PDF Candy (Icecream Apps Compress PDF) · PDF compression
Clean, ad-free login-free compression reduced the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 93.12% to 114.1 KB with 100% selectable vector text retained, though the 1-task/hour free limit is not disclosed on the landing page.
US-West (California, AS2914)
PDF · Output attached · Open native file ↗
Subsequent pricing and service checks are shown separately without altering historical scores.
One run does not establish all complex scenes, untested paid maxima or long-term uptime.
Plans & historical pricing
PDF Candy USD web and desktop + web bundles · 2026-10-21
Billed annually via Paddle at US$48.00/year (applicable taxes calculated at checkout)
4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
Confirmed USD 6 monthly, USD 48 yearly (card displays promotional USD 4/month equivalent; verified at USD 48.00/year in the Paddle checkout modal after login on 2026-10-21), and USD 99 one-time. Lifetime covers the licensed version and minor updates, not future major upgrades.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
The page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period.
Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗
Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗
Logged-in pricing page and Paddle checkout annual bill verification ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗
Pricing recorded on the test date · 2026-10-23
Free (1 task/hr); $6/mo Web Monthly ($48/yr Annual); $99 Lifetime one-time purchase
Free hourly quota + monthly/annual subscriptions + $99 Lifetime license
Historical context only; not current purchase guidance.
Delivery & access
- Free delivery record
- Full 2-page watermark-free vector PDF (114.1 KB, -93.12% reduction)
- Watermark
- Watermark-free
- Free allowance
- Free users can run 1 task per hour before hitting the hourly cooldown or upgrading to PRO
- Account requirements
- No login required for direct compression and download; PRO login supported
- Maximum specification record
- Full 2-page native vector PDF (114.1 KB · -93.12% · watermark-free · 1 task/hr free limit)
May include advertised capabilities; this does not establish a tested paid tier.
- Batch & API
- Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and Windows desktop software
- Manual refinement
- Not recorded or not verified
Tested result & sample
At its default Recommended setting, PDF Candy compresses our 1.66 MB anchor PDF to 114.1 KB (-93.12%) in 5.2s with 100% of native vector text operator blocks preserved; note the 1-task-per-hour free cooldown (02_result.png, 03_download.png).
- Fixture
- anchor_pdfcompress_v1
- Recorded environment
- US-West (California, AS2914)
- Network-observed server wait
- 5.2 s
- End-to-end reference
- 6 s
Network wait includes round trips, queuing and polling error, not pure inference time. Local timings depend on the device; repetition counts are not standardized in legacy records.
Experience, rules & trust
- Disclosure
- Exposes Recommended and Maximum compression options upfront, though the 1-task/hour limit is not stated on the landing page
- Interaction
- Clean workspace and download flow with zero third-party ad popups, registration walls, or email gates.
- Entity record
- Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy)
- Origin
- Cyprus
- Domain history record
- 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite)
- Third-party tracking record
- No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist.
- External information
- Not recorded or not verified
- Processing
- Cloud PDF stream compression pipeline
- Retention statement
- Files are automatically deleted after 2 hours or immediately via the result-page delete icon
A recorded statement does not verify deletion or all data-processing behavior.
Verifiable audit trail & evidence
Four SHA-256-verified stages link the benchmark fixture, same-run interface screenshots, native exported artifact and archived pricing sources.
anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · Inspect fixture & file inspector →
Captures entry rules, result view and export disclosure.
Official feature and pricing page (snapshot ↗) · Official feature and pricing page (snapshot ↗) · Logged-in pricing page and Paddle checkout annual bill verification (snapshot ↗)
Screenshots, native output and official claims support different conclusions. Evidence grades are not product safety certifications.
Evaluation basis & full scores · Overall 92/100
Overall = honesty & reputation × 30% + capability × 70%. Component maxima follow this report’s rubric. List scores are rounded for display; original precision is retained here.
Scoring version 2.3.1 · Test fixture anchor_pdfcompress_v1
Honesty & reputation · 86/100 · 30%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 28 / 35 | Offers both Recommended compression and Maximum compression without login, producing a direct "Download file" button (114.14 KB) in ~5.2s; however, the 1-task-per-hour free rate limit is not disclosed upfront on the landing screen (01_landing.png, 01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). | Evidence A → |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 | Clean workspace and download flow with zero third-party ad popups, registration walls, or email gates. | Evidence A → |
| Background & reputation | 18.5 / 20 | Operated by Icecream Apps Ltd. (Cyprus) since 2016 as a well-known web and Windows PDF utility suite. | Evidence A → |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 | Full SSL/TLS encryption with automatic server file deletion after 2 hours and manual deletion controls on the result screen. | Evidence A → |
Capability · 94.5/100 · 70%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task quality | 65 / 65 | Deterministic PDF stream inspection: default Recommended preset shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture to 114.1 KB (-93.12%, 14.54× ratio) while preserving 100.0% of all 27 native vector text operator blocks (BT/TJ), 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cells, and the Page 2 token (65.0/65) | Evidence A → |
| Deliverable specifications | 17.5 / 20 | Free tier exports a complete 114.1 KB 2-page watermark-free vector PDF without login, subject to a 1-task-per-hour free rate limit (17.5/20) | Evidence A → |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 | Cloud compression completes in ~5.2s after clicking COMPRESS (12.0/15) | Evidence A → |
Legacy scores may include advertised maximum capabilities. Read tested output separately from paid capabilities. Records without matching tiers and scope are not ranked together.
Revisions & corrections
- 2026-10-23
Initial PDF stream compression ratio and selectable vector text retention benchmark on Mode A document anchor (anchor_pdfcompress_v1).