Quick answer
Both Sejda and PlatoForms work with existing PDFs and can create downloadable fillable documents. Sejda provides tools for editing imported PDF text and placing form fields. With PlatoForms, you can upload an existing PDF and use AI field detection to make it fillable online while preserving its original appearance, or convert it into a responsive web form whose answers populate the original PDF. For a new document, PDF Document Creator supports AI-assisted design and editing, fillable PDF export, and conversion to an online form. PlatoForms also connects online completion and signing with configured approval steps and automatic PDF delivery to cloud storage.
Best for
| Tool | Best for |
|---|---|
| Sejda | Editing imported PDF text, placing fillable fields, and running PDF processing tools |
| PlatoForms | AI-assisted document creation and fillable PDF export; online forms with signing, approval, and automatic cloud delivery |
Pricing at a glance
| Plan | Price and billing basis | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Sejda Free | $0 | PDF forms: up to 200 pages/50 MB and 3 tasks/hour |
| Sejda Web Week Pass | $5 one-time | 7 days of web access, per user |
| Sejda Web Monthly | $7.50/user/month | Online tools; renews monthly |
| Sejda Desktop + Web Annual | $63/user/year | Desktop and online tools; renews annually |
| PlatoForms Free | $0 | AI field recognition and form generation; 1 live form, 100 submissions/month, 2 members |
| PlatoForms Bronze | $120/year ($10/month equivalent), or $12 monthly | Workflow, e-signatures, cloud integration; 2 live forms, 1,000 submissions/month, 5 members |
| PlatoForms Silver | $360/year ($30/month equivalent), or $36 monthly | Bronze features; 20 live forms, 10,000 submissions/month, 20 members; HIPAA activation and BAA available |
Sejda’s paid plans are priced per user. Each PlatoForms plan includes a set number of team members, published online forms, monthly submissions, and AI credits. For example, Bronze includes 5 team members, 2 published forms, and 1,000 submissions per month for the plan price shown above. Its free in-browser PDF utilities require no account. Workflow, online e-signatures, and cloud-drive integration start at Bronze. Compare the features needed for your task, rather than treating either product as requiring an annual subscription.
Feature comparison
| Task | Sejda | PlatoForms |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistance | Manual field placement in PDF Forms; AI form generation is not listed | AI field detection, web form/logic generation, document design/editing, translation, Voice Filling, and Insights Q&A/summaries |
| Create and edit a document | PDF Editor edits imported text; PDF Forms adds fields to an existing file or blank page | PDF Document Creator creates and edits its own document designs, including AI-assisted changes; it is not a general imported-PDF text editor |
| Online signing | Published fill-and-sign link | Online signing with optional signature certificates |
| Download a blank fillable PDF | Create fields on an existing PDF or blank document, then download | Design in PDF Document Creator, then export a fillable PDF |
| Share a form online | Publish a fill-and-sign link backed by a publicly shared source PDF in Google Drive | Public link, embed, QR code, or personalized invitation |
| Receive completed PDFs | Published form returns the completed PDF by email | Submission dashboard plus configurable email links or PDF attachments |
| Let respondents keep a copy | Download the completed PDF in the fill-and-sign flow | Enable PDF download after submission or email a copy |
| Process existing PDF files | Merge, split, compress, rotate, and other PDF tools | Free PDF tools to merge, split, compress, remove/extract/reorder/rotate pages, and add or remove passwords; files are processed locally in your browser |
| Save a chain of PDF processing tasks | Sejda Workflows saves reusable tool chains | Separate tools for merging, splitting, compressing, and other PDF tasks |
| Route forms between people | Published forms return completed PDFs by email for your team to handle | Workflow steps collect each participant’s entries in sequence; reminders can be configured |
| Store completed records | Receive and file the returned PDF through your email/storage process | Retain submissions, download PDFs, or configure delivery to a cloud folder |
PlatoForms supports online signatures and optional signature certificates. The certificate records signing details such as timestamps, email and IP address, and the submitted PDF’s SHA256 checksum, giving your team a record to retain alongside the completed document.
