PDF toolsSejda is a favourite of people who need to fix a PDF rather than just rearrange it. Its online editor can change existing text, something most free tools, including ours, can't do.
The free tier is generous in what it lets you do and strict in how often: on the day we checked, Sejda's compress page described it as "free service for documents up to 200 pages or 100 MB and 3 tasks per hour", and some tools apply tighter caps, such as one file per task.
The short answer
Choose Sejda if
- You need to edit the existing text of a PDF. Sejda's editor does this well; we don't.
- You need PDF to Word or Excel.
- You want a paid desktop app with the same tools offline.
Choose PDFJade if
- You've used your 3 free tasks this hour and still have work to do.
- Your file is over 200 pages or 100 MB.
- You'd rather not upload the file at all, even for two hours.
- You want everything free without a time-limited pass.
Side by side
| Sejda | PDFJade | |
|---|---|---|
| Where files are processed | Online version: on Sejda's servers. Sejda Desktop: on your computer. | In your browser. The file is never uploaded. |
| How long files are kept | Deleted automatically after 2 hours | Nothing is kept on a server, because nothing is sent to one. |
| Free limits | Documents up to 200 pages or 100 MB, 3 tasks per hour; some tools are stricter (one file per task, 50 MB, 5 MB images) | No caps on files, pages or tasks. Your device's memory is the practical limit. |
| Account | Not needed for the free tier | None |
| Paid plan | Web Week Pass US$5 for 7 days; Desktop + Web US$63 a year | Free |
| Ads | Not stated | None |
| Office conversions | Yes, including PDF to Excel | Not offered (no PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint, no Word to PDF) |
| Offline option | Sejda Desktop, included in the annual plan | No app. Works in any current browser, on desktop and phone |
What Sejda says about your files
Uploaded files are "automatically deleted after 2 hours." If you'd rather not upload at all, Sejda offers Sejda Desktop, where, in its words, "the files never leave your computer". It comes with the annual plan.
That's the same idea as PDFJade, delivered differently: Sejda as a paid desktop program, PDFJade as free web pages that run locally in the browser you already have.
A practical split
Many people will be best served by both. Use Sejda's editor when a typo in the original text has to go. Use local tools for the repetitive jobs, merging, splitting, numbering, compressing, so they don't eat into an hourly allowance.
What PDFJade doesn't do
A fair comparison includes our own gaps. These are deliberate, and they won't all change:
- Converting PDF to editable Word, Excel or PowerPoint, or Office files to PDF. Doing that well needs heavy server software.
- Editing the existing text of a PDF. You can add text, images and shapes on top in the Studio, not rewrite a paragraph in place.
- Signature requests with an audit trail. You can sign a PDF yourself, but not send it to others to sign and track it.
- Cloud storage, history or team accounts. Nothing is kept, so there is nothing to come back to.
- Very large jobs on weak devices. A 500-page scan on an old phone will be slow, because your phone does the work.
Questions
Is Sejda free?
Yes, within limits: 3 tasks per hour and documents up to 200 pages or 100 MB at the time we checked, with stricter limits on some tools. Paid passes remove them.
Can PDFJade edit text in a PDF like Sejda?
Not the existing text. The Studio lets you add text, shapes and images over a page, and white boxes can cover what's underneath, but that isn't real text editing.
Sources
Facts about Sejda come from its own public pages, checked on 22 October 2026. Prices and limits change; follow the links for the current terms.
Sejda is a trademark of its owner. PDFJade is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us