# Free alternatives to Smallpdf Pro

> Smallpdf Pro (Pro) costs $180 a year. Free alternatives: Stirling-PDF and BentoPDF. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/smallpdf/
- Category: Documents (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/documents/)
- Vendor: Smallpdf
- Plan: Pro
- Price: $15/month, $180/year
- Billing: monthly (yearly toggle shows -34% but yearly price not rendered)
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Pro 1 $15.00 /month Start Free Trial"
- Price source: https://smallpdf.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### Stirling-PDF

- Website: https://www.stirlingpdf.com
- Repository: https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF (94,284 stars, last push 2026-10-17)
- License: MIT core (proprietary dirs)
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/stirling-pdf/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### BentoPDF

- Website: https://bentopdf.com
- Repository: https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf (16,071 stars, last push 2026-10-17)
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: web app
- Linux: web app
- Self-hostable: no
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/bentopdf/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to Smallpdf Pro?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Stirling-PDF (open source, MIT core) and BentoPDF (open source, AGPL-3.0).

### How much does Smallpdf Pro cost?

Smallpdf Pro's Pro plan costs $15 a month, which is $180 a year (monthly (yearly toggle shows -34% but yearly price not rendered)). Source: the official pricing page at smallpdf.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which Smallpdf Pro alternatives run on Linux?

Stirling-PDF (self-hosted server; web UI) and BentoPDF (web app).

### Can you self-host a Smallpdf Pro alternative?

Yes. Stirling-PDF runs on your own server. BentoPDF is a web app.

### Are these Smallpdf Pro alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Stirling-PDF (MIT core) and BentoPDF (AGPL-3.0).

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/