Private iLovePDF Alternative — KeptPDF (never uploads your files)

Q: Is iLovePDF safe?

For everyday documents iLovePDF has solid baseline security: TLS encryption, ISO/IEC 27001 certification, and automatic deletion within two hours. The residual risk is structural: your file is briefly on a third party's servers, though its desktop app avoids this by processing locally. For sensitive material, an in-browser tool removes that risk because the file is never uploaded.

Credit where it's due.

iLovePDF is a polished, ISO 27001-certified product with around 30 tools, a deep conversion catalog, native desktop and mobile apps, and even a desktop app that processes locally. For most everyday PDFs it's excellent. This page is about the one architectural difference that matters when the document is sensitive, plus a redaction tool built for liability.

The difference in one sentence

With iLovePDF's web and mobile tools, your file is uploaded to its servers, processed there, and deleted within two hours. With KeptPDF, the file is never uploaded at all. Nothing sits on a server to delete, breach, subpoena, or retain.

iLovePDF encrypts files in transit, auto-deletes them within two hours, and is ISO/IEC 27001 certified. That is a solid policy (e-signature data is kept about a month, and signed documents up to five years, for legal compliance). It also offers an installable desktop app that works locally. But the default web and mobile flow uploads your file: for a contract, a medical record, a financial statement, or anything under professional secrecy, that step is the exposure. KeptPDF removes it entirely. Every tool runs in your browser, on any device, with nothing to install.

KeptPDF vs iLovePDF

Same tasks, a different exposure profile, and a redaction tool built for people with real liability.

Capability	KeptPDF	iLovePDF
Files are processed in your browser, never uploaded
You can verify zero uploads yourself by watching the network tab
Redaction auto-detects names, SSNs & addresses, not just cards, phones & emails
Redaction ships a verifiable SHA-256 audit certificate
Redaction permanently removes the underlying content
Bates numbering with CSV load file & production report
Bulk-process many PDFs at once, all in your browser
Every tool free, no account or sign-up required
Works offline in the browser once the page has loaded
ISO/IEC 27001 certified, established compliance program
Large catalog of file-format conversions (Word, Excel, PPT, HTML…)
Native desktop & mobile apps

✓ yes · – partial · ✗ no. Marks reflect each product's default web workflow as of June 2026, per each product's own site and documentation. iLovePDF's web and mobile tools upload files over TLS and auto-delete them within two hours (e-signature data is kept about a month, signed documents up to five years); it also offers an installable desktop app that processes locally. Its redaction permanently removes content, but auto-detection covers only credit cards, phone numbers and emails (names and PHI are manual), with no audit certificate. iLovePDF is genuinely strong where we mark it: ISO/IEC 27001 certified, a far larger conversion catalog, and native desktop & mobile apps. KeptPDF processes everything in your browser, so there is no upload to delete.

When iLovePDF is the better pick, honestly.

We'd rather you choose the right tool than oversell ours.

Broad conversion & a big toolbox

iLovePDF has around 30 tools, including full Word, Excel, PowerPoint and HTML conversion. KeptPDF does images, OCR and table-to-Excel extraction, not full Office round-tripping. For heavy conversion, iLovePDF's catalog is broader.

A named certification on file

Need to point procurement at an existing ISO/IEC 27001 certificate today? iLovePDF publishes one. We don't carry formal certifications.

Installable native apps

Want a desktop app that processes locally, or native iOS and Android apps with sync? iLovePDF has them. KeptPDF runs in any browser, including on your phone, but there's no app to install.

Where KeptPDF pulls ahead: redaction you can defend.

This is the reason most people switch.

Broader automatic PII detection

iLovePDF's auto-detect covers credit cards, phone numbers and emails, so you still box names and PHI by hand. KeptPDF scans on-device and pre-marks names, SSNs, account numbers, addresses and dates for your review. Far less to miss.

A SHA-256 audit certificate

Every redaction exports a verifiable certificate showing the input and output document hashes, exactly what categories were removed, and the safety mode used: defensible proof the file was sanitized, for your compliance and client records. iLovePDF publishes no equivalent.

It works on your phone, nothing uploaded

Auto-detect and redact PII straight from a mobile browser, with no desktop, no app install, and still nothing uploaded. Useful when a sensitive file lands in your inbox on the go.

Before you send a file to opposing counsel, a partner firm, a client, or an AI assistant, clean it where it already is, in your browser.

Switching from iLovePDF

Nothing to import or migrate. There's no account or cloud library to move, just open a file and go.

1 · Open your file

Drop a PDF onto the page. It loads straight into your browser, with no upload step and no waiting room.

2 · Work on it privately

Redact, sign, OCR, Bates, compress, merge: every change happens on your device. Your file is never sent anywhere.

3 · Download the result

Save your finished PDF. The original never left your device, and neither did the copy.

iLovePDF alternative: FAQ

Does iLovePDF upload and store my files?

Its web and mobile tools do. iLovePDF uploads your file over an encrypted connection, processes it on its servers, and auto-deletes it within two hours (e-signature data is kept about a month, and signed documents up to five years). Its installable desktop app processes locally instead. KeptPDF never uploads your file in the first place. Every tool runs in your browser, so there is nothing on a server to retain or delete.

What is the most private iLovePDF alternative?

KeptPDF runs entirely in your browser, so your document is never uploaded anywhere. Open developer tools, watch the Network tab, and run any tool: your file never appears in a request. The only calls are tiny first-party pings (the tool's name, whether you're signed in) that never contain it. Once the page has loaded, tools keep working if the connection drops (OCR downloads its engine on first use).

Does iLovePDF redact PII automatically?

iLovePDF has a redaction tool that permanently removes content, and it can auto-detect credit cards, phone numbers and emails, but names and other PHI you box by hand. KeptPDF auto-detects a broader set on-device (names, SSNs, account numbers, addresses and dates), pre-marks it for your review, destroys the underlying content, and exports a SHA-256 audit certificate of exactly what was removed.

Is KeptPDF free, and do I need an account?

All 25 tools are free with no account, with files up to 25 MB and no daily limit. Pro ($29/month) removes the watermark, lifts the size cap (~500 MB practical limit), and adds PDF and JSON audit certificates, Bates load files, and unlimited bulk.

Is iLovePDF safe?

For everyday documents, iLovePDF has solid baseline security: TLS encryption, ISO/IEC 27001 certification, and automatic deletion within two hours. The residual risk is structural: your file is briefly on a third party's servers (its desktop app avoids this by processing locally). For privileged, regulated or otherwise sensitive material, an in-browser tool removes that risk entirely because the file is never uploaded.

Comparing other tools? See KeptPDF vs Smallpdf and KeptPDF vs Adobe Acrobat.

The iLovePDF alternative that never uploads your files.