Comparison
PDF Redactor vs Stirling PDF: which redaction tool to use
Stirling PDF is an open-source PDF editor with 60+ tools. It runs on the web, as a desktop app, or on your own server, and it’s free for individuals. Its Redact tool has a manual mode, where you select text and draw areas, and an automatic mode, where you list words or regular expressions to remove.
PDF Redactor only redacts, in Chrome and Edge. It finds personal data for you as the file opens, removes it on every download, and checks the copy it saved. Nothing is uploaded.
We make PDF Redactor. Everything below about Stirling PDF comes from its website, pricing page and Redact guide as of 1 November 2026.
The short version
Both can keep your files on your own machine, and both permanently delete what you redact. Stirling PDF is a full editor you install or host, and its automatic redaction works from words and regex patterns you type in. PDF Redactor is a browser extension that finds emails, phone, card and account numbers on its own, and its Local AI (Pro) finds names and addresses. Stirling PDF is the better choice if you want an open-source toolkit for every PDF job, batch redaction across many files, or an API for your team.
What PDF Redactor adds
Personal data found without regex
Stirling’s automatic mode redacts the words you add, and with Use Regex on, the patterns you write; its guide lists example patterns for SSNs, cards, IBANs, emails and phone numbers to copy in. PDF Redactor has those finders built in and running as soon as you open a file. Card numbers are checked with the card checksum and IBANs with their own check, so random digits aren’t flagged, and you see every match as a dashed box before you hide it.
Local AI (Pro) goes further, finding names, street addresses and account numbers that no pattern can, on your own computer.
Nothing to install or host
PDF Redactor is a one-click browser extension. Click its icon on a PDF you’re viewing in Chrome, or drop a file in, and it opens ready to redact, offline. There’s no app to download and no server to run.
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. Remove hidden info, on by default, takes out the author, metadata, comments, attachments, scripts and bookmarks.
Looks for every kind of document
Choose a black box, blurred or white-out look for each item, or label boxes like
[NAME] (Pro). Hover any box to peek at what’s underneath before you save.
Where Stirling PDF is the better choice
- Open source. Its code is public, so you can check what it does with your files.
- Every PDF job. 60+ tools: merge, split, convert, compress, sign, OCR and more.
- Many files at once. Automatic redaction can run on several files together, and pipelines and an API process thousands. PDF Redactor works on one PDF at a time for now; batch redaction is coming soon.
- Your own server. Teams can self-host it, with SSO on the Team plan and air-gapped deployment on Enterprise.
- Custom patterns. Regex lets you redact any ID format you can describe.
Side by side
| PDF Redactor | Stirling PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | On your computer, in your browser | Desktop app, your own server, or its web version |
| Install | Browser extension, one click | Desktop app or self-hosted server |
| Finds emails, phone and card numbers | Built in, as the file opens | Regex patterns you add |
| Card and IBAN numbers verified | Yes, with checksums | Not stated |
| Mark every match of a word | Free | Automatic mode |
| AI that finds names and addresses | Local AI (Pro), on your computer | Assistant can redact; where it runs not stated |
| Text in scanned pages | Scanned text (Pro), on your computer | OCR tool |
| Removes metadata, comments and attachments | Free, on by default | Not stated in the Redact guide |
| Saved file checked for removed words | Free | Not stated |
| Batch redaction | Coming soon | Several files at once; API |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Other PDF tools | No, redaction only | 60+ tools |
| Price model | Free, or Pro yearly or one-time | Free for individuals; Team US$99 a month for 100 users |
Which to choose
Choose PDF Redactor if you want personal data found for you without writing patterns, and you’d rather click an extension than install an app or run a server.
Choose Stirling PDF if you want an open-source PDF toolkit, redact large batches, or need to host redaction for a team.
For how PDF Redactor compares with other redaction tools, see PDF Redactor compared.
Checked on 1 November 2026 against Stirling PDF’s website, pricing page and Redact guide. Stirling PDF is a trademark of Stirling PDF Inc. If something has changed, email support@smartbuildlabs.com and we’ll correct it.