Comparison
Smallpdf vs iLovePDF: Prices, Limits and a Local Option (2026)
Smallpdf vs iLovePDF: iLovePDF is the better pick for most people. Its free plan states its limits plainly and Premium costs $48 a year. Smallpdf wins on polish and extras. If the file should never be uploaded, a local app beats both.
We make Smol, a local Mac app, so it appears as a third option. The ranking uses published price, limits, privacy and fit for this question. Competitor facts come from each vendor’s own pages as of 14 October 2026, and where a figure is not published here, we leave it out.
If you compress a PDF a couple of times a year, you may not need any of them: Preview does it for free, and the steps are further down.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Local or upload |
|---|---|---|---|
| iLovePDF | Free one-off jobs, the cheapest paid plan | Free, or $48/yr Premium | Upload (desktop app on Premium) |
| Smallpdf | A polished all-in-one browser suite | Free, or Pro (7-day trial) | Upload |
| Smol | Private, unlimited compression on a Mac | $29 once, no free trial | Local |
iLovePDF
The clearer free plan and the cheaper subscription.
iLovePDF publishes its limits in a comparison table, which is rarer than it should be. On the pricing page, the Compress PDF tool takes 2 files per task on Basic and 10 on Premium, with a filesize cap per task of 200 MB on Basic and 4 GB on Premium. For a single contract or a brochure, the free plan is enough.
Premium is listed at $7 billed monthly or $48 billed annually (about $4 a month). Premium also removes ads and, in the same table, adds regional file processing across 7 regions.
One point that matters to Mac users: the pricing page lists a desktop app, “Available for Mac and Windows”, on Premium and not on Basic. So iLovePDF is the only one of the two that offers a Mac app at all, though you pay for the subscription to get it.
The limit to know about is that free web use uploads your file. iLovePDF’s security page says processed files are “automatically and permanently deleted within two hours of being processed”, which is a reasonable policy and still means the file left your computer. Pick iLovePDF if you want free and simple, or the cheapest subscription. Look elsewhere for large batches on the free plan or for documents under an NDA. See iLovePDF alternatives for Mac for the full comparison.
Smallpdf
The more polished suite, with a web-only Mac story.
Smallpdf’s free plan covers its tool suite with limited usage, and it does not publish a clear per-file number the way iLovePDF does, so you tend to find the limit by hitting it. Pro is the paid tier, and the pricing page offers a 7-day free trial, which is the one thing here that lets you try a paid tier before paying. Smallpdf says the yearly plan is 25% cheaper per month than monthly billing. Check the live pricing page for the current figure, which varies by billing period.
Choose Smallpdf if you value the interface and the breadth of tools and are happy to pay a subscription. Free use uploads your file, so the same caution applies as with iLovePDF.
On a Mac, Smallpdf is a website. Its download page lists a macOS app as “Not supported as of October 1, 2021”, and a Windows app is available. We cover the cost side in Smallpdf alternatives without a subscription.
Smol
Compression that runs on your Mac, with nothing uploaded and no file caps.
Smol is the odd one out here because it is not a website. It compresses and converts images, PDFs, video and audio on your own Mac. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account, no per-file quota and no daily cap. If you are choosing between Smallpdf and iLovePDF because a PDF is too big to email, it is a third way to get the same result without the upload.
PDF compression has five presets, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large and Original. You drop in a file or a whole folder, mix file types in one batch, and get a copy beside the original with a _compressed suffix. Originals are left alone by default. Our PDF compressor roundup has the measured results, with the conditions stated.
It is the weakest option in this group on features. Smol does not OCR, edit, sign, merge or split PDFs, and the presets set a size level rather than a target in kilobytes. Some PDFs, such as ones from certain generators, barely shrink at all. It runs on macOS only, on Apple Silicon with macOS 13 or later or Intel with macOS 14 or later.
Smol Solo is $29 once for one Mac, with free updates. There is no free trial and purchases are not refundable, so decide with that in mind. For one-off jobs, use a free tool from this page and keep your money.
Smallpdf vs iLovePDF: which is better?
For price and a clearly stated free tier, yes. For interface polish and extras, some people prefer Smallpdf. Neither is better on privacy, since both process files on their servers.
| iLovePDF | Smallpdf | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | $48/yr, or $7 monthly | Pro; see live pricing page |
| Free compress limits | 2 files per task, 200 MB | Limited usage, no number published |
| Free trial of paid plan | Not listed on the pricing page | 7 days |
| Mac app | Premium only | Not supported since 2021 |
| Upload deletion | Within two hours | Not confirmed here |
Both plans change, so check the live pages before you pay. The links on each item above go to the vendors’ own pages.
How do I compress a PDF on Mac for free without uploading it?
Open the PDF in Preview and export it with the Reduce File Size filter. It is built into macOS, costs nothing and never leaves your Mac.
- Open the PDF in Preview.
- Choose File → Export.
- Set Quartz Filter to Reduce File Size.
- Rename the file so the original is not overwritten, then click Save.
The filter has no quality dial, and on some PDFs it can make results worse. We explain why in what Preview’s Reduce File Size does, and walk through five methods in how to compress a PDF on Mac. If the PDF is merely too large to upload, this guide covers it.
Are Smallpdf and iLovePDF safe for confidential files?
Both receive your file first, whatever their deletion policy. Whether that is acceptable depends on your contract, your client and your sector, not on the tool.
iLovePDF says processed files are deleted within two hours. That is a stated policy and still means a copy left your computer; check Smallpdf’s own privacy page for its terms. For legal, medical or HR files, ask whether sending a copy to a third party is allowed at all; our guide for legal and HR documents covers the local options, and the confidential documents page covers the workflow.
How we chose and ranked these
We make Smol, so read the third entry with that in mind. The ranking uses published price, stated limits, whether the file is uploaded, and fit for the Smallpdf versus iLovePDF question. iLovePDF ranks first because its limits and prices are the clearest and lowest. Smol ranks last here because this query is about browser tools, and because it does less.
Competitor facts come from each vendor’s own pricing, download and security pages as of 14 October 2026. Plans change, so check the live pages before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Smallpdf vs iLovePDF: which is better?
iLovePDF is the better value for most people: Premium is $48 a year and the free Compress tool states its limits (2 files per task, 200 MB). Smallpdf is the more polished suite and offers a 7-day trial of Pro, but it publishes no clear free number. Neither avoids uploading your file, so for confidential documents use a local tool.
Is iLovePDF really free?
For light use, yes. The Basic plan compresses 2 files per task up to 200 MB, and the pricing page lists Premium as the plan with ad-free use, 10 files per task and 4 GB. Free use runs in the browser, so your file is uploaded for processing and then deleted by the service within two hours, according to its security page.
Does Smallpdf have a free trial?
Yes. Smallpdf describes a 7-day free trial of Pro, which gives access to Pro features before you decide, and says the yearly plan works out 25% cheaper per month than monthly billing. Dollar prices vary, so check the live pricing page before you buy. iLovePDF does not list a free trial on its pricing page.
Does Smallpdf have a Mac app?
Not a supported one. Smallpdf’s download page lists a macOS app as “Not supported as of October 1, 2021”, and a Windows app is available. On a Mac, Smallpdf is used in the browser. iLovePDF lists a desktop app for Mac and Windows, but only on its Premium plan, so you pay for the subscription to get it.
Is there a way to compress PDFs without uploading them?
Yes. Preview on macOS can export a smaller PDF using its Reduce File Size filter, for free. Smol is a $29 one-time Mac app that compresses PDFs, images, video and audio locally, with no free trial and no refunds. Both keep the file on your Mac from start to finish, so nothing is uploaded.
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