Smallpdf · PDF compression
The free Basic preset shrinks the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 93.5% to 107.8 KB without login while retaining 100% selectable vector text, but Moderate/Strong presets require Pro and free usage is capped at ~2 tasks/day.
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
Smallpdf USD web individual and team plans; default 2-seat team bill · 2026-10-20
7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
Current USD web prices show actual annual bills. Team entries use the default 2-seat total and identify the per-seat rate. The free daily allowance is not quantified.
Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
FAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not verified.
Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗
Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗
Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗
Pricing recorded on the test date · 2026-10-23
$9 / month (billed annually at $108/yr; $12/mo monthly, 7-day free trial)
Freemium (daily capped Basic tier + Pro subscription)
Historical context only; not current purchase guidance.
Delivery & access
- Free delivery record
- Full 2-page watermark-free vector PDF (107.8 KB, -93.5% reduction)
- Watermark
- Watermark-free
- Free allowance
- Free tier includes Basic compression for ~2 tasks/day; Moderate/Strong presets and unlimited tasks require Pro
- Account requirements
- No login required within the daily free task allowance
- Maximum specification record
- Full 2-page native vector PDF (107.8 KB · -93.5% · watermark-free · Basic preset & daily limit)
May include advertised capabilities; this does not establish a tested paid tier.
- Batch & API
- Batch PDF compression requires Pro
- Manual refinement
- Not recorded or not verified
Tested result & sample
Even though Smallpdf locks Moderate and Strong presets behind Pro, its free Basic preset still shrinks our 1.66 MB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, beating its -86% UI estimate) while keeping 100% of vector text selectable (01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png).
- Fixture
- anchor_pdfcompress_v1
- Recorded environment
- US-West (California, AS2914)
- Network-observed server wait
- 5.08 s
- End-to-end reference
- 5.78 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
- Labels Basic (free) vs Moderate/Strong (Pro) after upload, without stating the daily task cap on the landing page
- Interaction
- First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial.
- Entity record
- Smallpdf AG
- Origin
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Domain history record
- 2013–Present
- 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
- Swiss and EU cloud PDF compression cluster
- Retention statement
- Temporary files are automatically purged 1 hour after upload
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 ↗) · Official feature and pricing page (snapshot ↗)
Screenshots, native output and official claims support different conclusions. Evidence grades are not product safety certifications.
Evaluation basis & full scores · Overall 89.8/100
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 · 83.5/100 · 30%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 26.5 / 35 | Clearly separates the free "Basic" preset from Crown-badged Pro "Moderate / Strong (Smallest)" presets after upload; the free Basic tier actually beats its "~228.9 kB (-86%)" estimate by exporting a 107.8 KB (-93.5%) watermark-free PDF, though the ~2 tasks/day cap is not disclosed on the landing page (01_landing.png, 01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). | Evidence A → |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 | First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. | Evidence A → |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 | Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Evidence A → |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 | Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. | Evidence A → |
Capability · 92.5/100 · 70%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task quality | 65 / 65 | Deterministic PDF stream inspection: even on the free Basic preset, Smallpdf shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, 15.39× ratio, beating its 228.9 KB UI estimate) 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 | 15.5 / 20 | Free Basic preset exports a complete 107.8 KB 2-page watermark-free vector PDF, but locks Moderate/Strong presets and batch compression behind Pro and caps free usage at ~2 tasks/day (15.5/20) | Evidence A → |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 | Cloud compression completes in ~5.08s 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).