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Test scope & comparison notes
These are recorded facts, not a unified ranking. Tested tiers and scope are not consistently recorded. Read pricing with its date and timing with its conditions. Privacy observations reflect visible flows and statements, not a security audit.
Cross-task capability coverage across selected products
Each product is scored independently per task edge; switch tasks below while keeping shared products selected| Task edge | FreeConvert | Kraken.io | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | 84/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 47/100 Blocked for files >1 MB ('File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.') · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
| PDF to Word | 92/100 Full 2-page .docx (9.4 KB, 44 paragraphs, 16/16 table cells) · Historical description; output not attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 93/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | FreeConvert Image Compressor Image compression 84/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free access accepts large files and offers deletion while retaining full-size PNG; limited free compute and dense search ads are the trade-offs. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-18 | Kraken.io Web Interface Image compression 47/100 Seven-aspect task score The interface avoids ad interruptions, but free files are capped at 1MB and many features need Pro; this fixture was rejected, so compression quality was not tested. Tested export Blocked for files >1 MB ('File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.') · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | FreeConvert USD web subscriptions, free allowance and volume-tiered options · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free 20 conversion minutes/day; up to 5 conversion minutes/file; 1 GB web file limit. Basic2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12.99/month — Monthly 1,500 conversion minutes/month; 1.5 GB files; up to 100 concurrent conversions; shared web/API allowance. Basic (Annual)2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 129.9/year Annual Billed annually at USD 129.90/year (USD 10.83/month equivalent, 2 months free); 1,500 conversion minutes/month, 1.5 GB max file size, shared web/API allowance. Billed annually at USD 129.90/year; cancel anytime Standard2026-10-20 ↗ USD 24.99/month — Monthly 2,000 conversion minutes/month; 2 GB files; up to 100 concurrent conversions; shared web/API allowance. Standard (Annual)2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 249.9/year Annual Billed annually at USD 249.90/year (USD 20.82/month equivalent, 2 months free); 2,000 conversion minutes/month, 2 GB max file size, shared web/API allowance. Billed annually at USD 249.90/year; cancel anytime Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 29.99/month — Monthly 4,000 conversion minutes/month; 5 GB files; up to 100 concurrent conversions; shared web/API allowance. Pro (Annual)2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 299.9/year Annual Billed annually at USD 299.90/year (USD 24.99/month equivalent, 2 months free); 4,000 conversion minutes/month, 5 GB max file size, GPU/CPU encoding, shared web/API allowance. Billed annually at USD 299.90/year; cancel anytime Scale (Volume-tiered)2026-10-20 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Volume-tiered pricing starting at 45 units (1,125 conversion minutes/month from USD 27.90/month or USD 279.00/year, scaling up to 1M conversion minutes/month and 20 GB files). Prepaid top-up (One-time Credit starting tier)2026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.95 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time Minimum tier of 45 units (45×25 = 1,125 conversion minutes at USD 1.11/unit = USD 49.95 total, 5 GB max file size); higher volumes scale down to USD 0.33/unit, expiring 30 days after purchase. 9 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Monthly plans (USD 12.99 / 24.99 / 29.99) and annual billed totals (Basic USD 129.90/year, Standard USD 249.90/year, Pro USD 299.90/year — 2 months free, displayed on cards as USD 10.83 / 20.82 / 24.99 monthly equivalents) are verified from the official pricing page and its SSR payload. Scale and One-time Credit use volume tiers starting at 45 units (1,125 conversion minutes; One-time Credit starts at USD 49.95 for 30 days). Conversion minutes measure processing duration, not file counts. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordSubscriptions can be cancelled anytime to stop future renewals and advertise a 100% Money Back Guarantee; one-time credits expire after 30 days without auto-renewal. 