Redacta

What Redacta is

Redacta is a free web app for using plain-language instructions to redact or pseudonymise sensitive information in PDF documents. It can detect personal details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses and account numbers, then permanently redact them. It can also identify images embedded in PDFs—including photos, signatures, logos and screenshots—for redaction. For pseudonymisation, it substitutes real names, addresses and identifiers with realistic fictional alternatives while keeping the document readable.

Redacta says its output retains the source PDF’s formatting, layout, fonts and page structure. PDF parsing and redaction run in the browser with WebAssembly and MuPDF, and the site says PDF files are not uploaded to a server. AI processing uses a Google Gemini or OpenAI API key supplied by the user, with requests sent directly from the browser to that provider. The free trial tier routes extracted text through a backend proxy. The tool is open source, requires no signup or installation, and adds no watermarks. Its free plan has no usage limits; users pay any AI API charges incurred through their own key.

Who it suits

Redacta suits legal professionals, HR teams, recruiters, healthcare providers, researchers, financial institutions, universities and research institutions that need to redact or pseudonymise PDF content. It is also a fit for people who want browser-based PDF processing and can provide their own Gemini or OpenAI API key for AI processing.

Limits

The free plan has no usage limits, but AI processing requires a user-provided Gemini or OpenAI API key, and the user pays any charges from that provider. The free trial tier routes extracted text through a backend proxy.

Getting started

1. Open https://redacta.khattar.dev/ in a web browser.
2. Provide a Google Gemini or OpenAI API key for AI processing.
3. Use plain-language instructions to redact or pseudonymise a PDF.

Verdict

Choose Redacta if you need a free web tool for redacting or pseudonymising PDFs and can supply an AI provider key. Its browser-based processing and preservation of document layout are useful for sensitive documents; users who do not want to provide an API key or pay provider charges should look elsewhere.