LeafLock PDF vs PDF24: privacy and features compared

Published November 1, 2026

PDF24 Tools and LeafLock PDF both offer a large set of free PDF tools with no account needed. The difference is where the work happens, and what that means if you are offline or handling something confidential.

This page compares the two on facts you can check. Everything we say about PDF24 comes from its own website, linked under each section and in the sources for this page.

At a glance

Where your files are processed

PDF24. Its home page states plainly: “The PDF24 Online Tools process files on special PDF24 servers.” It adds that “File transfers to the PDF24 servers are encrypted,” and its privacy policy describes processing on “special server infrastructure” located in the EU. For people who would rather files did not leave their machine, PDF24’s answer is a different product: “If you prefer to work offline, you can install the PDF24 Creator and receive all PDF24 tools as an offline version,” where “all files remain on your PC.”

LeafLock. All processing runs in your browser. The file is read, changed and saved on your device, and isn’t sent to our servers or anyone else’s. The site’s Content Security Policy sets connect-src 'self', so the browser itself blocks the page’s scripts from sending data to other sites. You can watch the browser refuse on our verifiability page, or follow the longer method in how to check if a PDF site uploads your files.

The distinction worth drawing: PDF24 offers local processing, but as a separate Windows application you install. With LeafLock the website itself is the local option, on any operating system with a browser.

How long files are kept

PDF24. Its privacy policy states that “All files uploaded by the user and the results created are usually deleted one hour after uploading or creating the results,” and that for the standard tools no backup copies are made and “no other storage or further processing for any other purpose takes place.”

LeafLock. There’s nothing to keep, because files never reach a server. Results are created in your browser and downloaded directly. If you choose to, you can keep a finished file on your own device for five minutes, one hour or a day — it stays in your browser’s storage and still never reaches us.

Security certifications

PDF24. We found no security certification claimed on the pages listed in the sources above. Its privacy policy describes EU-based infrastructure and GDPR compliance.

LeafLock. We don’t hold a security certification at this time. Our approach is to avoid handling your files at all, and to let the browser enforce that through the Content Security Policy. See our claims for what we do and don’t assert.

Free plan and limits

PDF24. The online tools are free to use without an account, and PDF24 Creator is a free download for Windows.

LeafLock. All tools are free, and we set no file-size limit on any of them: because the work happens on your device, the only limit is your device’s memory and speed. We do limit how many tools you can use per day on the free plan: 20 a day without an account, 60 a day with a free account, and no daily limit on Pro. Tools marked Practice, such as Redact PDF and Compare PDF, are free during early access.

So PDF24 is cheaper if you need everything it offers: it is free. LeafLock charges only for the professional set — redaction, Bates numbering, compare, batch, table extraction and PDF/A — and those are free during early access too.

Trackers and advertising

PDF24. Its privacy policy lists the data it collects, including IP address, date and time of access, browser type and version, operating system, referrer, and “Cookie data for tracking and analytics.”

LeafLock. No analytics, no advertising, no social or chat widgets, and no third-party scripts of any kind. The only cookie set while signed out is a short-lived one if you pick a visual skin — which is why you see no cookie banner. See Cookies.

Tools

PDF24. A broad set covering merging, splitting, compressing, converting, editing, protecting and OCR, plus services LeafLock does not offer at all, such as sending a fax.

LeafLock. A broad set too, every one of them running on your device. If a tool cannot be done well in a browser, we would rather not ship it than ship a version that uploads your file quietly.

Apps and platforms

PDF24. The online tools work in any browser; PDF24 Creator is Windows-only.

LeafLock. One site, installable as an app from the browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Once installed it keeps working with no network, because the tools were never using one.

Which one fits you

PDF24 may suit you better if you want a large free toolset including services like fax, or if you are on Windows and happy to install a desktop program to keep files local.

LeafLock may suit you better if you want files to stay on your device without installing anything, if you are not on Windows, or if you would rather no tracking cookies were set while you work — for example with contracts, medical documents, financial records or anything you’d prefer not to upload.