iLovePDF · PDF merge & split
Supports login-free drag-and-drop PDF sorting and rotation, merging our 2-document fixture in just 0.78s server wait into a 316.8 KB 3-page watermark-free PDF with 100% page order, table, and selectable vector text retention.
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
iLovePDF USD single-seat web plans; 25+ users quoted · 2026-10-20
5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
Monthly and annual controls confirm USD 9/month and USD 60/year. Free processing is limited without exact figures; education and seat discounts require eligibility checks.
Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
Upgrade, downgrade or cancel in account settings. The page says prices include applicable VAT, with regional invoice treatment. Refund terms were not separately verified.
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 · 2026-10-25
Monthly and annual controls confirm USD 9/month and USD 60/year. Free processing is limited without exact figures; education and seat discounts require eligibility checks.
Freemium (Generous Free Tier + Pro Subscription)
Historical context only; not current purchase guidance.
Delivery & access
- Free delivery record
- Full 3-page native vector merged PDF (316.8 KB · watermark-free · drag-and-drop sort & rotate)
- Watermark
- Watermark-free
- Free allowance
- Standard multi-file merging is free and watermark-free; massive batch limits require Premium
- Account requirements
- Login-free direct merge and download (optional email or Google login)
- Maximum specification record
- Full 3-page native vector merged PDF (316.8 KB · watermark-free · drag-and-drop sort & rotate)
May include advertised capabilities; this does not establish a tested paid tier.
- Batch & API
- Supports multi-PDF drag-and-drop batch merging and offers a developer REST API
- Manual refinement
- Not recorded or not verified
Tested result & sample
iLovePDF merges the 2-page main report and 1-page appendix into a 316.8 KB 3-page PDF in 0.78s while preserving all 37 native vector text streams and embedded figures (result.png, download.png).
- Fixture
- anchor_pdfmerge_v1
- Recorded environment
- US-West (California, AS2914)
- Network-observed server wait
- 0.78 s
- End-to-end reference
- 3.33 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
- Clearly documents Free vs. Premium batch limits on its pricing page with zero post-merge paywalls
- Interaction
- Clean workspace with drag-and-drop file thumbnails, A-Z sorting, and rotation controls; clicking "Merge PDF" triggers an immediate watermark-free download without signup popups.
- Entity record
- iLovePDF (ilovepdf.com)
- Origin
- Barcelona, Spain
- Domain history record
- 2010–Present (16-year global PDF utility leader)
- 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
- EU-compliant high-speed cloud PDF processing cluster
- Retention statement
- Provides an instant delete button on the download screen with automatic purge within 2 hours
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_pdfmerge_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 ↗)
Screenshots, native output and official claims support different conclusions. Evidence grades are not product safety certifications.
Evaluation basis & full scores · Overall 97.2/100
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_pdfmerge_v1
Honesty & reputation · 94/100 · 30%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 33 / 35 | Allows guest users to upload, reorder, and merge multiple PDFs with direct watermark-free download at zero cost; only massive batch sizes and desktop offline access require Premium (landing.png, result.png, download.png). | Evidence A → |
| Interaction restraint | 28 / 30 | Clean workspace with drag-and-drop file thumbnails, A-Z sorting, and rotation controls; clicking "Merge PDF" triggers an immediate watermark-free download without signup popups. | Evidence A → |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 | Founded in Barcelona, Spain in 2010, iLovePDF is one of the world's most visited PDF platforms and holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Evidence A → |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 | TLS-encrypted transfers with a trash-can button on the download screen for immediate server deletion and automatic purge within 2 hours. | Evidence A → |
Capability · 98.5/100 · 70%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task quality | 65 / 65 | Deterministic multi-PDF stream inspection: merges our 2 anchor PDFs (3 pages total, 316.8 KB) into a 316.8 KB standard PDF with exact 3/3 page count, 100% sequential page-order token verification (DOC1-P1 -> DOC1-P2 -> DOC2-P3), and 100.0% retention of all 37 native vector text operator blocks (BT/TJ), 5/5 headings, and 12/12 cross-document financial table cells (65.0/65) | Evidence A → |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 | Exports a complete 3-page watermark-free standard PDF (316.8 KB) without login, supporting multi-file drag-and-drop sorting and rotation (19.0/20) | Evidence A → |
| Processing speed | 14.5 / 15 | Cloud merge worker completes server processing in just 0.78s (3.33s end-to-end) (14.5/15) | 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
- 2026-10-25
Initial multi-document PDF merge page-sequence integrity and selectable vector text retention benchmark on Mode A anchor (anchor_pdfmerge_v1).