A Sejda alternative without the 3-tasks-per-hour throttle
Sejda Free locks you out after 3 tasks per hour or files over 200 pages / 50 MB. PDFShed has no throttle — process as many files as your browser can handle.
Why switch from Sejda
No hourly task throttle
Sejda gives you 3 free tasks per hour. PDFShed is unlimited — drag in 50 files in one batch, no waiting, no upgrade prompts.
No 200-page or 50 MB limit
Sejda blocks files over 200 pages or 50 MB on free. PDFShed processes whatever your browser RAM allows — typically 500+ MB on a modern laptop.
Files don't upload
Sejda processes server-side. PDFShed runs entirely in browser. For redacting, signing, or merging financial/legal docs, "never uploaded" beats "deleted in 2 hours."
Same advanced tools (redact, OCR, edit) — all free
Sejda's most useful tools (redact, OCR, edit text) are throttled or paywalled. Same tools at PDFShed are unlimited free.
PDFShed vs Sejda
| Feature | PDFShed | Sejda |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks per hour free | Unlimited | 3 |
| Max pages free | Unlimited | 200 |
| Max file size free | ~500 MB (RAM-limited) | 50 MB |
| Files uploaded | No | Yes |
| Edit text | Free | Free, but throttled |
| Redact | Free | Free, throttled |
| OCR | Free | Free, throttled |
| Desktop app | No (PWA) | Yes (Win/Mac/Linux) |
| Price | $0 | $7.50/wk or $63/yr |
Sejda Web costs $63/year for unlimited. PDFShed costs $0/year for unlimited. The difference is server costs we don't have because your browser does the work.
Sejda deletes files after 2 hours. PDFShed never has them. The difference matters for documents you'd be uncomfortable seeing on a server log even briefly.
FAQ
Why does Sejda have such tight free-tier limits?
Server costs. Each file processed costs them in CPU + storage. PDFShed has near-zero per-user cost because your browser does the compute, so we can stay free without limits.
Can PDFShed edit text inside a PDF like Sejda?
Yes — PDFShed's Edit PDF tool handles text replacement, font changes, image insertion, and annotation. Same scope as Sejda's edit feature, no throttle.
I use Sejda Desktop. Why switch to PDFShed?
If Sejda Desktop's 7-task limit doesn't bother you, no reason. If you hit the limit or use multiple computers, PDFShed's no-limit browser tools are simpler.
Does PDFShed have Sejda's "compress to target size" feature?
Yes — choose Low / Medium / High / Aggressive compression. Specific-size targeting is being added based on user requests.
Ready to ditch Sejda?
90+ tools. Browser-based. No signup. No upload. No subscription. Open it and start working.
Open PDFShed