PDF tools that don't upload your file
Prices and features checked 20 September 2026
Most online PDF tools work by uploading your document, processing it on a server and sending it back. For a takeaway menu that is fine. For a tenancy agreement, a medical form or anything with a bank account on it, it is worth knowing.
These are the tools that keep the file on your device. You can verify the claim yourself: open the network tab in your browser's developer tools while you work, and watch whether the file is ever sent.
Feature comparison
| Feature | PDFpad | Sejda | Preview (macOS) | Microsoft Edge PDF reader | Chrome PDF viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type on a flat (non-form) PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Partly |
| Fill existing form fields | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Typed signature | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Drawn signature (touch/mouse) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Upload signature image | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Save and reuse signature | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Date and tick fields | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Flatten so fills can't be moved | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Save as PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Save as Word (DOCX) | Paid only | Paid only | No | No | No |
| Reorder / delete / merge pages | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Works on a phone browser | Yes | Partly | No | Partly | No |
| File never uploaded | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No watermark on free tier | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No account needed to start | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pricing
| Tool | Free tier | Paid | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFpadChecked 20 Sept 2026 | Unlimited filling and signing; 3 PDF exports per 30 days, each with a small footer line | £6 a month, £39 a year, or £2 to unlock one document for 24 hours | Monthly or annualOne click from the account page, any time |
| SejdaChecked 20 Sept 2026 | "No signup required. Limited usage and features" — with "Page and hourly limits", "Limited file uploads" and tool-specific caps | Web Week Pass "£5 per user for 7 days"; Desktop+Web Annual "£63 per user per year"; a monthly web plan is also listed | Monthly or annual |
| Preview (macOS)Checked 20 Sept 2026 | Free — built into macOS | — | — |
| Microsoft Edge PDF readerChecked 20 Sept 2026 | Free — built into Windows | — | — |
| Chrome PDF viewerChecked 20 Sept 2026 | Free — built into Chrome and ChromeOS | — | — |
What each vendor says
Sejda
- Sejda is the only paid tool here that sells a one-week pass — £5 for seven days — which suits a single urgent document. [source]
- The desktop application processes files on your own machine; the web version uploads them. The annual plan covers both. [source]
- The monthly web price is rendered in a way we could not read reliably on the last check, so it is not quoted here. [source]
Preview (macOS)
- Apple documents the workaround for flat forms: "If a PDF won't allow you to type directly into the form, you can add a text box instead." [source]
- Signatures can be captured with the trackpad, the camera or an iPhone, and sync across Macs through iCloud Drive — the best signature experience of any built-in tool. [source]
- Preview is Mac-only, so the same document on a phone or a Windows machine needs something else. [source]
Microsoft Edge PDF reader
- Microsoft describes the inking tools as letting you "take notes, fill out and sign PDF forms" — the signature is whatever you can draw with a mouse or trackpad, and there is no way to save it for next time. [source]
- Microsoft's own documentation is explicit about the limit: "You can view and print the PDF in the reader, but you can't edit its contents." [source]
- Ink and text notes are saved as annotations, so a recipient with a PDF editor can select and delete them. [source]
Chrome PDF viewer
- Google says the viewer lets you "highlight, annotate or draw on a document" and "fill in and sign paperwork". [source]
- Typing is the catch: "You can't add text annotations to your PDFs in the Chrome Browser" — the text tool is a ChromeOS feature, so on Windows or a Mac you are limited to drawing. [source]
- Google states plainly that the signing feature "is for convenience and doesn't provide signature verification or security". [source]
Questions
- How can I tell whether a PDF website uploads my file?
- Open developer tools, go to the Network tab, and load your document. If the tool uploads, you will see a request carrying a file-sized payload. PDFpad never makes one — the whole editor runs in the page.
- Is a desktop app always safer?
- Not necessarily, but it does keep the file local by default. Sejda's desktop app and the built-in viewers all process files on your machine; their web equivalents mostly do not.
Try it on your PDF
Open your document, fill it in, sign it and save. Nothing is uploaded, and you don’t need an account to start.
or drop a file here · nothing is uploaded
Competitor names are used descriptively to identify their products. Every price and feature above was read from the vendor's own page on the date shown and is re-checked quarterly. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.