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Smallpdf VS imgproxy

Compare Smallpdf VS imgproxy and see what are their differences

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Smallpdf logo Smallpdf

PDF document management and conversion suite

imgproxy logo imgproxy

Fast and secure, imgproxy by Evil Martians resizes and processes images without using disk space.
  • Smallpdf Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21
  • imgproxy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-04

Smallpdf features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Smallpdf provides a clean, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all technical levels.
  • Wide Range of Tools
    Offers a variety of tools for PDF editing, including compressing, merging, splitting, and converting PDFs to other formats.
  • Cloud Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, allowing users to work directly with their files stored online.
  • Security
    Utilizes strong encryption and deletes files from their servers after one hour, ensuring user data is kept secure and private.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Accessible from various devices including desktops, tablets, and smartphones with responsive web design.
  • Free Tier
    Provides a free tier with limited features, which is suitable for occasional or basic users.

Possible disadvantages of Smallpdf

  • Limited Free Features
    The free version only allows for two tasks per day and places restrictions on larger files and advanced features, leading to potential inconvenience for frequent users.
  • Subscription Cost
    The premium subscription can be considered expensive for some users, particularly those who only need occasional PDF edits.
  • File Size Limit
    Even with a premium subscription, there are restrictions on the maximum file size that can be uploaded and processed.
  • Internet Dependence
    Requires an active internet connection to use most of its features, which can be a limitation for users with unreliable or slow connectivity.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Despite strong encryption, some users may still have reservations about uploading sensitive documents to an online service.
  • Limited Customization
    The range of customization options for certain tools may be limited compared to more specialized PDF software.

imgproxy features and specs

  • Performance
    imgproxy is designed for high performance, offering fast image processing and delivery. It achieves this with efficient algorithms and optimizations, ensuring minimal latency in serving images.
  • Security
    imgproxy prioritizes security by allowing developers to use signed URLs. This prevents unauthorized users from generating image URLs, thereby protecting resources from abuse.
  • Flexible Resizing
    Provides a wide range of options for resizing, cropping, and adjusting images, which can be easily configured via URL parameters to adapt to varying needs or display contexts.
  • On-the-fly Processing
    Processes images in real-time as requests are made, eliminating the need to pre-process and store multiple versions of an image, which helps reduce storage costs.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, imgproxy allows developers to review and modify the source code, fostering transparency and enabling customization to fit specific use cases.

Possible disadvantages of imgproxy

  • Resource Intensive Setup
    Setting up and maintaining imgproxy on your own infrastructure can be resource-intensive, potentially requiring significant time and technical expertise, especially for scaling.
  • Complex Configuration
    The flexibility offered by imgproxy comes with complex configuration requirements, which might pose a learning curve for new users unfamiliar with its setup.
  • Reliability on External Dependencies
    imgproxy requires dependency management and configuration (e.g., for caching and storage), which might be challenging to maintain consistently over time.
  • Limited Format Support
    While it supports the most commonly used image formats, edge cases or niche formats may not be well supported, potentially requiring additional tools for full compatibility.
  • Potential Latency
    On-the-fly processing, while convenient, may add latency for end-users if not properly managed with caching strategies, particularly under high load scenarios.

Analysis of Smallpdf

Overall verdict

  • Smallpdf is a reliable and efficient tool for managing PDF documents, suitable for both casual users and professionals. Its combination of versatility, ease of use, and security features makes it a strong contender in the realm of online PDF services.

Why this product is good

  • Smallpdf is considered good because it offers a wide range of PDF tools that are easy to use and accessible online. It provides functionalities such as PDF conversion, compression, editing, and signing, all within a user-friendly interface. This makes it an ideal choice for both individuals and businesses looking for efficient document management solutions. Additionally, it emphasizes security by ensuring encrypted file transfers, which is crucial for handling sensitive information.

Recommended for

  • Individuals who frequently work with PDFs and need a straightforward tool for conversions, compressions, or edits.
  • Students who need to annotate and organize their study materials in a PDF format.
  • Professionals who require a reliable tool for signing documents and collaborating with team members remotely.
  • Businesses looking for secure document management solutions with the flexibility of online access.

