Smallpdf is a popular Swiss PDF service with a generous free tier, but it caps you at 2 free actions per day and pushes a $9/month subscription.
| Feature | PDF Studio | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Free actions per day | Unlimited | 2 per day on the free tier |
| Signup required | No | No (but encouraged) |
| Max file size (free) | 100 MB | 5 GB on Pro, lower free |
| Watermark on output | No | No (free), no (Pro) |
| OCR support | Yes, 100+ languages | Limited language support |
| ID card to A4 PDF | Yes, print-ready A4 | No dedicated tool |
| PDF table to Excel | Yes, formatted XLSX | Generic PDF→Excel only |
| Price | Free | $9/mo Pro |
If you want unlimited daily use, multi-language OCR, and no-watermark output without a paywall, PDF Studio is the better fit.