PDF tools that keep privileged files on your machine.
Files never leave your browser. No uploads. No retention. No vendor-side copy to subpoena.
The rule you're trying not to violate.
One model rule, two influential state bar opinions, and a growing line of malpractice claims.
A lawyer shall not reveal information relating to the representation of a client unless the client gives informed consent, the disclosure is impliedly authorized in order to carry out the representation, or the disclosure is otherwise permitted.
Several state bar ethics opinions (including NY State Bar Opinion 842 and Cal. Bar Formal Opinion 2010-179) have held that lawyers must make reasonable efforts to assess vendor security before using cloud services. Uploading a client document to a third-party PDF processor without that diligence has been argued to potentially constitute a disclosure absent informed consent.
What a single upload can cost you.
Privilege waiver
Disclosure to a third-party processor can be cited as a waiver, by opposing counsel and by your own insurer.
Malpractice carrier scrutiny
Some malpractice carriers now ask about your vendor stack at renewal. Cloud uploads of client material can raise premiums or trigger exclusions.
Opposing counsel discovery
A subpoena to your vendor produces logs, copies, and metadata you never thought you'd hand over.
Built for how lawyers actually use PDFs.
Automatic redaction with audit certificate
High-profile document releases have repeatedly shipped redactions that could be defeated by copy-paste. KeptPDF auto-detects names, dates and identifiers, destroys the underlying text layer (not just the visible box), and signs the output with a SHA-256 hash.
Bates numbering for productions
Stamp continuous Bates numbers across an entire production, with prefix, padding, and a re-stamp lifecycle for new discovery rounds, then export a range report and CSV load file. OCR, redaction, and Bates in one local-only workflow.
Exhibit stamps & binders
Label each document as Exhibit A, B, C: a corner sticker, auto "EXHIBIT A" divider sheets, a combined binder, and a downloadable exhibit index. Built for motions, depositions and trial. Runs entirely in your browser.
Metadata scrub
Redaction rebuilds the PDF from scratch, stripping XMP, hidden layers, comment threads, prior author names and embedded revisions in the same pass.
No telemetry on files
We log nothing about your documents: no names, no sizes, no hashes. Auditable. Verifiable on the Verify page.
Compare & redline
Diff two versions of a contract or brief side by side. Additions and deletions are highlighted automatically, all in your browser.
How we compare.
Same task. Very different exposure profile.
| Capability | KeptPDF | iLovePDF | Adobe Acrobat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files are processed in your browser, never uploaded | |||
| Redaction ships a verifiable audit certificate | |||
| Redact straight from a phone browser, with no desktop and no app install | |||
| Auto-detects names, SSNs & emails on your device, so your text is never sent to a cloud AI | |||
| Strips hidden metadata, comments & revision history | |||
| No vendor-side copy to subpoena, breach, or leak | |||
| You can verify zero uploads yourself by watching the network tab |
✓ yes · – partial · ✗ no. Marks reflect each product's default workflow as of May 2026. Adobe Acrobat's desktop app processes files locally while its online tools upload by default; Acrobat's "Remove Hidden Information" does strip metadata, but neither competitor ships a verifiable redaction certificate. iLovePDF's web tools process every file on their servers. On a phone: Acrobat's mobile app has no redaction tool at all (it lives on desktop/web), so even paid users can't redact there; iLovePDF's app does redact but only by manually drawing boxes or typing a keyword, and neither auto-detects names, SSNs or emails on-device. KeptPDF's automatic detection and redaction run entirely in a mobile browser.
Privacy is table stakes. Legal work needs more.
SimplePDF and LocalPDF also process files in your browser, and credit where it's due. Here's what KeptPDF adds for redaction that holds up in litigation.
| Capability | KeptPDF | SimplePDF | LocalPDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files stay in your browser, never uploaded | |||
| Automatic PII & name detection, not just manual boxes | |||
| Verifiable SHA-256 redaction audit certificate | |||
| Bates numbering with load file & production report |
Credit where due: all three process files in your browser. KeptPDF adds the legal-grade layer: automatic detection, redaction that destroys the underlying text (not just black boxes), a SHA-256 audit certificate, and Bates numbering. Self-hosted suites like Stirling-PDF offer more general tools but require running your own server. Feature sets per each product's own site, May 2026.
Pricing for firms.
Pro
For a solo practitioner. $290/yr saves 2 months
- Downloadable redaction certificate (PDF & JSON, SHA-256) — proof of exactly what you redacted
- Clean output, no KeptPDF watermark
- Saved redact lists: always-redact client names & matter codes, never-flag your usual false positives
- Bates numbering with range report & e-discovery load files (.DAT, .OPT, .CSV)
- Unlimited bulk redaction & Bates across a production
- Larger files (practical limit ~500 MB)
- Priority email support
Practice
Everything in Pro, for your whole team. $990/seat/yr saves 2 months
- Shared always-redact list: client names & matter codes boxed on every associate’s document automatically
- Team never-flag list: tune out a false positive once, for the whole firm
- End-to-end encrypted: we can’t read your firm’s list
- Firm-wide redaction counts for audits
- 2–25 seats on one invoice · one bill · priority support
KeptPDF for Legal
For a firm that’s done counting seats: one flat price, everyone covered.
- Unlimited seats: the whole firm on one flat annual price
- Everything in Practice: shared redact lists, firm-wide audit counts, central billing
- Priority support with a response-time commitment
- Onboarding for your team & a privacy brief for your IT review
- Annual invoicing: PO & ACH friendly
Lock $99 per seat for life
The Practice rate goes up as the suite grows. Founding firms never pay more than today's price, for as long as you stay. For the first 25 practices.
Prefer to try first? Start free, no card required.