Bates numbering and redaction tools compared
Published October 27, 2026
Several tools do one or both of two jobs: numbering every page of a set of documents with a Bates number, and removing private numbers before the set goes out. This page compares nine on price, how they redact, what they check, whether they Bates-number, whether they write an index with each file's SHA-256 fingerprint, and where your files go. It is published by BatesNumbering.app, so read it with that in mind; we have tried to say plainly where the others do more or are enough. Facts come from each tool's own site as we read it in October 2026, plus one test of our own, and prices change. This is general information, not legal advice.
The table
| Tool | Price, per its site | Redaction | What it checks | Bates | Index with SHA-256 | Where files go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | $19.99 a month on an annual plan; $29.99 month to month | Manual, plus search for words, phrases or patterns | Optional removal of hidden information when redactions are applied | Yes, across files | Not described in Adobe's Bates help | Desktop app |
| RedactPDF.io | Free, no account | Automatic suggestions you review | Not stated | No | No | Uploaded, encrypted, to EU servers; deleted after download |
| iLovePDF | Free with limits; Premium $59 a year | Manual and text search; personal-data categories need an account | Not stated | No (page numbers only) | No | iLovePDF's cloud; it says it does not keep documents |
| BatesKit | Free up to 20 files and 60 pages; $19 once | None | Text under black bars, metadata, numbering gaps, scans with no text, index against ranges | Yes | Yes, CSV plus load files | Your device |
| batesstamp.com | Free, no account | Manual boxes; every page becomes a 300 DPI image | No check of the output | Yes, up to 100 files | Yes, CSV receipt | Your browser |
| RedactifyAI | Page 1 free without an account, 50 pages a month with one; Starter $19 a month ($15 billed yearly) for 500 pages | Automatic, more than 40 data types including names, reads scans | Free checker: text under redaction marks | Not stated | Not stated | Its US servers; the checker runs in your browser |
| AI-Redact | 4 pages free without signing up; from $0.13 a page, down to $0.08 at volume | Automatic, reads scans | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Uploaded to its servers |
| letsgoPDF | Free, no account | Automatic for email addresses, phones, SSNs, cards and IBANs | Says it checks the output has none left | Yes | Not stated | Your device |
| BatesNumbering.app | First 10 pages free; $29 once per set of up to 1,000 pages | Automatic for SSN, tax ID, account, routing and card numbers and more, plus your own words and boxes; can keep the last four | Leak check of the output: text, every pattern again, metadata | Yes | Yes, PDF and CSV | Your browser; not uploaded |
What each one does better
Adobe Acrobat Pro is a full PDF editor; if you already pay for it, it does both jobs, and its Bates numbers run from 3 to 15 digits. See Acrobat alternatives. batesstamp.com numbers up to 100 files free, with exhibit and confidentiality stamps and a CSV receipt (see batesstamp.com alternatives). BatesKit writes load files for review platforms (Summation .dat and Opticon .opt) and checks for numbering gaps, which we do not. RedactifyAI detects names from context, reads scans and Word files, connects to Clio, and won Best New App in Clio's 2026 Integration Awards (see RedactifyAI alternatives). AI-Redact reads scans and charges by the page. letsgoPDF puts free detection and free Bates numbering on one site, on your device. RedactPDF.io is free and suggests names; in our test on a sample file, it left Social Security numbers written without dashes or with spaces, and a routing number, readable. iLovePDF is a large free suite with dozens of other PDF tools.
Where the free tools are enough
- Bates numbers only. batesstamp.com and letsgoPDF number across files free, and batesstamp.com and BatesKit's free tier also write an index with SHA-256. If nothing in the set needs removing, there is little reason to pay. See Bates numbering without Acrobat.
- One bank statement. RedactifyAI's free page 1, AI-Redact's 4 free pages, letsgoPDF or Preview on a Mac handle a few pages. See redacting a bank statement.
Where they stop
- Numbers nobody marked. Manual tools remove what you mark. RedactifyAI's free checker looks under redaction marks only; it does not search the rest of the file for an SSN nobody marked. The free leak check searches the whole file.
- One pass for a large set. A 300-page production done with free tools means chaining them: boxes in one, numbering in another, a check in a third, file by file.
- Searchable pages. batesstamp.com's redaction turns every page into an image, including pages with nothing removed.
- Scans. BatesNumbering.app does not read scans yet; pages without a text layer are flagged "not checked". RedactifyAI and AI-Redact say they read them.
BatesNumbering.app is built for the case in between: a set of PDFs with private numbers in it, redacted, Bates-numbered and indexed in one pass in your browser, with the leak check run on the output. What the index holds is in a document production index.
Common questions
Is there a free Bates numbering tool?
Yes. batesstamp.com numbers up to 100 files continuously in your browser, with a CSV receipt of each file's range, page count and SHA-256, free and without an account. BatesKit is free up to 20 files and 60 pages, and letsgoPDF also has a free Bates tool.
Which tools do both redaction and Bates numbering?
Adobe Acrobat Pro does both, at $19.99 a month on an annual plan. batesstamp.com and letsgoPDF offer both free, batesstamp.com with manual boxes and letsgoPDF with automatic detection of some number types. BatesNumbering.app does both in one pass and checks the output.
Do free redaction tools upload my files?
Some do and some do not. batesstamp.com, letsgoPDF and BatesKit say files stay on your device; RedactPDF.io, RedactifyAI's auto-redaction, AI-Redact and iLovePDF process files on their servers.
Can a free tool find Social Security numbers automatically?
Yes: letsgoPDF, RedactPDF.io, RedactifyAI (page 1 free) and AI-Redact (4 pages free) detect them. Formats vary, so review every page; in one test, a free tool left numbers without dashes readable.
Redact and Bates-number a set of PDFs in one pass →Or check a PDF for numbers left in it, free →
More guides: What is Bates numbering · Bates numbering without Acrobat · Bates number format and examples · Bates numbering a discovery response without a lawyer · Exhibit numbers vs Bates numbers · How to redact a PDF for free · Redacting SSNs and account numbers in court filings · Redacting a bank statement · Why black box redactions fail · Redacting a PDF on iPhone or Mac · A document production index · Rolling productions · Responding to a request for production · batesstamp.com alternatives · RedactifyAI alternatives · Adobe Acrobat alternatives for Bates and redaction