Cachety vs Smallpdf for watermarking documents
Updated 11 October 2026
Smallpdf is a popular, polished PDF website with a simple watermark tool. Its page says it works right in your browser, but its own FAQ explains that files are uploaded and deleted from its servers afterwards. Cachety keeps the file on your device from start to finish.
In short
Smallpdf is a good all-round PDF service with apps and many tools, and it is a sound choice for everyday documents. For a passport, a driving licence or a payslip, Cachety avoids the upload altogether and adds features aimed at ID documents, such as masking and one copy per recipient.
Side by side
| Criterion | Cachety | Smallpdf |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | CachetyIn your browser, on your own device. Nothing is uploaded.Advantage Cachety | SmallpdfOn Smallpdf's servers, using a hosting provider in the European Union. |
| How long the file is kept | CachetyNever stored anywhere except on your device.Advantage Cachety | SmallpdfThe tool page says files are deleted after one hour. The privacy notice uses broader wording for users without an account. |
| Account | CachetyNone. | SmallpdfNot needed for the watermark tool. |
| Free use | CachetyFree, with no paid tier.Advantage Cachety | SmallpdfFree with some usage limits, including a daily download limit. Pro removes them. |
| Analytics and advertising trackers | CachetyNone.Advantage Cachety | SmallpdfIts privacy notice lists Google Analytics, Hotjar, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel and LinkedIn Insight Tag, subject to consent. |
| Type of watermark | CachetyText, repeated diagonally across the page. | SmallpdfText only in the watermark tool; images can be added with Edit PDF. |
| Can the watermark be stripped out? | CachetyNo simple way: it is blended into the page image. | SmallpdfNot documented. |
| Blacking out details and passwords | CachetyMasking and an optional password are built in. | SmallpdfAvailable as separate Redact and Protect tools. |
| One copy per recipient | CachetyYes, up to 20 named copies in one go.Advantage Cachety | SmallpdfNot offered in the watermark tool. |
| Apps and other tools | CachetyWeb only, works on phones. Watermarking and related tasks only. | SmallpdfDesktop and mobile apps, plus more than 30 PDF tools.Advantage Smallpdf |
‘Right in your browser’ does not mean ‘on your device’
Smallpdf's watermark page invites you to customise your watermark right in your browser. That describes where you click, not where the work happens. The same page's FAQ says files are protected with encryption during upload and download, and deleted from Smallpdf's servers after one hour. Its privacy notice adds that uploaded files are stored temporarily on servers in the European Union run by a hosting company.
With Cachety, both the clicking and the work happen on your device. Your document is not sent to any server, ours included, because there is no server that receives files.
Try the aeroplane mode test: load cachety.com, switch your phone or laptop offline, and watermark a document. If it works offline, your file cannot have gone anywhere.
Where Smallpdf is better
Smallpdf offers a wide set of tools, from compression and conversion to e-signatures, with desktop and mobile apps. If you work with PDFs every day, that range is handy. Cachety does one job: protecting documents you share. It cannot edit text, sign or convert files.
Where Cachety is better for ID documents
- No upload, so no retention period and no third-party hosting involved.
- No analytics or advertising trackers on the page.
- The watermark is drawn into each page and repeated across it, so cropping it out is hard.
- Masking, a password and one copy per recipient are all in the same screen.
How to do it with Cachety
- 1Open cachety.com in any browser, on your phone or computer.
- 2Add your documents. You can add several at once.
- 3Type the watermark text, for example who it is for, why and the date.
- 4If you like, draw boxes over details to hide, or add a password.
- 5Download the watermarked copy and send that, not the original.
When Smallpdf is the better choice
- You need a broad PDF toolkit, such as compression, conversion and e-signatures, in one place.
- You want a desktop or mobile app rather than a website.
- You want to keep the PDF text selectable after watermarking.
When Cachety is the better choice
- You are sharing an ID document, payslip or bank statement and do not want it uploaded anywhere.
- You prefer a page with no analytics or advertising trackers.
- You need one named copy per recipient, or want to black out details at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Smallpdf upload my files?
- Yes. Smallpdf's own FAQ says files are encrypted during upload and deleted from its servers after one hour, unless you save them in an account.
- Is Smallpdf safe for a passport copy?
- Smallpdf uses encryption and says it is GDPR compliant and ISO certified. Even so, your passport is uploaded and kept on its servers for a while. If you would rather avoid that, Cachety watermarks it on your device instead.
- Is Smallpdf's watermark tool free?
- You can use it free without an account, but Smallpdf says there are usage limits for free users. Cachety is free with no account and no paid version.
- Does Cachety keep the text selectable?
- No. Each page becomes an image with the watermark drawn on it, which makes the watermark much harder to remove. If you need searchable text, that is a reason to use another tool.
Sources
Facts checked on 11 October 2026 on each publisher's public pages. Services change: if something here is out of date, tell us on GitHub and we will fix it.
Written by the author of Cachety. We aim to be factual and fair: every claim about another tool links to its source.