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Deckle vs Sejda: which PDF tool should you use?

By DeckleUpdated

Deckle and Sejda both split, merge and organise PDFs, and both can work without uploading files, but in different ways. Sejda's web tools delete uploaded files after two hours, and its desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux processes files locally. Deckle processes files locally in the browser, with nothing to install. Sejda has specialist features Deckle lacks, such as splitting by bookmarks, while its free web tier is limited to documents of up to 200 pages or 50 MB and 3 tasks per hour.

Split PDF
Illustrated report, proposal and notes beside a numbered page sequence.
Illustration · choose the pages and order for your reader.

Deckle vs Sejda at a glance

Sejda facts are from its own pages, checked on 5 November 2026.

Deckle Sejda
Where files are processed In your browser, on your device Web: on Sejda's servers, deleted after two hours. Desktop: locally
Install needed for local processing No Yes, Sejda Desktop
Free web limits No account or plan Up to 200 pages or 50 MB per document, 3 tasks per hour
Free desktop limits Not applicable 3 tasks per day, 50 MB and 200 pages per document
Account Not needed Not needed for free use
Paid plans None Web Week Pass, Web Monthly, Desktop Week Pass, Desktop+Web Annual
Split by bookmarks No Yes, "Split PDF by bookmarks"
OCR No Yes; up to 10 pages per file on the free web and desktop versions

When to choose Sejda

  • You need to split by bookmarks. Sejda can extract chapters to separate files based on the PDF's outline. Deckle splits by page numbers only.
  • You want an installed app on Linux. Sejda Desktop runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
  • You need OCR, editing or other specialist tools. Sejda's suite is broader than Deckle's.

When to choose Deckle

  • You want local processing without installing anything. Deckle works in the browser, including on a phone or a locked-down work laptop.
  • You do more than three jobs an hour. Deckle has no task quota.
  • You work with long documents. Deckle has no page-count cap on its page tools.
  • You want to see what was checked. Every Deckle result shows a Verified: line of measured facts, such as how many pages were inspected and how many output files were checked.

How to split a long PDF into chapters with Deckle

Without bookmark splitting, use the chapter page numbers:

  1. Open the PDF in any viewer and note the first page of each chapter, for example 1, 15, 42 and 77.
  2. Open Split PDF and choose the PDF, or drop it onto the page.
  3. Under How to split it, choose Choose split points and place a cut before pages 15, 42 and 77, or choose Page ranges I choose and enter 1–14, 15–41, 42–76 and 77 to the end.
  4. Check the planned files list: four files, no pages left out.
  5. Choose the button, such as Create 4 PDFs, and download the files.

Splitting a PDF by page range covers ranges, gaps and overlaps.

Example: a 320-page manual is over Sejda's 200-page free web limit. In Deckle, the whole manual opens in Split PDF, and splitting it into five sections takes one run.

Tips

  • Use bookmarks as a map. Even without bookmark splitting, your viewer's bookmark panel shows where each chapter starts.
  • Check the free limits before a long job. Sejda's page, size and hourly limits apply to its free web tier.
  • Keep your original. Deckle never changes the PDF you open, so a wrong split costs nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Is Deckle a free Sejda alternative?

For splitting, merging, organising, rotating, image conversion, passwords, metadata removal and text extraction, yes, with no hourly task limit.

Does Sejda upload my files?

Its web tools do, and delete files after two hours. Sejda Desktop processes files on your computer.

Can Deckle split a PDF by bookmarks?

No. Split by page numbers instead, using Choose split points or Page ranges I choose.

Does Deckle have a page limit?

Deckle has no page-count cap on page tools. Very large files depend on your device's memory, and image exports have a per-image pixel limit.

Related tools

Sources