Private PDF editor — what Private PDF does today
Searching for a private PDF editor? Many sites use the same name and promise — zero uploads, offline, free. Private PDF (PdfToolbox) focuses on a wide free toolkit with honest limits, not overpromised AI or canvas features we haven't built.
Capability matrix
Compared to canvas-first tools like LocalPDF — what you get on Private PDF today.
| Task | Private PDF | Canvas editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merge & split PDFs | ✓ Free | ✓ | Cross-tool file continuity + project workspace |
| Compress (Light + Strong modes) | ✓ Free | ✓ | Honest trade-off docs for each mode |
| Reorder, delete, extract pages | ✓ Free | ✓ | |
| Page numbers & watermarks | ✓ Free | — | Often missing from canvas-first tools |
| JPG/PNG ↔ PDF conversion | ✓ Free | ✓ | |
| PDF → Word (text extract) | ✓ Free | — | Layout not preserved — stated upfront |
| Remove known PDF password | ✓ Free | — | |
| Unified canvas workspace | — | ✓ | Drag pages between open PDFs |
| OCR scanned documents | — | ✓ | Planned Phase 2 — see /security |
| In-PDF text editing | — | ✓ | Use text extract → edit workflow today |
| Sign PDF | — | ✓ | Not planned for Phase 1 |
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vs LocalPDF · vs My Private PDF · Private PDF tools compared · Verify zero uploads
Questions, answered
Is Private PDF a full PDF editor?
It's a private PDF toolkit for everyday tasks — merge, split, compress, convert, rotate, page edits, watermarks and password removal. It is not a replacement for Acrobat-style layout editing or OCR on scans — we say that upfront.
How is this different from LocalPDF's private PDF editor?
LocalPDF offers a canvas workspace with OCR and text editing. Private PDF offers more granular free tools (page numbers, watermarks, dual compress modes), no Pro paywall, and a verifiable zero-upload guide. Pick based on whether you need a workspace today or a complete free toolkit.
Will OCR be added?
Ship as an optional lazy-loaded tool page after Phase 1 differentiation. Gate behind explicit user action (language selection + progress UI). Do not market until quality is verified on real scanned PDFs.
Are my files uploaded?
No. See our security guide at /security for a step-by-step verification using your browser's Network tab.