What You Get Free
🤖 AI-Powered Detection
Automatically finds names, SSNs, addresses, phone numbers, emails, dates, and financial account numbers. No manual selection needed.
🔒 Permanent Redaction
Pixel-burn technology destroys sensitive data at the pixel level. Not a black box — the data is permanently gone from the output file.
🌐 Browser-Based
Documents stay in your browser. AI detection uses bank-grade TLS 1.3 encryption with zero data retention. No complete files ever uploaded.
♾️ Unlimited Documents
No daily limits. No page caps. No throttling. Process as many documents as you need, as often as you need.
📄 PDFs and Images
Supports PDF documents and image files (PNG, JPG). Drag and drop — it just works.
⚡ 30-Second Workflow
Drop file → AI detects PII → Review → Apply → Download. A 12-page document takes under a minute.
What's the catch? The free tier adds a small SafeRedact watermark to the bottom of redacted documents. Everything else — AI detection, permanent redaction, unlimited use — is identical to paid plans. Remove the watermark with a $5 day pass, $99/year, or $99/year.
Free Redaction Tools Compared
| Tool | AI Detection | Permanent | No Upload | Free Limit | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SafeRedact | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Unlimited | Watermark on output |
| Xodo | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ (cloud) | 5 actions/day | Manual selection, cloud upload |
| Smallpdf | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ (cloud) | 2 docs/day | Manual selection, cloud upload |
| Adobe Acrobat (trial) | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ (desktop) | 7-day trial | Requires install, manual selection, charges after trial |
| PDF-XChange | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ (desktop) | Unlimited (with watermark) | Desktop install, manual selection, Windows only |
| iLovePDF | ✗ | ✗ (masking only) | ✗ (cloud) | Limited | Not true redaction — visual masking only |
SafeRedact is the only free tool with AI-powered detection. Every other free option requires you to manually find and select every piece of sensitive information — which means you'll miss things, especially across long documents.
How It Works
Step 1: Go to saferedact.app and drag your PDF into the browser. No account needed.
Step 2: SafeRedact's AI scans the document and highlights detected PII — names, SSNs, addresses, phone numbers, emails, dates of birth, and financial account numbers. Each detection is color-coded by category.
Step 3: Review the detections. Add anything the AI missed. Remove any false positives. You have full control.
Step 4: Click Apply. Permanent pixel-burn redaction destroys the sensitive data. Download the clean output file.
The entire process takes under 60 seconds for a typical document. A 12-page contract with 20+ PII instances takes about 47 seconds from upload to download.
Why "Free" Matters for Redaction
Most people who need to redact a document need to do it right now. A landlord asks for a redacted bank statement. A lawyer needs to file a motion with sealed information. An HR manager needs to share an employee file with personal details removed. In these moments, a free tool that works immediately is worth more than an enterprise platform with a 14-day procurement process.
That's why SafeRedact's free tier has no signup, no trial period, and no daily limits. The watermark is the only difference between free and paid — and for most personal use, the watermark is a non-issue.
When to Upgrade
The free tier is genuinely sufficient for most individual users. Consider upgrading when:
- Professional output needed: If you're submitting redacted documents to clients, courts, or regulators, the watermark may look unprofessional. The $5 day pass gives you 24 hours of watermark-free output.
- Regular use: If you redact documents weekly, the $99/year plan is more cost-effective than repeated day passes.
- Team use: If multiple people in your organization need redaction, the annual plan provides the best per-document economics.
| Plan | Price | Watermark | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Yes | Personal use, testing, one-off needs |
| Day Pass | $5 | No (24 hours) | One-time professional submission |
| Annual | $99/yr | No | Regular professional use |
| Annual |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to create an account?
No. The free tier requires no signup, no email, and no credit card. Just go to saferedact.app and start redacting.
What file types are supported?
SafeRedact supports PDF documents and image files (PNG, JPG). For Word documents, export to PDF first (File → Save As → PDF) or use ModernPDF for free conversion, then redact the PDF. See our Word redaction guide →
Are my documents safe?
Yes. Documents are processed in your browser — no complete file is ever uploaded to a server. AI detection uses Anthropic's API via bank-grade TLS 1.3 encryption, with zero data retention. The AI provider does not store or train on your data. Read our full privacy architecture →
Is free redaction good enough for legal or compliance use?
The redaction quality is identical between free and paid plans — same AI detection, same permanent pixel-burn redaction, same security. The only difference is the watermark. For formal legal filings or regulatory submissions, the watermark may be inappropriate — use a day pass ($5) for those situations.
How does SafeRedact compare to Adobe Acrobat for redaction?
Adobe Acrobat Pro costs $22.99/month and requires desktop installation. It has no AI detection — you must manually select every item to redact. SafeRedact is free, runs in your browser, and uses AI to automatically find PII. Adobe's advantage is metadata sanitization and broader format support. See our full Adobe comparison →