no advertising tracking. Details are in the privacy policy.