SmallPDF charges up to $15/month, forever, to do things your computer can do for free — and it uploads your documents to their servers to do it. PDFsmith does the same jobs locally, offline, with zero telemetry, for a one-time $29.
If you've searched for a SmallPDF alternative, PDFsmith is the pay-once option worth putting at the top of the list: PDFsmith is $29, one time, and covers the same core job SmallPDF charges $12–15/mo for.
What makes PDFsmith the pick for 2026
- Merge PDFs — Drag-drop any number of PDFs, reorder them in the list, combine into one file.
- Split PDF — Extract any page ranges (1-2 | 3 | 4-6) into separate new PDFs.
- Rotate pages — 90° / 180° / 270°, all pages or a specific range, batched across files.
- Watermark — Text (position, size, opacity, diagonal) or image stamp — batch across files.
- Images → PDF — JPG/PNG to PDF, one image per page, reorderable, A4-fit or native size.
PDFsmith vs SmallPDF, at a glance
| PDFsmith | SmallPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 once | $12–15/month ($144+/yr, forever) |
| Your files | Never leave your machine | Uploaded to their servers |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Merge / split / rotate | Yes | Yes |
| Watermark (text + image) | Yes | Pro only |
| Metadata editor | Yes | No |
| Source code | MIT, on GitHub | Closed |
Two and a half months of SmallPDF pays for PDFsmith outright. Everything after that is money you keep.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes. The full source code is MIT-licensed at github.com/bensblueprints/pdf-toolkit-mvp and always will be. Buying gets you the signed Windows installer, 1-click setup and updates — pure convenience, zero lock-in.
Do my PDFs get uploaded anywhere?
No. All processing runs locally with pdf-lib, a pure-JavaScript library. The app makes no network calls at all — you can run it with Wi-Fi off.
What platforms does it run on?
The packaged installer is for Windows. The MIT source runs anywhere Electron does (Windows, macOS, Linux) if you build it yourself with Node 18+.
The bottom line
PDFsmith won't out-feature SmallPDF on every axis — no subscription tool with a bigger team and a bigger roadmap loses on everything. But for the core job, $29 once against $12–15/mo forever is a trade most people should at least look at. PDFsmith is part of OneTimeSuite, a catalog of pay-once apps that replace subscription SaaS.
Try PDFsmith — $29, once
Merge, split, rotate, watermark & convert PDFs offline. No uploads, ever.