Can convert.now edit a PDF?

It can merge, split, reorder, rasterise pages to images, extract text, and build a PDF from images. It cannot edit the text inside an existing PDF, add signatures, or run OCR. Those need either a full PDF editor or a server, and Smallpdf does them well.

Does convert.now compress PDFs?

Not as a dedicated tool today. You can rasterise pages and rebuild the document, which reduces size substantially for scan-heavy PDFs, but it converts text to images in the process. If you need proper PDF compression that preserves selectable text, Smallpdf is the better choice right now.

convert.now vs Smallpdf

PDFs are where the privacy question bites hardest, because a PDF is usually a document about someone.

The short answer

Smallpdf uploads your PDF to its servers and processes it there. convert.now merges, splits and converts PDFs in your browser, so the document never leaves your device. Smallpdf offers editing, signing and OCR, which convert.now does not.

Background

What Smallpdf is

Smallpdf is a polished suite of PDF tools — merge, split, compress, convert, sign, edit — built around a clean interface and a freemium model, with conversions running on their servers.

Comparison

convert.now vs Smallpdf, point by point

convert.now compared with Smallpdf.
Attribute	convert.now	Smallpdf
Where the conversion runs	In your browser, on your device	On Smallpdf's servers, after your file uploads
Does your file leave your device?	No — there is no upload step	Yes — the file is transmitted and stored while it is processed
Works offline	Yes, after the first page load	No
Account required	Never	Not for basic use; usually required past the free tier
Speed on a normal file	Immediate — no upload or download round trip	Upload time, queue time, then download time
Very large files	Bounded by your browser's memory, typically 250-500MB per tab	Bounded by their infrastructure, which is far larger
Format coverage	Images, PDF, spreadsheets, data, fonts, audio, archives	Broader — Smallpdf converts formats a browser has no codec for
PDF merge, split, rasterise	Yes, in-browser	Yes, server-side
Edit existing PDF text	No	Yes
E-signatures	No	Yes
OCR (scanned text recognition)	No	Yes
Daily task limits on the free tier	None	Yes — free use is capped; check their site for current limits

Honest answer

When Smallpdf is the better choice

You need to edit the text inside an existing PDF, which convert.now cannot do.
You need e-signatures or a signing workflow.
You need OCR to make a scanned document searchable — that requires server-side compute.

Honest answer

When convert.now is the better choice

The PDF is a contract, an invoice, a medical letter, an ID scan or anything else you would not email to a stranger.
You just need to merge, split, or turn pages into images — and want it done without an upload.
You have hit a daily limit and do not want to pay to merge two files.

FAQ

Smallpdf vs convert.now: common questions

It depends entirely on what is in it. For a public brochure, it does not matter. For anything containing personal data — a contract, a payslip, a medical letter, a passport scan — you are transmitting that data to a third party and relying on their retention policy, their security, and their jurisdiction. The safest option is a tool where the file never leaves your device, because then none of those factors apply.

Try it

The tools this page is about

PDF Merger

Combine multiple PDFs into one. Drag to reorder, click to merge. Everything happens in your browser — no uploads, no signup.

PDF/pdf-merger

PDF to JPG Converter

Turn each page of a PDF into a JPG or PNG image. High-resolution output, batch download as zip, all in your browser.

PDF/pdf-to-jpg

Images to PDF Converter

Combine JPG, PNG, and WebP images into a single PDF. Drag to reorder, pick a page size, download. No upload, ever.

PDF/images-to-pdf

Last updated 27 August 2026

Smallpdfis not affiliated with convert.now. Free-tier limits and pricing change often, so this page describes each service’s model rather than quoting figures that would go stale — check Smallpdf’s own site for current terms.