Sejda vs Arkaserve Tools — PDF Tools Comparison 2025
· Comparisons · 5 min read
Sejda applies hourly task limits with a 50MB file cap. Arkaserve Tools has no task limits and no file size caps for browser-based tools. Full comparison.
Sejda is genuinely one of the better free PDF tools. Their free tier includes a 50MB file cap and a 200-page document limit, and they apply hourly task limits — though they are more generous than Smallpdf's restrictions. Their interface is clean, the conversion quality is good, and they've built some features — like editing text directly inside a PDF — that aren't common in free tools.
But "more generous than Smallpdf" is a low bar. Here's a proper comparison.
Task Limits Side by Side
Feature
Sejda Free
Smallpdf Free
Arkaserve Tools
Tasks per hourLimited (hourly)Limited (daily)Unlimited
File size limit50 MBVariesNo limit (browser tools)
Page limit200 pagesLimitedNo page limit
Signup requiredNoAfter 2 tasksNo
WatermarksNoNoNo
PDF text editingYesNo (free)Limited
Developer toolsNoneNone20+ tools
Image toolsBasicBasic15+ tools
Browser-side processingNoNoYes (many tools)
Where Sejda Wins
Sejda's PDF text editing is legitimately good. You can click directly on text in a PDF and edit it — not just annotate, but actually change the content. This is rare in free tools and it works reasonably well for simple documents.
Click-to-edit text directly inside existing PDFs
Form-filling feature is solid and reliable
More hourly headroom than Smallpdf's tighter restrictions
Clean, no-signup interface for the first few tasks
✓ When to use Sejda
If you need to edit existing text inside a PDF once in a while, Sejda is the right choice. It's the best free option for that specific task.
Where the Limits Actually Bite
Sejda's hourly task cap sounds workable on paper. But consider a completely normal 10-minute workflow:
Compress a PDF to send by email
Merge it with another file
Rotate a few pages to fix orientation
That's a single document workflow and you may have used your entire hourly allowance. You'll wait before you can touch another file.
The 50MB file size limit also catches people off guard. A PowerPoint converted to PDF, a scanned annual report, or a presentation with embedded images can easily exceed 50MB.
Privacy and File Processing
Both Sejda and Arkaserve process PDF conversions server-side for operations that genuinely require it. Sejda states they delete files within 2 hours of processing. Arkaserve deletes temporary files immediately at the end of each request — the moment your download is sent, the file is gone.
For many browser-based tools on Arkaserve, processing happens entirely client-side — no upload at all. Image compression, format conversion tools, and all developer utilities (JSON, SQL, regex, JWT, hash, base64) run entirely in your browser. Your data never reaches a server.
Bottom Line
If you need to edit text inside a PDF occasionally, try Sejda — it's the best free tool for that task. For everything else — compression, conversion, merging, splitting, developer tools, image processing — Arkaserve's lack of task limits and the broader tool suite make it the more practical daily option.