ReglyphReglyph vs Smallpdf, Side by Side: Can It Translate a Scanned PDF?
Reglyph is our product, so we can't claim to be neutral. Both tools got the same files, and every result is shown as it came out.
- Scanned PDF: Reglyph. Smallpdf wouldn't take our scanned page at all. It said the file "is a scan or an image" and asked for another one, even though its translate page says scans are handled with OCR.
- Digital PDF: Reglyph, if you need the page back. Smallpdf showed its French translation as plain text next to the original, without the columns, the figure or the equation's layout. Ours kept the page, though the paragraphs lost their first-line indents.
Scorecard
| Page | Languages | Better result | What decided it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 book page (scan) | FR → EN | Reglyph | Smallpdf refused the file |
| Dense two-column paper (digital) | EN → FR | Reglyph | Smallpdf returned plain text; ours kept the layout |
| Score | Reglyph 2 · Smallpdf 0 |
How we tested
- We used two pages from the six-page set in our Reglyph vs Reflo test: a real scan of an 1871 book page, and a dense two-column physics paper.
- We judged layout and completeness, not the wording of the translations.
Scanned PDFs: Smallpdf won't take them
This comparison is over almost before it starts. We uploaded a scanned page from an 1871 edition of Jules Verne, and Smallpdf stopped at the upload. Its own translate page says scanned PDFs are converted with OCR, so we expected at least plain text back. This is all we got:
Here is the same page through Reglyph. The English sits on the original yellowed paper, the engraving is untouched, and the running header is translated too.
Digital PDFs: Smallpdf gives you text, not the page
Smallpdf did translate the digital paper, and the French reads fine. This is the screen it gave us: the original on the left, the French on the right as one long column of plain text. The two columns and the figure are gone, and the chirp-mass equation is flattened into a single line of characters.
Here is the same page through Reglyph. It comes back as a page, with the columns, the figure and the equation where they were. It isn't spotless: the paragraphs lost their first-line indents. If you only need to read the paper in French, Smallpdf's text does that. If you need a translated PDF that still looks like the paper, this isn't it.
Which one should you use?
- Scanned documents, photos of documents, anything without a text layer: Reglyph. Smallpdf refused ours.
- Digital PDFs you only need to read: Smallpdf's text works, and so do most translators.
- Digital PDFs you need back as a document: Reglyph.
- The surest test is your own file. Reglyph gives you 5 free pages a day: try it here.
More side-by-side tests: Reglyph vs DeepL, which Reglyph won 6–4, Reglyph vs Reflo on the same six pages, and Reglyph vs Google Translate.
Translate your scanned document now
Upload a scanned PDF or a photo — Reglyph OCRs it, translates it, and rebuilds the page so tables, stamps, and figures stay exactly where they were.
Translate 5 pages free, every dayFrequently asked
Can Smallpdf translate a scanned PDF?
Not in our test. Smallpdf rejected our scanned page with the message "Your file is a scan or an image or doesn't have any text. Try another file." Its translate page says scanned PDFs are converted with OCR, but our scan never got that far.
Does Smallpdf keep the layout when it translates a PDF?
Not in our test. On a two-column research paper it showed the translation as plain text, without the columns, the figure or the equation layout. Smallpdf's own translate page says images and special layouts don't carry over.
Which is better for scanned documents, Reglyph or Smallpdf?
Reglyph. It translated our scanned page and kept the original paper behind the text, while Smallpdf wouldn't accept the file.
You make Reglyph. Is this comparison fair?
We can't be neutral, so we kept it checkable: the same files, Smallpdf's screens shown as they came out, and our own flaw on the digital paper left in.