Sejda
The PDF editor that still sells a one-week pass instead of a subscription.
What it is
Sejda is what you want when you need to edit a PDF properly — move a block, fix a typo, fill a form — rather than just shuffle pages. The rare part is the pricing: a $5 week pass covers a single project without committing to a year. For a three-person team that edits one contract a quarter, that is the cheapest sensible option here.
Pricing updated 2026-11-11 Official pricing
Sejda pricing explained
The pricing is the differentiator: a $5 week pass for a single project, $7.50 a month for ongoing light use, and $63 a year for desktop plus web. Paying by the week is unusual in this category and it is the honest option if you edit two PDFs a year. The free tier is limited by the hour rather than by downloads, so a quick job can genuinely cost nothing. Note that the desktop app is a separate purchase from the web plan — if offline processing is the reason you are here, buy that one. Confirm current prices on the official page.
Free-tier limits are taken from the official pricing page on the update date above. They change often — confirm before you commit to an annual plan.
Sejda key features
Edit existing PDF text and images
Click into a paragraph and change the words, not just annotate over them. This is the capability most PDF suites fake by re-typesetting the page.
Fill and flatten forms
Fillable and non-fillable forms both work, and flattening makes the result tamper-resistant for submission.
OCR on scanned pages
Adds a text layer to scans so they become searchable and copyable, with the usual caveat about scan quality.
Redact and sign
True redaction removes the underlying text rather than drawing a black box over it — the difference matters if the file is ever inspected.
Desktop app for offline work
The desktop version processes locally, so nothing is uploaded. For confidential documents that is the whole point.
Batch processing with a folder watcher
The desktop app can watch a folder and apply an operation to everything that lands in it. Quietly useful for recurring pipelines.
Sejda: how it works
Real text editing on the PDF object model
It manipulates the document’s text objects rather than rasterising the page. That is why an edit keeps the original font where possible, and why the output is smaller than a re-rendered page.
Two processing modes by design
The web app uploads; the desktop app does not. Same editor, different threat model — which is the honest way to offer both.
Time-boxed free access instead of metered downloads
Free use is limited by the hour, not by download count. It is abrupt, but it makes a one-off job genuinely free if you are quick.
Sejda core strengths
The only week pass among the major suites
For a one-off edit, $5 for a week beats a month of subscription. Nobody else in this category offers it.
Real text editing, not page operations
Changing a date or a name inside a contract is the single most-requested PDF operation, and most web tools cannot do it.
Desktop app works with no upload at all
Confidential documents can be edited without leaving the machine, which no purely web competitor can claim.
Batch processing on the desktop
A folder watcher turns a repetitive task into a background job, so the fiftieth file costs the same effort as the first.
Sejda compared with alternatives
| Tool | Sejda | Smallpdf | PDFgear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Editing existing PDF text, and one-off projects where a subscription is silly | Occasional users who need many different PDF operations | Free desktop editing and OCR, with no account required |
| Pricing shape | Free with hourly task limits; week pass $5, monthly $7.50 | Free with daily download limits; Pro $9/month, Team $7 per user | Free |
| Where files are processed | Server-side on web, local with the desktop app | Server-side upload and processing | Local desktop app; web tools upload |
Written from the official product pages listed under Sources, not copied from another directory. Prices and limits reflect the update date above; features ship faster than reviews, so treat the list as a starting point and confirm on the official site.
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Week pass is the only pay-per-project option among the major suites
- Real text editing, not just page operations
- Desktop app works with no upload at all
Limitations
- Free tier is time-limited per hour, which feels abrupt
- Smaller ecosystem than Smallpdf — no AI features yet
- The desktop app is a separate purchase from web-only plans
Sejda use cases
Correcting a contract
Change a name, a date or a figure inside the document rather than printing, editing and rescanning.
Filling a government form
Type into a non-fillable form, flatten it, and submit a document that cannot be altered afterwards.
Redacting before sharing
Genuinely remove text rather than covering it, which is the difference between redaction and a visual trick.
Offline batch conversion
Point the desktop app at a folder and let it convert everything that arrives, with no upload involved.
