Comparison
PDF Redactor vs Redactable: which redaction tool to use
Redactable is an online redaction platform. You upload your documents to its servers, where its AI finds personal and health data, OCR reads scanned pages, and you review and apply the redactions, alone or with your team. Plans are priced by how many documents you redact each month.
PDF Redactor works in your browser, on your computer. It finds personal data for you, removes it from the file on every download, and checks the copy it saved. Nothing is uploaded, its AI included.
We make PDF Redactor. Everything below about Redactable comes from its website, pricing, features and security pages as of 1 November 2026.
The short version
Redactable gives you 3 free documents, then plans start at US$29 a month for 15 documents (20% less on an annual plan). In PDF Redactor, finding, marking and removing are free on every PDF, with no document limit. Both use AI to find names and both read scanned pages. Redactable does that on its servers, in Amazon Web Services in the US; PDF Redactor’s Local AI and Scanned text run on your computer. Redactable is the better choice for teams that need shared workspaces, audit logs, redaction certificates and Bates numbering.
What PDF Redactor adds
Your documents never leave your computer
To redact in Redactable, you upload the file. Redactable encrypts it in transit and at rest, says it’s SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant, and says document content is processed in-session, not kept after the job, and not used to train AI. That’s a careful cloud service, but it’s still a copy of your file on someone else’s servers.
PDF Redactor opens, cleans and saves the file in your browser and keeps working offline. Its only network requests are the optional Local AI model download and the Pro license check, and neither includes your documents. For a file you’d rather not upload at all, there’s nothing to trust but your own computer.
AI that runs on your computer (Pro)
Redactable’s AI finds personal, health and financial data on its servers. PDF Redactor’s Local AI finds names, street addresses, account numbers and passwords on your own computer, after a one-time download of about 810 MB. It needs a browser and graphics card with WebGPU, and works best on English.
Scanned text works the same way: it reads the text in scanned pages and images on your computer, so emails, numbers and the words you search for are found there too. Each match in a scan carries a scan icon, so you know to check it.
Free on every PDF, with no document limit
Redactable counts documents. After 3 free ones, Starter is US$29 a month for 15, Pro Plus US$99 a month for 100, and pay-as-you-go credits cover the odd extra file.
In PDF Redactor, finding emails, phone numbers, card numbers, US Social Security numbers and IBANs, Find words, Draw box, Select text, Hide all, and the black box, blurred and white-out looks are free on every PDF, with no watermark and no limit. Pro features (Local AI, label boxes and Scanned text) are free on your first 3 PDF downloads, with no account and no card. After that, Pro is a yearly plan or a one-time purchase, so you don’t need a monthly subscription to redact now and then.
No account
Redactable needs an account, with multi-factor sign-in for every user. PDF Redactor needs no account; you’re asked for an email only if you buy Pro, so you can restore the purchase on another computer.
The saved file is checked
After saving, PDF Redactor reopens the new copy and searches it for every word you removed. A page that fails is rebuilt as a flat image with the boxes burned in, then checked again. Earlier versions saved inside the file are dropped, so an old revision can’t bring anything back. Redactable says its redactions and metadata removal are permanent, but doesn’t describe a check of the saved file.
Where Redactable is the better choice
- Teams and audits. Shared workspaces, roles, task assignments, comments, activity logs, redaction certificates and a privilege log. PDF Redactor is for one person working on their own computer.
- Legal productions. Redactable adds Bates numbers and redaction templates as part of the job. PDF Redactor has label boxes like [NAME], but no Bates numbering.
- Many files at once. Redactable takes up to 100 documents in one upload, with an API and batch redaction for large volumes. PDF Redactor works on one PDF at a time for now; batch redaction is coming soon.
- Images and cloud drives. Redactable redacts TIFF, PNG and JPG files as well as PDFs, and imports from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and Box. PDF Redactor opens PDFs from your computer or the web.
- Any device. Redactable runs in a web browser. PDF Redactor runs in Chrome and Edge on a computer.
Side by side
| PDF Redactor | Redactable | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | On your computer, in your browser | Uploaded to Redactable’s servers (AWS, US) |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Account | Not needed | Required, with multi-factor sign-in |
| Free to use | Every PDF, no document limit | 3 documents |
| Mark text and areas by hand | Free | Every plan |
| Finds emails, phone and card numbers | Free, as the file opens | AI auto-detect, every plan |
| AI that finds names and personal details | Local AI (Pro), on your computer | AI, on Redactable’s servers |
| Text in scanned pages | Scanned text (Pro), on your computer | OCR, on Redactable’s servers |
| Removes metadata | Free, on by default | Every plan |
| Saved file checked for removed words | Free | Not stated |
| Team workspaces, audit logs, certificates | No | Yes |
| Bates numbering | No | Yes |
| Batch redaction | Coming soon | Up to 100 files per upload; API on Enterprise |
| File types | PDF, TIFF, PNG, JPG | |
| Try the paid features | Free on your first 3 PDF downloads | 3 free documents |
| Price model | Free, or Pro yearly or one-time | Monthly or annual, from US$29 a month for 15 documents |
Which to choose
Choose PDF Redactor if your files shouldn’t be uploaded anywhere, you redact now and then and don’t want to pay per document, or you want AI that finds personal data without sending it to a server.
Choose Redactable if a team redacts together and needs audit logs, redaction certificates and Bates numbers, or you process large batches of PDFs and images and are comfortable with a certified cloud service.
For how PDF Redactor compares with Adobe Acrobat too, see PDF Redactor compared.
Checked on 1 November 2026 against Redactable’s website, pricing, features and security pages. Redactable is a trademark of Redactable, Inc. If something has changed, email support@smartbuildlabs.com and we’ll correct it.