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reader.me

Honest comparison

reader.me vs PDFsam Basic

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.

PDFsam Basic

Native desktop app, no network

Java desktop application — files stay on your machine. The Basic edition runs locally and does not phone home for processing.

reader.mePDFsam Basic
ArchitectureClient-side (WebAssembly + PDF.js + pdf-lib)Native desktop app, no network
File retentionNone — files never leave the browserJava desktop application — files stay on your machine. The Basic edition runs locally and does not phone home for processing.
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 for Basic. PDFsam Enhanced / Visual (paid) tie license activation to an email.
Offline supportFull PWA — works without network after first visitFully offline — desktop app, no network connection required.
Free tierAll 32 tools, unlimited use, 50 MB per file.PDFsam Basic free under AGPL-3.0. Cross-platform (Windows / macOS / Linux). Limited to split, merge, rotate, extract and mix.
Paid planNot offered — there is nothing to upsell when processing is local.PDFsam Enhanced / Visual — paid commercial editions with editing, OCR, sign and form fill. Sold via the PDFsam website.
HQMadrid, Spain (Color Vivo Internet S.L.)Sober Lemur S.r.l. (formerly PDFsam Software), Sondrio, Italy (2006)

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.mePDFsam Basic
Merge PDF files✓ Free✓ Free
Split PDF✓ Free✓ Free
Compress PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Rotate PDF pages✓ Free✓ Free
Reorder pages✓ Free✓ Free
Sign PDF✓ FreePaid plan
Add watermark to PDF✓ FreePaid plan
Protect PDF with password✓ FreePaid plan
Convert images to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Convert PDF to images✓ FreeNot offered
OCR PDF — extract text✓ FreePaid plan
Extract text from PDF✓ Free✓ Free
Add page numbers to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Unlock PDF — remove password✓ FreePaid plan
Crop PDF pages✓ FreeNot offered
Add header & footer to PDF✓ FreeNot offered
Compare PDFs✓ FreeNot offered
Edit PDF bookmarks✓ FreeNot offered
Fill PDF forms✓ FreePaid plan
Convert PDF to PDF/A✓ FreePaid plan
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 want a long-established desktop app (since 2006) with installers for every OS.
  • • You only need core page operations and prefer a native Java window over a browser tab.
  • • You can install software locally and do not want a PWA.
  • • You may later upgrade to PDFsam Enhanced for OCR / editing / sign.

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 →