Side by side
GoCalma vs PDFRedaction
Both stand on document redaction software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Self-hostedWeb
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.
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Free plan Web
PDFRedaction combines local processing, PII detection, OCR and permanent redaction. The free daily quota is limited, and paid plans cannot currently be purchased.
Visit PDFRedactionThe facts
| GoCalma | PDFRedaction | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Self-hosted, Web | Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | pdfredaction.com |
| On document redaction software | #5 of 27 | #9 of 27 |
GoCalma: 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.
PDFRedaction: what it does well
- Processing runs locally in the browser.
- Detects more than 50 PII types.
- OCR supports scanned PDFs and image documents.
- Exported PDFs preserve layout.
- Scans PDFs for malicious elements.
What to know first
- Registered Free users are limited to 10 documents daily.
- Processing pauses when the daily quota is reached.
- Professional and Enterprise checkout is disabled.
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