A Smallpdf alternative for the batch, the scan and the Arabic page.
Smallpdf's free PDF to Excel converter does one native PDF cleanly, with no account and no install. Scanned pages and batches are Pro features, by its own product page. This is what Saff does with those, and with the Arabic documents neither page mentions.
When Smallpdf is the right answer
One PDF with selectable text, needed as a spreadsheet now: Smallpdf converts it free, without an account or an install, and the product page is candid about the limits. "You can convert PDFs to Excel for free with some usage limits." For a scan, the page is equally clear: "OCR is available with a Smallpdf Pro account." And for a batch: "Batch processing lets you convert large document sets quickly, and is available with Smallpdf Pro."
On files, Smallpdf's statements are specific and worth quoting. The product page: "Your files are protected with 256-bit TLS encryption and deleted from our servers after one hour." Its safety article says its servers are in Ireland, under EU law, and its privacy notice says uploaded files are not used for training. If your worry was indefinite retention on a free site, that is not what Smallpdf says it does.
| Smallpdf | Saff | |
|---|---|---|
| Files at a time | One in the free tool; batch processing with Pro (its product page) | A batch, uploaded together |
| What comes back | The page layout as a spreadsheet | Only the columns you named |
| Different supplier layouts | A different grid per file | The same columns every time |
| Scanned PDFs | OCR with a Pro account (its product page) | Read as an image; unclear values flagged |
| Phone photos of documents | Not stated on the PDF to Excel page | JPG, PNG and WEBP read the same way |
| Arabic and bilingual documents | Not stated on the PDF to Excel page | Supported, right-to-left included |
| Check before you trust it | You download the file | Original page beside every flagged value |
| What happens to your file | Deleted from its servers after one hour (its product page) | Not kept by default; kept only in storage you connect |
| Where it is processed | Servers in Ireland (its safety article) | UAE region, or installed on your own machines |
| Price | Free with usage limits; Pro subscription for OCR and batch | AED 0.50 per document; 15 a month free; no subscription |
What Smallpdf says about your files, in its own words
From the PDF to Excel product page, read on 13 September 2026: "Files are encrypted in transit using 256-bit TLS and automatically deleted from our servers after one hour." From its safety article: "Our servers are located in Ireland, so they fall under the data laws of the European Union." From its privacy notice, on AI features: it does not use uploaded files for training, and no persistent storage occurs unless you save the results.
The privacy notice adds a nuance the product page does not: files handled through a user account are deleted within one hour unless saved to storage, while for use without an account it says it will "generally aim to delete User Files within a reasonable period of time after the last time they were opened." Both statements are Smallpdf's; we quote both so you can read them yourself.
Where Saff is different
The batch and the scan are not upgrades in Saff; they are the product. You name the columns once, upload PDFs, scans and photos together, and every file produces a row in the same shape. A scan is read as an image and every value the read was unsure of is flagged, with the page beside it, so the check is a glance.
The file is used for the extraction and removed, unless your workspace connects its own storage. Extracted values stay in your workspace, encrypted, in the UAE region, and the same product can be installed inside your company for documents that cannot leave it. Arabic, English and bilingual pages are read in their own direction, with an Arabic interface for the person doing the review.
What Saff will not do that Smallpdf does
Compress, merge, split, sign, edit or convert to Word. Convert a single clean PDF without creating an account. Give you a copy of the page rather than a table of the values on it. For those jobs Smallpdf is the better tool, and this page says so.
Does Smallpdf convert scanned PDFs to Excel for free?
Not on the free tier, by its own product page: OCR is a Smallpdf Pro feature. Saff reads scans and photos as part of every plan, including the 15 free documents a month, and flags what it could not read clearly.
Can I batch convert PDFs to Excel without Smallpdf Pro?
With Saff, yes: upload the batch and every file is read into the same columns, one row each. Smallpdf's page states that batch processing is available with Pro.
Is Smallpdf safe?
By its own statements, files are TLS-encrypted, deleted from its servers after one hour, processed in Ireland and not used for training. Whether an hour on a third party's server is acceptable depends on the document. Saff does not keep the original after extraction.
Does either tool handle Arabic PDFs?
Smallpdf's PDF to Excel page does not mention Arabic or right-to-left text. Saff reads Arabic, English and bilingual pages, stores the text the right way round, and has an Arabic interface.
Try the batch without the upgrade
Fifteen documents a month are free, scans included. Name your columns and upload the folder.