Smallpdf

Smallpdf is a Switzerland-based PDF platform that started in 2013 with a single compress tool and has grown into one of the most widely used PDF toolkits online, now serving well over a billion users worldwide. Instead of installing separate software for every document task, people open Smallpdf in a browser and get more than 20 tools covering compression, conversion, merging, splitting, editing, and e-signing, all built around the idea that working with PDFs shouldn't require a learning curve.

The core toolkit handles the everyday jobs teams run into constantly: shrinking oversized PDFs without losing readability, converting Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files to and from PDF, merging multiple documents into one, and adding password protection or watermarks before sharing something externally. On top of that, Smallpdf has layered in AI-assisted features like an AI PDF Assistant for chatting with a document, a summarizer for quickly pulling out key points, and translation tools that keep the original layout intact.

Smallpdf is free to use for occasional tasks, with a Pro subscription unlocking offline desktop access, unlimited processing, and advanced OCR for scanned documents, plus dedicated plans for teams and education. It also ships as a desktop app for Mac and Windows and a mobile app for scanning documents on the go, so the same workflow carries across devices. For freelancers, students, or entire teams that just need PDFs handled reliably and without friction, Smallpdf remains one of the most established options in the space.