Does your document have to leave your computer to be redacted?
Redactable is a polished, SOC 2-certified platform, but it redacts by uploading your documents to its cloud. PII Anomalyzer detects, anonymizes, and redacts entirely on your own machine, offline. Both remove content permanently. Here's how to decide.
The cloud, or your desk
Both tools redact PII permanently. They get there by different paths. The path matters when your documents are privileged, regulated, or can't be uploaded at all.
Redactable
Browser-based, cloud processing
- 1. You upload the document to Redactable
- 2. It's stored and processed in Redactable's cloud (AWS, US)
- 3. Cloud AI detects the sensitive data
- 4. You review and approve the redactions
- 5. Redactions applied and metadata removed in the cloud
- 6. You download the redacted file
Documents are encrypted (AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit) and stored in AWS US with multi-zone redundancy. Source: Redactable security page.
PII Anomalyzer
Desktop app, local processing
- 1. The document opens on your device
- 2. AI models run on your device
- 3. Detection completes on your device
- 4. Redactions applied on your device
- 5. Output saved on your device
- 6. No upload, no cloud in the path
Document content never crosses your network. Any network activity the app does perform is for software housekeeping, never document content. See our security page for the full disclosure.
Metered by the document, or flat and unlimited
Redactable charges by how many documents you redact each month. PII Anomalyzer is one flat annual price for as many as you want. Verified against redactable.com/pricing, June 2026.
Redactable
- Free3 docs/mo, no card
- Starter$23/mo annually · 15/mo
- Pro Plus$79/mo annually · 100/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
Per-month document caps; annual billing saves about 20%. A genuinely low entry point for light or occasional use.
PII Anomalyzer
$249/yr
Unlimited documents · 7-day free trial
No per-document limits and no monthly metering. One desktop license, as many documents as you need.
What each tool actually does
Verified against Redactable's security, pricing, and features pages as of June 2026. Redactable wins several rows, and they're here too.
| Capability | PII Anomalyzer | Redactable |
|---|---|---|
| Documents never leave your machine Redactable: documents upload to its cloud (AWS, US) for processing | Yes | No |
| Detection and redaction work offline Redactable: cloud-based, detection and redaction require an internet connection | Yes | No |
| AI detection runs on-device (no cloud processing) Redactable: AI detection runs in its cloud | Yes | No |
| Permanent redaction with hidden-metadata removal | Yes | Yes |
| AI auto-detection of PII | Yes | Yes |
| OCR for scanned documents | Yes | Yes |
| Accepts Word and Excel directly (no manual PDF conversion) Redactable: accepts PDF and image files; its own how-to says to export Word documents to PDF first, then upload. PII Anomalyzer opens Office files directly and converts them locally. | Yes | No |
| Anonymize and re-identify (reversible, not just redact) Redactable: built for permanent, irreversible redaction | Yes | No |
| Unlimited documents (no monthly cap) Redactable: monthly document limits per tier (free 3, Starter 15, Pro Plus 100) | Yes | No |
| Team workspaces and role-based collaboration Redactable: shared workspaces, task assignments, role-based access | No | Yes |
| Cloud-storage integrations (Drive, Dropbox, Box) Redactable: integrates with major cloud storage | No | Yes |
| Bates numbering for legal productions Redactable: includes Bates numbering | No | Yes |
| Free tier without a credit card Redactable: free tier covers 3 documents per month, no card required | No | Yes |
They're built for different jobs
This isn't a winner and a loser. It's a cloud collaboration platform and a local desktop tool. Pick by how your documents are allowed to move.
Redactable is best for
- • Teams that redact together and want shared workspaces, task assignments, and role-based access
- • Legal teams that need Bates numbering and redaction certificates for productions
- • Organizations that prefer a browser tool with cloud-storage integrations and a SOC 2-certified vendor
- • Light or occasional users who fit the free tier or low monthly volumes
PII Anomalyzer is best for
- • Anyone who can't upload documents to a third-party cloud: air-gapped, classified, privileged, or strict data-residency work
- • Steady or high-volume work where flat, unlimited pricing beats per-document monthly caps
- • Workflows that need anonymize-and-re-identify, not just permanent redaction
- • Word and Excel files, and detection that runs entirely on your own machine, offline
Redactable is a strong product. The difference is where the work happens.
Redactable is polished and genuinely capable. Its SOC 2 Type II certification is real, its team workspaces and cloud-storage integrations are well-built, and Bates numbering plus redaction certificates make it a credible choice for collaborative legal redaction. For teams that live in the cloud, it's a serious tool.
The core difference is architecture. Redactable redacts by uploading your documents to its cloud. PII Anomalyzer redacts on your own device, and the documents never leave it. Both remove content permanently. They are not equivalent, and the right choice depends on whether your documents are allowed to be uploaded in the first place.
PII Anomalyzer supports redaction workflows aligned with HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, FERPA, GLBA, and the EU AI Act. The tool doesn't carry those certifications, your compliance program does, but because your documents never reach a third-party processor, there's no document-handling vendor to disclose, no BAA to negotiate, and no vendor's document-security audit to vet. When the cloud itself is the blocker, local wins regardless of how good the cloud option is.
Redact without uploading a thing
Run PII Anomalyzer on your own documents, including the ones that can't go to the cloud. Detection, anonymization, and redaction, all on your machine.
7-day free trial · $249/year · Windows & macOS · Documents stay on your machine