PlatoForms supports these form field types, fillable PDF export, and PDF email attachments for form creation and delivery. A hosted form and a downloaded fillable PDF are different outputs; check the fields and layout in the output you intend to use.
Sejda pros
- Create a downloadable form from an existing PDF or a blank page.
- Use a short paid pass for a one-off project.
- Choose desktop processing when you want to work locally.
Sejda scope and plan considerations
- The free web service has file and hourly task limits.
- The publishing route stores the source PDF in Google Drive and shares it publicly by link. Completed forms return by email; staff review and downstream storage need a separate process.
- The PDF Forms guide describes adding and positioning fields manually. Allow time to configure field properties and check the saved result.
PlatoForms pros
- Create and edit document designs with AI assistance in PDF Document Creator, then export static or fillable PDFs.
- Convert an existing PDF into an original-layout online form or a responsive web form that fills the PDF, with AI-assisted field detection.
- Build new web forms from scratch, templates, or AI prompts.
- Collect online signatures, manage submission records, and export completed PDFs and response data.
- Reuse shared answers across linked PDFs with Master Forms; connect participant review steps with Workflow and automatically save generated PDFs through cloud-drive integration.
PlatoForms scope and plan considerations
- Online completion requires an internet connection; a downloaded fillable PDF can instead be completed in a compatible PDF viewer.
- Plans specify published-form, submission, storage, and team-member allowances; signing, Workflow, and cloud-drive integration are paid features.
- Document Creator edits its own designs; rewriting the original text of an imported PDF requires a separate editor.
For either product, review form fields and completed output before distribution. Participant steps and delivery destinations also need configuration.
Choose Sejda if
You need to edit text in an imported PDF, place its fields manually, or reuse a chain of PDF processing tasks. Sejda’s free tier and short paid pass provide options for limited use. Downloadable fillable PDFs are available in both products; the deciding factor is the editing and setup work you need.
Choose PlatoForms if
You want to create a downloadable fillable document, turn an existing PDF into an online form, or build a new web form with AI assistance. For online registration, collect answers and signatures through a shared link and manage each submission in PlatoForms. Add Workflow when staff need to review or complete a later step, Master Forms when several PDFs need the same answers, and cloud-drive integration to save generated PDFs automatically. Configure delivery on the form that produces the completed record. A single form can be used on its own; review steps and multiple-document setups are optional.
Both Tools Create Fillable PDFs: Compare the Starting Point
With Sejda PDF Forms, you can add fields to an uploaded PDF or begin with a blank document. Its separate PDF Editor can change existing PDF text. This is relevant when your source file already exists and needs direct edits.
With PlatoForms PDF Document Creator, you can start from a blank canvas, a preset, or an AI prompt, edit the content and layout, add input components, and export a fillable PDF. That is a complete document-creation option on its own. You do not need multiple documents, recurring submissions, or an approval workflow to use it.
For an existing PDF that people should fill online, PlatoForms offers a PDF Fillable Form that retains the document as the background, or a Web PDF Form with a responsive question layout and mapped PDF output. A Document Creator design can also be converted to either online form type. This gives you a choice between distributing a file and sharing a browser form.
Can AI Help Prepare a Reusable Form?
Sejda’s PDF Forms guide describes placing fields manually. For a short form, manual placement may be enough. PlatoForms’ AI field detection provides another starting point when preparing more extensive paperwork.
In PlatoForms, AI field detection identifies fields on uploaded PDFs for review, while AI Form Generator drafts an editable web form from a description. Teams can also review AI-generated conditional rules and suggested translations before publishing. For a new document, PDF Document Creator supports AI-assisted design and editing, static or fillable PDF export, and conversion to an online form.
For an online event or program signup, PlatoForms’ registration form templates give you a starting set of questions to customize. This is an alternative to drafting the web form with AI.
