A Smallpdf alternative that merges in your browser

Where your files go

Smallpdf's merge is cloud-based. Its merge page says your PDFs are encrypted in transit and automatically deleted from its servers after one hour. Its privacy notice names servers in the European Union that process uploaded files.

This tool does the merge in your browser tab and the files are not uploaded. Here is how to check that yourself.

Free limits side by side

• Smallpdf free: its pricing page shows a "daily download limit" for the merge tool without giving a number. Its support page says free and non-registered users can process up to 2 conversions per day; it does not say whether a merge counts as one. A post on its blog says up to 20 files per merge on the free version. It does not state a file-size limit.
• This tool, free: up to 5 files and 20MB in total per merge, as many merges as you like in a day, no account, no watermark.

So Smallpdf allows more files per merge, and this tool does not count merges per day. Which one is easier depends on whether you merge a few big batches or many small ones.

What Smallpdf does that this tool does not

Its merge page describes a preview where you can rearrange pages, delete pages you do not need, and add more files before merging. It also says you can combine PDFs with Word, Excel, JPG and PNG files. Its merge page mentions a Windows app, and its support page lists the offline desktop app as a Pro feature.

This tool only joins whole PDF files. To merge a Word file or photos, turn them into PDFs first.

What this tool does

It joins whole PDF files, in the order you choose, into one new PDF. The merge runs in your browser tab and the files are not uploaded; here is how to check that yourself. It needs no account and adds no watermark. Free covers up to 5 files and 20MB in total per merge, with as many merges as you like. Pro removes the file-count and size limits.

It does not edit anything: no reordering or deleting pages inside a file, no compression, no text recognition, no signing, and no converting Word files or images to PDF.

Which one to use

• Use this tool for plain whole-file merges when you want nothing uploaded and no daily count.
• Use Smallpdf when you need to rearrange or delete pages, or mix in Word or image files, and you are fine with the files going to its servers.

Checked against Smallpdf's own pages on 5 October 2026. Limits and wording change and can differ by country, so look at their current page before you decide.

More about merging PDFs

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• Merge large PDF files
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• Merge PDFs on Mac, Windows or Linux
• Merge PDFs for a job application
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• Fit a merged PDF in an email
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• Merge PDFs offline
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• Merge 10+ PDF files using batches
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• Merge PDFs in different web browsers
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• Add a cover page to a PDF
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