Freedom251 › Document Redaction Software

GoCalma

Free plan Self-hostedWeb

What GoCalma is

GoCalma is a browser-based PDF tool that detects and redacts sensitive information without sending document contents to a server. It can identify more than 30 PII types and validate checksums across more than 10 European ID formats. For each PII type, users can choose to redact, mask, hash, highlight, or synthesize information. The app also runs OCR locally on scanned or image-heavy PDFs. Users can review flagged candidates and see the strategy, pattern, and confidence behind each detection. Listed profiles include Swiss DPA, EU GDPR, Healthcare, Financial, and Full Scan. For reversible work, GoCalma can export an encrypted .gocalma recovery key for restoring the original document with the matching key. Its repository says processing happens locally and that redaction removes PDF author, title, and timestamp metadata. The audit summary notes a design-level issue: raw key storage when no password is set. The Vercel demo uses regex detection only because model files exceed its deployment limit. GoCalma is free, open source under the MIT License, and available for self-hosted and web use.

Who it suits

GoCalma suits people who need to inspect and redact PDFs locally, including scanned documents, with options to review detections or restore originals using a recovery key. Its local setup requires Node.js 18 or later, npm, and a modern desktop browser.

What it does well

Processes PDFs, detection, and OCR locally in the browser.
Offers five redaction modes by PII type.
Reviews show strategy, pattern, and confidence.
Supports encrypted recovery keys for restoration.
Free and distributed under the MIT License.

What to know first

No-password use has a raw key storage finding.
Vercel demo uses regex-based detection only.
Local setup requires Node.js 18 or later and npm.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Open-source	Browser-based PDF redaction; repository provides local setup instructions	Free

As github.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the GoCalma repository website.
For local setup, have Node.js 18 or later and npm available.
Use a modern desktop browser.
Follow the repository's local setup instructions to run the browser app.
Open a PDF, review detected candidates, choose redaction modes, and export the result.

Verdict

GoCalma combines local PDF processing with multiple ways to handle detected information and review why it was flagged. Note the no-password key-storage finding and the regex-only limitation on its Vercel demo.

Questions

How much does GoCalma cost?

GoCalma is open source and its listed plan is free.

Which files can it process?

The listed input format is PDF.

Does it send PDF contents to a server?

Its stated processing steps happen locally in the browser, and plain document content is not sent to external servers.

What platforms does it support?

It is listed as web and self-hosted. Local setup requires Node.js 18 or later, npm, and a modern desktop browser.

What license does GoCalma use?

It is distributed under the MIT License.

What is the Vercel demo's detection limitation?

The demo uses regex-based detection only because its NER model files exceed Vercel's 250 MB limit.

Facts from GoCalma's own pages

Compliance profiles: The listed profiles are Swiss DPA, EU GDPR, Healthcare, Financial, and Full Scan. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Deployment limit: The repository says its Vercel demo deployment uses regex-based detection only because the NER model files are too large for Vercel's 250MB limit. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Detection review: Users can review detected candidates and see why each was flagged, including strategy, pattern, and confidence. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Languages: The listed interface and OCR languages are English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
License: The software is distributed under the MIT License. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
PII detection: The repository says GoCalma detects more than 30 PII types and validates checksums across more than 10 European ID formats. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Privacy: The repository says PDF parsing, detection, OCR, redaction, and restoration happen locally in the browser, and plain document content is not sent to external servers. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Purpose: GoCalma detects and redacts sensitive information in PDFs in the browser without sending document contents to a server. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Redaction modes: Users can choose redact, mask, hash, highlight, or synthesize modes by PII type. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Reversible redaction: Users can export an encrypted .gocalma recovery key and later restore the original document with the matching key. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Scanned PDFs: The app runs OCR locally for image-heavy or scanned PDFs. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Security: The repository states that .gocalma key payloads use AES-GCM encryption and that redaction scrubs PDF author, title, and timestamp metadata. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Security caveat: The repository's audit summary reports a design-level finding: raw key storage when no password is set. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Setup: The repository's local setup instructions require Node.js 18 or later, npm, and a modern desktop browser. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026

Where GoCalma stands on Freedom251

Document Redaction Software#5 of 27