For a recurring registration form, PlatoForms’ Voice Filling maps spoken answers to fields for the respondent to review and submit. After collection, AI in Insights helps teams ask questions about reports, summarize results, and classify text responses. Staff still review the record and make any required approval decision. The AI feature guide explains feature scope, including translation and connected AI assistants; access, credits, and data handling depend on the feature.
Both Tools Offer Online Completion
Sejda’s PDF Forms guide documents a Publish button that produces a shareable link. Recipients fill and sign the form and return it by email. The publishing dialog explains that the source PDF is saved in your Google Drive and shared publicly by link. Publish blank paperwork appropriate for that access level; completed returns are separate files. Sejda’s temporary processing deletion policy does not remove the source from your own Drive.
PlatoForms lets you publish a link or embed a form, keep responses in its submission dashboard, and configure PDF email attachments or cloud delivery. A responsive Web PDF Form is useful when people complete questions on a phone; the answers populate the configured PDF output.
The distinction is how you manage the returned information and the next step, as well as how the form looks to the person completing it.
Sejda Has PDF Processing Workflows Too
Sejda Workflows lets you save a sequence of PDF processing tasks and reuse it with other input files. Its guide describes running a tool, continuing to another tool, and saving the chain as a workflow. Free users can create one workflow.
PlatoForms also has free in-browser PDF tools for merging, splitting, compressing, rearranging, and protecting files. You run these utilities individually.
Sejda Workflows repeats PDF processing tasks. PlatoForms Workflow passes forms between participants, such as an employee and a manager.
For example, a team that repeatedly processes incoming files should test Sejda’s tool-chain route. A team that needs an employee to submit a request and a manager to complete the next section should test participant routing. Those jobs may exist in the same office, but they require different checks.
For a downloadable form, compare Sejda’s field-authoring controls with PlatoForms’ document-design and export route. For online responses, compare the filling experience, response records, and the steps after submission. Frequency alone does not decide which product fits.
Who Handles Approval and Filing?
Both products can deliver completed PDFs by email: Sejda through its published fill-and-sign flow, and PlatoForms through configured form notifications. The Sejda guide describes an emailed return; it does not describe participant approval routing in that publishing flow. Your team still needs to decide who checks it, where it goes next, and where the approved copy belongs. PlatoForms can keep those steps in a configured form process, reducing manual forwarding and filing.
For forms that require review, PlatoForms can route participant steps and deliver submitted PDFs to cloud storage. Configure the relevant final step and inspect the output. A workflow must be tested with realistic long answers and signatures before it replaces your current process.
Test File Compatibility Before Distribution
A fillable PDF depends on the viewer opening it. Both products’ downloaded fillable PDFs should be checked in the intended viewer. PlatoForms’ Document Creator documentation also notes that complex designs can vary in fillable export. Test the downloaded file in the application your recipients use, including saving, closing, and reopening it. For browser intake, test the hosted form on a phone instead.
See the Acrobat comparison for deeper PDF authoring, or the fillable PDF tool shortlist for other routes.
Frequently asked questions
When should I choose PlatoForms as a Sejda alternative?
Choose PlatoForms to design a downloadable fillable PDF with AI assistance, convert an existing PDF into an online form, or build a new web form. A single form can use any of these routes. When needed, add online signing, participant approval steps, and automatic PDF delivery to cloud storage on an eligible paid plan; Master Forms reuse answers across multiple PDFs.
Can PlatoForms AI turn an existing PDF into an online form?
Yes. AI field detection identifies fields on an uploaded PDF for you to review and adjust. Publish a PDF Fillable Form to keep the document visible during completion, or use a Web PDF Form for a responsive question layout with completed PDF output.
Can PlatoForms collect responses, route review steps, and save completed PDFs?
Yes. Publish the form to collect submissions, configure Workflow for participant-specific steps, and connect the relevant output form to supported cloud storage. Master Forms can also reuse one set of answers across several PDFs. Test the configured process before sending it to clients.
Get Started with PlatoForms
Design a downloadable fillable PDF, turn existing paperwork into an online form, or build a new web form. Start with the format your respondents need.
