Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Smallpdf VS Summernote

Compare Smallpdf VS Summernote and see what are their differences

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Smallpdf logo Smallpdf

PDF document management and conversion suite

Summernote logo Summernote

Summernote is a JavaScript library that helps users create WYSIWYG editors online.
  • Smallpdf Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21
  • Summernote Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-18

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.

Summernote features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Summernote has a simple and intuitive user interface that makes it easy for users to start creating rich text content without a steep learning curve.
  • Extensible with Plugins
    Summernote supports a variety of plugins which expand its functionality, allowing customization to meet specific needs.
  • Bootstrap Integration
    Out of the box, Summernote is designed to work seamlessly with Bootstrap, making it a good choice for developers already using this front-end framework.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Summernote is free to use, and developers can contribute to its improvement and adapt it to their specific needs.
  • Lightweight
    Summernote is a lightweight editor, meaning it has a small file size which can result in faster loading times for web pages.
  • Image Upload and Drag & Drop
    Summernote supports easy and intuitive image uploads and drag & drop functionality, enhancing the user experience.

Possible disadvantages of Summernote

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to more comprehensive editors like CKEditor or TinyMCE, Summernote may lack some advanced features that power users might need.
  • Dependency on jQuery
    Summernote depends on jQuery, which could be a drawback for projects that aim to minimize dependencies or use a different framework.
  • Browser Compatibility Issues
    Some users have reported occasional issues with browser compatibility, which might affect the consistency of user experience across different environments.
  • Performance with Large Documents
    Summernote can experience performance issues when handling large documents or complex content, which can be a limitation for more extensive use cases.
  • Limited Support
    Being an open-source project, professional support options are limited compared to commercial editors which offer formal customer support.

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.

Analysis of Summernote

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Summernote is considered a good and reliable option for implementing WYSIWYG text editing. It is user-friendly, easily customizable, and supported by a strong community of developers.

Why this product is good

  • Summernote is a popular WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that is highly regarded for its simplicity, ease of integration, and flexibility. It is open-source and offers features like drag-and-drop image uploads, keyboard shortcuts, and support for various formats. Its lightweight nature and compatibility with major frameworks such as Bootstrap make it a versatile choice for developers looking to implement rich text editing capabilities into their web applications.

Recommended for

    Summernote is recommended for developers and teams building web applications that need an intuitive and reliable rich text editor. It's particularly suitable for projects where ease of use, rapid integration, and support for responsive design are key considerations, such as blogging platforms, content management systems, and any web application that requires user-generated content input.

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

Summernote videos

Demo Summernote WYSIWYG CodeIgniter

More videos:

  • Review - เธชเธญเธ™ Laravel Framework - Summernote WYSIWYG editor

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Smallpdf and Summernote)
PDF Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
PDF Editor
100 100%
0% 0
Rich Text Editor
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 Summernote

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.

Summernote Reviews

Looking for a CKEditor? Try these 10 Alternatives
Summernote is a simple yet feature-rich WYSIWYG editor that supports real-time collaboration, image and file uploads, and various formatting options. It's a great alternative to CKEditor for those looking for an editor that is easy to use and has a modern design.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Smallpdf should be more popular than Summernote. 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

Summernote mentions (5)

  • Ask HN: What is your favorite FOSS WYSIWYG editor?
    Installing Summernote (https://summernote.org) was easy. ProseMirror and Lexical seem much more complicated. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • WYSIWYG Editor Recommendation for Commercial/Enterprise Website Frontends?
    We use Summernote which is fine, there can be bugs with our integration but that is more down to our hacking around with it than the actual software. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Thoughts on Action Text
    These past days I tried Action Text for the first time and got a bit disappointed with it, in the end I ended up using Summernote (https://summernote.org/) instead, here are my thoughts on what could be improved:. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Remote service for web dev beginner?
    You can fairly easily add the ability to edit the text using something like https://summernote.org/ This one is for bootstrap, but there are others that are pretty good. (there's another one I've used before but I can't think of the name... Thought it started with an "L".). Source: over 4 years ago
  • Progress in my Revived Witch Wikia :^)
    I still need to add some dolls, but add the events list, the event details are incomplete but it is easy to edit although the data is saved in a database (mongodb) it is created with https://summernote.org, which works like word, but transforms the content to html. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

iLovePDF - Premium online PDF tool set

CKEditor - Real-time collaborative future-ready rich text editor

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.

Froala Editor - Froala Editor is a WYSIWYG HTML editorย that enables rich text editing capabilities for the applications.

Sejda - Split, merge and other powerful PDF tools.

CKEditor 4 - CKEditor 4 is a rich text editor that enables you to write content inside of web pages or online applications.