Alternative · PDFescape
AttachKit vs. PDFescape — both fill PDFs in a browser; only one never uploads
PDFescape: A long-running, ad-supported browser PDF editor and form filler.
PDFescape has been a go-to browser PDF form-filler since 2007 (now owned by Avanquest/Claranova). Its free online editor is genuinely handy — but it's a server-side web app: you upload your file, it's processed on PDFescape's servers, you download the result. AttachKit fills, edits, signs, and redacts the same PDFs entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
Why pick AttachKit for these cases
- PDFescape's free online editor uploads your file; AttachKit fills and edits in your browser with nothing uploaded.
- Sign, redact, convert and OCR are free in the browser — not gated to a paid tier.
- AI auto-fill from a saved profile + AI redaction PDFescape doesn't have.
- Offline-verifiable signatures, free.
Side-by-side
A marks the side with the genuine advantage on that row — honestly, including the few where PDFescape wins.
Where your PDF is processed
PDFescapePDFescape's free online editor uploads your file to its US servers (transient uploads auto-deleted ~2 hours, or kept if you save them to an account). Its Desktop app (Windows) is local.
AttachKitEntirely in your browser — the file never leaves the page. Nothing to install, on any OS.
Price
PDFescapeFree online (ad-supported, 10 MB / 100 pages). Premium ~$6/mo and Ultimate ~$9/mo (cheaper billed yearly).
AttachKitFree: unlimited in-browser fill, edit & redact + 15 signed PDFs/mo. Pro $12/mo (or $120/yr).
What's free vs. paid
PDFescapeFree covers form-fill, annotate, and overlay edits. Editing existing text, real signatures, redaction, and Word conversion are paid (Ultimate/Desktop). No OCR on the free online tier.
AttachKitFill, sign, redact, convert, compress, OCR — all in the browser, free for the everyday jobs.
AI & auto-fill
PDFescapeNo AI, and no saved-profile autofill — form-filling is manual.
AttachKitAI auto-fill from your saved profile + AI PII redaction, included — and the PDF never leaves your browser.
Form building
PDFescapeA real strength — it can create interactive form fields, which most free tools can't.
AttachKitFills and flattens existing forms; building interactive fields from scratch isn't the focus.
Verifiable signatures
PDFescapeFree places a signature image; real digital signatures are paid (Ultimate/Desktop).
AttachKitOffline-verifiable cryptographic signature anyone can check, free.
Switching questions, answered
- Is my file private on PDFescape?
- PDFescape says transient online uploads are auto-deleted within about two hours and it doesn't sell your documents — a reasonable policy. But your file still leaves your device and is processed on their US servers (and persists if you save it to an account). AttachKit never uploads it at all — the editing happens in your browser.
- Is PDFescape cheaper than AttachKit?
- Its paid tiers are cheaper at the sticker price (Ultimate is ~$9/mo vs AttachKit Pro $12). But AttachKit does more on the free tier — signing, redaction, conversion and OCR in the browser, where PDFescape gates those behind Ultimate or its desktop app — and nothing you do is uploaded.
- What can PDFescape do that AttachKit can't?
- Build interactive form fields from scratch — a genuine PDFescape strength. AttachKit focuses on filling, signing, redacting and converting existing PDFs, plus AI auto-fill and verifiable signatures PDFescape doesn't offer.
Try AttachKit now
Drop a PDF — no signup. Unlimited fill & redact in your browser, plus 15 free signed PDFs every month.
Switching for good? Save your details once — every future form auto-fills.