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reader.me

Honest comparison

reader.me vs PDF Arranger

Both turn PDFs into other things. The difference is where the work happens — and that single architectural choice cascades into privacy, pricing and offline behaviour.

reader.me

100% in your browser

Open DevTools → Network tab — zero requests leave your machine while a tool is running.

PDF Arranger

Native desktop app, no network

Native desktop application — files stay on your filesystem. No network connection, no telemetry. Reads and writes PDFs locally via PyPDF / pikepdf.

reader.mePDF Arranger
ArchitectureClient-side (WebAssembly + PDF.js + pdf-lib)Native desktop app, no network
File retentionNone — files never leave the browserNative desktop application — files stay on your filesystem. No network connection, no telemetry. Reads and writes PDFs locally via PyPDF / pikepdf.
Encryption modelAES-128 (Protect tool); TLS for static assets only — no document data travels over the networkN/A — no network. Whatever encryption your OS / disk applies to the source file.
Account requiredNo account, no sign-up, no telemetry tied to a userNo account. No sign-up. No analytics.
Offline supportFull PWA — works without network after first visitFully offline — it is a desktop app, no network at all.
Free tierAll 32 tools, unlimited use, 50 MB per file.Free, open-source (GPL-3.0). Available on Flathub, Debian/Ubuntu apt, Arch, Fedora and Windows installer.
Paid planNot offered — there is nothing to upsell when processing is local.No paid tier. Community-maintained.
HQMadrid, Spain (Color Vivo Internet S.L.)Open-source project (originally PDF-Shuffler, maintained on GitHub under GPL-3.0) (2008)

Tool parity

5/20 free on both

Every tool in this table is free on reader.me. On the other tool, some require Premium/Pro — sourced from their public pricing page.

Toolreader.mePDF Arranger
Merge PDF files✓ Free✓ Free
Split PDF✓ Free✓ Free
Compress PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Rotate PDF pages✓ Free✓ Free
Reorder pages✓ Free✓ Free
Sign PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Add watermark to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Protect PDF with password✓ FreeNot offered
Convert images to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Convert PDF to images✓ FreeNot offered
OCR PDF — extract text✓ FreeNot offered
Extract text from PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Add page numbers to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Unlock PDF — remove password✓ FreeNot offered
Crop PDF pages✓ Free✓ Free
Add header & footer to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Compare PDFs✓ FreeNot offered
Edit PDF bookmarks✓ FreeNot offered
Fill PDF forms✓ FreeNot offered
Convert PDF to PDF/A✓ FreeNot offered
Convert images✓ FreeNot offered
PDF metadata viewer✓ FreeNot offered
Redact a PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Scan to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Flatten PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Pages per sheet✓ FreeNot offered
Split PDF by size✓ FreeNot offered
Remove annotations✓ FreeNot offered
Resize PDF pages✓ FreeNot offered
Overlay two PDFs✓ FreeNot offered
Attach files to a PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Remove active content from a PDF✓ FreeNot offered

Pick reader.me if…

  • • You work with confidential documents (legal, medical, HR).
  • • You're in an environment that can't allow uploads (regulated industry, internal compliance).
  • • You want to verify the privacy claim yourself (DevTools → Network).
  • • You want offline-capable, unlimited free use.

Pick the other tool if…

  • • You work on Linux and want a native GTK app integrated with your file manager.
  • • You only need page-level operations (rearrange, split, merge, rotate) and nothing else.
  • • You want a small (~3 MB), zero-network tool you can audit yourself.
  • • You prefer a desktop install over opening a browser tab.

Sources

Everything above cites public pages. Verify any claim:

Last reviewed 2026-05-18. Policies may change — if you spot something stale, drop a note to [email protected].

Try reader.me with your next PDF

Open any tool, drop your file. Nothing uploads. No account.

Merge PDFsCompress PDFConvert to PDF/ASee all 32 tools →