by Adel LabsEditing a number changes the text only. Related totals, formulas and charts are not recalculated.
TYPE LIBRARY
184 bundled families, with their licences
Matches for the selected line appear first. Search the full local library by family or category. A font file loads only when you choose that family.
The font stays in this browser session.
How Recast differs
Product capabilities change. This comparison names the exact browser or installed application reviewed. Prices are omitted because plans vary by region and change frequently.
| Product surface | Editing existing body text | Where the document is processed |
|---|---|---|
| Recast in a current browser | Yes, for supported digital-PDF text runs. Scanned text is recognised and reconstructed; every edited scan page is exported as an image. | In the browser after the application assets load. No document account or document upload is required. |
| Acrobat Online free editor | No direct body-text editing is described on the reviewed free-editor page; it provides added text, comments, markup, fill and sign. | The PDF is uploaded to Adobe servers. |
| Acrobat desktop | Yes. The desktop Edit PDF control changes existing text and images, subject to the document’s fonts and structure. | Installed desktop application. |
| PDF Expert for Mac and iOS | Yes. Its official feature pages describe direct editing of PDF text, images and links. | Installed Apple applications. The reviewed feature pages do not state a document-processing location. |
| UPDF for Windows | Yes. Its official guide describes modifying or deleting existing text. A scanned PDF requires OCR before text editing. | Installed Windows application. The reviewed guide does not state a document-processing location. |
| Smallpdf online editor | Yes. Its current official editor page describes editing existing text and adding new content. | The file is selected or dropped into the online service. |
| iLovePDF online editor | Yes. Its current official guide describes detecting and directly editing existing text. | The file is uploaded to the online service; its security guidance says processed files are deleted after two hours. |
| Sejda online editor | Yes for digital PDFs. Its official page says scanned-document text editing is not supported. | The file is uploaded to the online service and deleted after processing. |
| Sejda Desktop | Yes, using the installed editor’s PDF text tools. | The official page says files are processed on the user’s computer. |
| Capabilities checked 15 September 2026 from the named official pages. “Not stated” means the reviewed source did not establish the point; it is not a claim that the capability is absent. | ||
Sources
- Adobe Acrobat Online — free editor ↗
- Adobe Acrobat — edit text and images ↗
- PDF Expert — edit PDFs on Mac ↗
- PDF Expert — edit PDFs on iPhone and iPad ↗
- UPDF — edit text on Windows ↗
- Smallpdf — online PDF editor ↗
- iLovePDF — edit existing PDF text ↗
- iLovePDF — security ↗
- Sejda — online PDF editor ↗
- Sejda — desktop editor ↗
SAMPLE WORKFLOW / SELECT → REPLACE → COMPARE
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps, one device
- 01
Open the page
Open a PDF or image. A supported digital PDF supplies editable text runs. For a scan, choose a language and run local recognition.
- 02
Replace the line
Enter the replacement. Recast reuses an embedded font only when the font, encoding and replacement characters are supported; otherwise it offers a bundled substitute.
- 03
Check, then export
Compare Edited, Original, Split and Changes views. Supported digital-PDF edits remain vector. Each edited scan page is rebuilt as an image at the selected resolution.
WHY LOCAL
Document processing stays in this browser
Recast serves its PDF, OCR, font and media files from its own site, then processes the opened document in the browser. The status bar reports observed cross-origin requests. The separate local review file is intended for offline use after it has been saved to the device.
Vector edits
Supported digital-PDF edits remain vector and searchable.
Original font
Reused when the embedded font, encoding and replacement characters are supported.
Metric-compatible substitutes
Named alternatives are offered for common document fonts; inspect the preview before export.
184 typefaces
Open-licence families bundled with the application.
OCR in seven languages
English, French, Arabic, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese recognition runs on the device.
Background reconstruction
The selected scan background is estimated before the replacement text is drawn.
Split view
Drag the divider to compare the original and edited page.
Undo history
Step backwards or forwards through applied edits during the session.
SUPPORTED STRUCTURES
Paragraph reflow, rotated text, text inside form XObjects, Type3 fonts, vertical writing and predefined non-Identity CMaps are not edited in place. Arabic vector edits use a library face. Typeface matching on short all-capital samples remains uncertain; a confidence score is an estimate to inspect, not proof of the original face. Edited scan pages are rebuilt as full-page images. Unedited page content is not intentionally changed, but the exported PDF is rewritten.