Good questions. Clear answers.
No fine print hiding behind the download button.
Is PDF on Tap really free?
Yes. There are no accounts, subscriptions, watermarks, or daily usage limits in the application. A self-hosting operator pays their own infrastructure costs. Local file and memory limits keep large jobs manageable.
Do my files leave my device?
No. Editing, OCR, conversions and advanced tools run locally in your browser. The site downloads free processing engines and language packs; it does not upload your PDF.
How large can my PDF be?
Open PDFs up to 500 MB and 2,000 pages. Large scans recognize text on the page you open, with edits assembled when you download. Original image quality and page layout stay intact outside edited text areas. Performance depends on your device; some whole-document tools require more memory. Combined files for a merge must also stay within 500 MB.
Can I edit every PDF?
Native text and recognized scanned text can be edited directly on the original page. Native text retains its embedded font, size, color and measured spacing; missing glyphs are not silently substituted. Scans use OCR and visually estimated fonts, with replacements over the original image. The live PDF preview uses the same edited page content as the download. Review OCR wording and appearance: textured backgrounds, handwriting, skewed scans, and complex scripts can need correction or Reflow document. Text cannot grow through neighboring content.
Are signatures verified?
Typed, drawn and uploaded signatures are visual electronic signature appearances. They do not verify identity. Certificate signing is not implemented. Existing digital signatures become invalid when the document changes.
What does secure redaction remove?
PDF on Tap applies redaction, then rebuilds every page from its visible pixels into a new image-only PDF. This removes source text streams, hidden objects, attachments, links and forms. Inspect every page before sharing.
Will Office conversion preserve everything?
No. DOCX and modern spreadsheets become readable reflowed pages. Slide/OpenDocument imports focus on text. PDF to DOCX and XLSX extract editable text, and PPTX exports page images. Complex layouts, formulas, charts and original slide objects are not reconstructed. Free LibreOffice can resave older Office formats.