Private AI PDF Redaction Tool
Find and permanently remove names, account numbers and other personal data from PDFs. Your file is opened and redacted in your browser and is never uploaded.
For AI detection, only page text is sent, with zero data retention. Local mode sends nothing. What leaves your device
Free for up to 100 pages per month. Unlimited documents.
What leaves your device when you redact a PDF
Your PDF stays in your browser. Here is exactly what happens to your data when you redact a file.
Stays on your device
Always
- The PDF file itself
- OCR and page rendering
- The redacted copy you save
Sent for AI detection
Cloud mode, the default
- Extracted page text and word positions
- Never the PDF file
- Zero data retention: nothing is stored
Sent in Local mode
Turn it on in Settings
- Nothing
- Detection runs in your browser
- Your PDF and its text stay on your device
Need it fully offline or inside your own network? Use the desktop app or run Redaction Studio on your servers.
How PDF redaction works
Open a PDF
Drop a file into the editor. Scanned pages are run through OCR automatically.
Review what the AI found
Names, contact details, ID and account numbers are highlighted by type. Filter them, remove false hits or draw your own boxes.
Save the redacted PDF
Covered text and images are deleted from the file, not just hidden, and metadata is removed.
Run PDF redaction where your documents live
One detection engine, from a free browser tool to a server inside your network.
Web tool
Redact in the browser with nothing to install. Free for 100 pages a month.
For individuals and occasional use
Desktop app
Native app for Windows and Linux, with macOS coming soon. No server and no Docker.
For people who prefer a native app
REST API
Add redaction to your own pipelines and apps, billed per page.
For developers and batch processing
Embeddable widget
Add the upload, AI review and redaction editor to your own website or internal system with a script tag or React component. Files don't pass through your backend.
For SaaS products and internal portals
Redaction Studio
Self-hosted platform with batch processing, deployable on-premise or air-gapped.
For teams where data can't leave the network
Integrations
An n8n community node for workflows, and an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other AI agents.
For automation and AI agents
Built by document AI engineers
PDF Redaction is made by StabRise. Our team has 15+ years in machine learning, NLP and OCR, and has built de-identification systems for clinical text, PDFs and DICOM images.
Spark-PDF, ScaleDP and ScaleDP-TS are open-source libraries that our team builds and maintains. The redaction engine runs on Spark-PDF and ScaleDP, and the web editor runs on ScaleDP-TS, which processes documents in the browser: OCR, rendering and redaction happen on your device.
About the teamCustom rules
Redact your own data types, such as contract numbers or internal codes, across the API and Studio.
Custom redaction rulesProfessional services
We build custom pipelines for complex formats and workflows, including DICOM and high-volume archives.
Professional servicesQuestions about PDF Redaction
Short answers to help you choose the right setup for your documents.
- Which version should I use: the web tool, desktop app, API or Studio?
- Use the web tool for occasional documents: it runs in your browser and is free for 100 pages a month. The desktop app for Windows and Linux suits people who prefer a native app. Developers who redact inside their own pipelines should use the API. Teams whose data can't leave their network can run Redaction Studio on their own servers. To add the review editor to your own website or system, embed the widget.
- How is PDF Redaction different from iLovePDF or Adobe Acrobat?
- Online tools like iLovePDF upload your file to their servers to process it. PDF Redaction opens and redacts the PDF in your browser, so the file is never uploaded. Unlike Adobe Acrobat, there is nothing to install or license, and AI finds names, addresses and account numbers for you. See our comparisons with iLovePDF, Adobe Acrobat and other tools.
- Can I redact PDFs without an internet connection?
- Yes, with Local mode. Turn it on in Settings and personal-data detection runs in your browser; after a one-time model download it needs no connection. OCR, rendering and the redaction itself always happen on your device. For air-gapped environments, run Redaction Studio inside your own network.
- Does PDF Redaction help with GDPR and HIPAA compliance?
- It helps you meet their requirements to protect personal data and health information before you share documents. Redaction deletes the covered text instead of hiding it, your PDF is never uploaded, and AI detection keeps no data. Compliance also depends on your own processes, so the tool supports it rather than certifying it. If data must stay on your infrastructure, use Redaction Studio.
- Who makes PDF Redaction?
- PDF Redaction is built by StabRise, a software company based in Poland, in the EU. Our team has 15+ years of experience in machine learning, NLP and OCR, and develops the open-source libraries the product runs on. Read more about the team.
Talk to the engineers who built it
Tell us about your documents and compliance needs. We'll help you choose between the API, Studio and a custom setup.