The short version
Smallpdf is a well-known online file toolkit. FileForge takes a different approach: every one of its 28 tools runs entirely inside your browser. Files are opened from your disk into browser memory, processed there, and saved straight back to your device. Nothing is transmitted to any server — you can watch the Network tab of your browser's developer tools and confirm it.
This page is written by the FileForge team, so we try to be fair to Smallpdf: it is a mature product, and for some workflows it will be the better pick. Smallpdf's paid plans include OCR and e-signature features that FileForge deliberately does not attempt.
Side-by-side
| FileForge | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, all 28 tools, no account | Free tier with limited daily tasks; Pro subscription |
| Processing | 100% in your browser | Uploaded to Smallpdf servers |
| Sign-up | Never required | Required for many features |
| Daily task limit | None | Limited number of free tasks per day |
| Offline use | Yes — once a tool page has loaded | No |
| PDF merge / split | Yes | Yes |
| PDF compression | Yes (rasterizing method) | Yes (keeps text layer on paid plans) |
| OCR of scanned PDFs | Not included | Yes (Pro) |
Where FileForge wins
- Privacy: documents never leave your device. There is no upload step to secure, no retention policy to trust.
- No artificial limits: free means free — no daily task caps, no file-size paywall tiers, no sign-up wall.
- Speed: processing happens at your device's own speed with zero round-trips to a server.
- Sensitive work: contracts, invoices and ID scans can be merged, split or converted without a third party ever seeing them.
Where Smallpdf may still be better
- OCR: FileForge's PDF to Text tool extracts the existing text layer only and does not perform OCR on scans. If you need scanned pages turned into text, look for a dedicated OCR product.
- Heavy compression: FileForge's Compress PDF re-renders pages as optimized images, which makes text non-selectable. Paid desktop suites can shrink text PDFs while keeping text selectable.
- E-signatures and forms: neither are part of FileForge today.
Verdict
If your priority is privacy, zero cost and zero limits, FileForge covers the everyday core — merging, splitting, converting and organizing — with nothing leaving your device. If you specifically need OCR or e-signatures and don't mind uploads or subscriptions, Smallpdf's paid tiers may suit you better.