About

Why we built PDFLantern

This started from a small, familiar frustration: needing to get a PDF under an exact file size limit for a submission, and not finding a tool that made that easy without endless trial and error.

Most free PDF tools we tried either buried useful features behind a paywall, forced an account just to merge two files, or quietly uploaded documents to a server somewhere before we could think twice about it. We wanted something simpler and more honest: tools that just work, stay free, and don't ask anything of you beyond opening the page.

What we believe

Privacy by default Every tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server — we simply never see them.

Free, without the catch No account walls, no artificial daily limits on the core tools, no watermarks added to your files.

Built from real use Every tool exists because we needed it ourselves first — not because it looked good on a feature list.

Small and independent PDFLantern is run by a small team, not a large company. We read feedback and actually act on it.

How it actually works

Every tool on this site — merging, splitting, compressing, watermarking, converting — runs as code inside your own browser, using modern web technology built for exactly this. When you drop in a file, it's processed on your device and never leaves it. There's no server in the middle, which means there's nothing for us to store, lose, or misuse in the first place.

How this site stays free: a small number of unobtrusive ads help cover the cost of running and improving PDFLantern. We don't sell data, because there's none to sell — your files simply never reach us.

Get in touch

Found a bug, have an idea for a tool, or just want to say hello? Reach us at [your contact email].

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