Smallpdf videos

smallpdf tutorial video

More videos:

  • Review - Smallpdf Review
  • Tutorial - Smallpdf | How to do Unlimited Free Conversions ? | Hack for Smallpdf | Bypass limit of 2 conversion

imgproxy videos

No imgproxy videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Smallpdf and imgproxy)
PDF Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Software Engineering
0 0%
100% 100
PDF Editor
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Smallpdf and imgproxy

Smallpdf Reviews

Best Free Alternatives to Adobe Acrobat in 2026
Smallpdf is a well-known online PDF platform with a clean interface. It works entirely in the browser and integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox, making it convenient if you store files in the cloud. The free tier limits you to two tasks per hour and adds a watermark on some output files. Files are uploaded to Smallpdf's servers for processing.
Best Online Image Converters in 2026: Docpose.cloud Leads the Pack
Users highlight Docpose.cloudโ€™s reliabilityโ€”no failed conversions even on rare formats. CloudConvert gets praise for quality tweaks but frustrates with daily resets. iLoveIMG is loved for extras like AI, but free limits irk. Smallpdf suits PDF-image hybrids, less pure images. Convertio is straightforward but caps freebies quick.
Source: fileproinfo.com
Ever wondered why bank statements are always in PDF?
Platforms like iLovePDF and Smallpdf are among the most popular choices. They do a decent job for simple PDFs, but I quickly realized a few issues:
Source: medium.com
Top 10 PDF Converters for converting to or from PDF effortlessly
Smallpdf is one of the most well-known PDF converter tools online. Offering a simple, user-friendly interface, it allows users to convert files to and from PDF without any hassle. Smallpdf supports over 18 file types and integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox for easy cloud storage access.
The 13 Best Free PDF Editors (February 2024)
One of the quickest ways to add images, text, shapes, or your signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf. I find it extremely easy to use for those things, but I opt for one of the editors that top this list if I need to edit the text because this one won't do it for free.

imgproxy Reviews

We have no reviews of imgproxy yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Smallpdf should be more popular than imgproxy. It has been mentiond 38 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Smallpdf mentions (38)

  • OpenDataLoader: Safe, Open, High-Performance โ€” PDF for AI
    According to statistics from smallpdf.com, by 2025, there will be a massive 2.5 trillion PDF documents stored worldwide, and 290 billion new PDF documents will be created every year. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Stirling-PDF: local web application to perform various operations on PDFs
    Smallpdf [1] probably deserves a mention here. Not OSS and not self-hosted, but Iโ€˜ve used it occasionally and it has always worked really well. When I was running an agency, we inherited their first office โ€“ very cool folks. [1] https://smallpdf.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Looking fore college ruled template to print
    And use this one to merge two single-page pdf to make a double side page. Source: over 2 years ago
  • PDF to Excel without O365/Adobe Acrobat?
    I don't have Office 365 for the "Get Data" option, nor do I have Adobe Acrobat. I've tried the smallpdf website but it came out a mess, possibly because my original spreadsheet had highlighted rows and lots of text in some of the cells. Source: over 3 years ago
  • 5 tips to improve your SaaS user onboarding
    Examples of companies doing this well: - SmallPDF users can convert or compress a limited number of files without an account โ€” turning users into advocates and customers once paid use cases comes along; - Freshline uses interactive product demos to help users self-educate and understand the value of their features, without a paywall or registration;. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

imgproxy mentions (14)

  • Ask HN: What are you working on? (June 2026)
    2. I finished adding image uploads. Now you can add and view image attachments.
       This was quite a challenging task because there are a lot of security implications, and Cloudflare Workers don't support sharp. So I was implementing all the pixel bomb detection, optimizations, and other stuff by myself. Also, [imgproxy](https://imgproxy.net) came in handy as a price-efficient image processing solution.
    - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • How to survive and stay the course: hints for (very) small teams
    Running a tech product with a small team can feel like juggling on a unicycle during an earthquake. At imgproxy, we know this feeling since we're a compact team building an image processing engine used by some of the biggest platforms out there. We managed to elaborate some hacks that help us punch far above our weight and stay balanced. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • The Cost of Being Crawled: LLM Bots and Vercel Image API Pricing
    Maybe atleast link to the project https://imgproxy.net/ next time? Your comment is basically an ad for your product. I am sure many clicked the link expecting there to be some image resizing proxy solutionโ€ฆ. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Dynamic watermarking with imgproxy and Apache APISIX
    Another alternative is to use ready-made components, namely imgproxy and Apache APISIX. I already combined them to resize images on-the-fly. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • How Can I Streamline My Image Prep
    We use imgproxy which does 2->4 and all you need to do is change the URL on your site. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Smallpdf and imgproxy, you can also consider the following products

iLovePDF - Premium online PDF tool set

ImageBoss - On-demand content aware image processing API

Adobe Acrobat DC - Make your job easier with Adobe Acrobat DC, the trusted PDF creator. Use Acrobat to convert, edit and sign PDF files at your desk or on the go.

imgix - Real-time Image Processing. Resize, crop, and process images on the fly, simply by changing their URLs.

Sejda - Split, merge and other powerful PDF tools.

FaceAware - Image processing with the ability to focus on faces ๐Ÿ“ธ๐Ÿ‘ถ