Soda PDF · PDF merge & split
Downplays restrictions behind a "free*" asterisk; while our 316.8 KB fixture sits under its 3 MB paywall cap and merges in 2.25s into a 316.9 KB 3-page watermark-free PDF with 100% page order and vector text fidelity, Soda PDF redirects to `/file-ready-s/` and gates the download behind mandatory account signup.
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
Soda PDF USD web/desktop Pro, Team and Business; annual team bill uses default 3 seats · 2026-10-20
USD 89 first year, then USD 129 every 12 months until cancelled
USD 80/seat first year, then USD 129/seat every 12 months; total depends on seats
USD 198 every 12 months until cancelled
7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
Annual order totals checked without payment: Pro USD 89 first year, renewing at 129; Business 198/year; default 3-seat Team first year 240 (card says 80 per seat). The Team monthly card shows 11.25 per seat, not the 3-seat total. All seat tiers, optional add-ons and taxes were not exhaustively verified.
Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
Checkout states automatic renewal, cancellable through the account or support. Full conditions of the 30-day refund guarantee were not separately 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 ↗
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 · 2026-10-25
Annual order totals checked without payment: Pro USD 89 first year, renewing at 129; Business 198/year; default 3-seat Team first year 240 (card says 80 per seat). The Team monthly card shows 11.25 per seat, not the 3-seat total. All seat tiers, optional add-ons and taxes were not exhaustively verified.
Freemium (Merges Files < 3 MB Free But Gates Download Behind Signup)
Historical context only; not current purchase guidance.
Delivery & access
- Free delivery record
- Full 3-page native vector merged PDF (316.9 KB · watermark-free · requires login to claim download)
- Watermark
- Watermark-free
- Free allowance
- Files under 3 MB can be downloaded after creating a free account; files over 3 MB hit a hard paywall
- Account requirements
- Forces account creation or login on the post-merge screen before downloading
- Maximum specification record
- Full 3-page native vector merged PDF (316.9 KB · watermark-free · requires login to claim download)
May include advertised capabilities; this does not establish a tested paid tier.
- Batch & API
- Supports multi-PDF import and page preview before merging; larger batches require a paid subscription
- Manual refinement
- Not recorded or not verified
Tested result & sample
Soda PDF merges the 2-page main report and 1-page appendix into a 316.9 KB 3-page PDF in 2.25s 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
- 2.25 s
- End-to-end reference
- 4.1 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
- Places only an asterisk on "free*" upfront and reveals the mandatory signup wall after merging completes
- Interaction
- Allows users to select files, preview pages, and click "Merge Files" without warning before gating the finished download behind mandatory account creation (while files over 3 MB hit a hard `?r=psl` paywall).
- Entity record
- Avanquest Software / LULU Software (sodapdf.com)
- Origin
- Montreal, Canada
- Domain history record
- 2010–Present (16-year commercial PDF software 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
- Avanquest / Azure Blob Storage cloud PDF merge service
- Retention statement
- Delivers merged PDFs via Azure Blob Storage SAS links with a 1-hour expiration window
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 ↗) · Official feature and pricing page (snapshot ↗) · 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 89.1/100
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 · 73/100 · 30%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 23 / 35 | Advertises "Combine multiple PDF files online: easy and free*" on the landing page; because our 316.8 KB fixture sits under Soda PDF's 3 MB paywall threshold, the server merges the file but redirects to `/file-ready-s/?r=ready` demanding "Create an account or sign in to instantly download your file" (landing.png, result.png, download.png). | Evidence A → |
| Interaction restraint | 20 / 30 | Allows users to select files, preview pages, and click "Merge Files" without warning before gating the finished download behind mandatory account creation (while files over 3 MB hit a hard `?r=psl` paywall). | Evidence A → |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 | Long-standing desktop and web PDF suite operated by LULU Software / Avanquest Software in Montreal, Canada. | Evidence A → |
| Engineering & privacy | 12 / 15 | Stores merged outputs on Microsoft Azure Blob Storage (productionsodapdf.blob.core.windows.net) while firing multiple marketing attribution trackers (Google Ads, Avanquest Funnel). | Evidence A → |
Capability · 96/100 · 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 316.9 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 | 17 / 20 | Produces a complete 3-page watermark-free standard PDF (316.9 KB, 100% page order and vector text retention) for files under 3 MB, but gates download behind mandatory login (17.0/20) | Evidence A → |
| Processing speed | 14 / 15 | Cloud merge and redirect complete in ~2.25s server wait (4.10s end-to-end) (14.0/15) | 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
- 2026-10-25
Initial multi-document PDF merge page-sequence integrity and selectable vector text retention benchmark on Mode A anchor (anchor_pdfmerge_v1).