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 pricing page Yearly toggle and SSR Nuxt billing payload verification ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ | Kraken.io API and Web Interface PRO plans (Free / Micro / Basic / Advanced / Premium / Enterprise); USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Account2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 100 MB free testing quota without credit card; Free Web Interface restricts single files to ≤1 MB. Micro Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 5/month — Monthly 500 MB of images/month (USD 5 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO (up to 32 MB/file) and full API access. Micro Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 50/year Annual USD 50/year (2 months free); 500 MB of images/month (USD 5 per additional GB), including Web Interface PRO and API. Basic Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 9/month — Monthly 2 GB of images/month (USD 4 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Basic Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 90/year Annual USD 90/year (2 months free); 2 GB of images/month (USD 4 per additional GB). Advanced Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19/month — Monthly 5 GB of images/month (USD 3 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Advanced Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 190/year Annual USD 190/year (2 months free); 5 GB of images/month (USD 3 per additional GB). Premium Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 39/month — Monthly 15 GB of images/month (USD 2 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Premium Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 390/year Annual USD 390/year (2 months free); 15 GB of images/month (USD 2 per additional GB). Enterprise Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 79/month — Monthly 60 GB of images/month (USD 1 per additional GB); includes Web Interface PRO and full API access. Enterprise Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 790/year Annual USD 790/year (2 months free); 60 GB of images/month (USD 1 per additional GB). 11 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page lists the Free Account (100 MB testing quota; Free Web Interface capped at 1 MB/file) and five monthly/yearly tiers (yearly includes 2 months free at USD 50 / 90 / 190 / 390 / 790 per year). All paid plans include Web Interface PRO (up to 32 MB/file), API access, WordPress plugin, and Magento extension. Cancellation, sources & verification recordNo long-term contract; upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime under Account Settings. VAT applies to non-business EU customers. Kraken.io official monthly/yearly pricing and FAQ ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free tier supports up to 1 GB per file, capped at ~20–25 cloud Conversion Minutes per day | Free Web Interface strictly capped at ≤1 MB per file; paid PRO unlocks 32 MB per file |
| Cancellation & refunds | Subscriptions can be cancelled anytime to stop future renewals and advertise a 100% Money Back Guarantee; one-time credits expire after 30 days without auto-renewal. | No long-term contract; upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime under Account Settings. VAT applies to non-business EU customers. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Discloses 'Max file size 1GB. Sign Up for more' directly below the upload button | Small gray footer note below dropzone ('Free Web Interface has a file size limit of 1MB') + inline error row on upload |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 47.5% · Output size: 2172.4 KB | File reduction: 0% · Output size: 4137.9 KB |
| Fixture findings | Reduced this fixture by about 48% and accepts large inputs; allow for cloud waiting and ads. | The roughly 4MB fixture exceeded the recorded 1MB free limit; free compression could not complete. |
| Original historical observation | FreeConvert's standout strength is its massive 1 GB free file-size limit, shrinking our 4.14 MB anchor PNG to 2.17 MB (-47.50%, PSNR=38.53 dB) without login; drawbacks include slower cloud queue turnaround (~12s) and dense contextual search ads (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | Kraken.io's free Web Interface remains stuck in a decade-old '1 MB max file size' quota (01_landing.png): when fed our 4,137.9 KB (2048×2048) benchmark PNG, the queue immediately rejects it with 'File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.' (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users who need to compress oversized PNG/TIFF/JPEG images exceeding the 5 MB / 50 MB limits of other tools without logging in | Only usable for tiny web icons/thumbnails already under 1 MB, or enterprise developers with a paid Kraken.io PRO API subscription |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | Blocked for files >1 MB ('File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.') · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 (no-login native-resolution watermark-free PNG, up to 1 GB per file) | Free tier capped strictly at 1 MB per file (rejects our 4.24 MB benchmark PNG; requires PRO for 32 MB) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free (only for tiny ≤1 MB files) |
| Batch & API | Supports batch uploads, Google Drive / Dropbox integration, and developer REST API | Supports multi-file and ZIP upload (all subject to the 1 MB/file free cap); full REST API on PRO |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 8.5s · End-to-end reference: 12s | Network-observed server wait: 0.2s · End-to-end reference: 0.2s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_compress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · anchor_compress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) |
| Repeated tests & reliability | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. |
| Interaction experience | ||
| Account requirements | No login in this test | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required; optional Pro subscription login | No login required for ≤1 MB; lifting the 1 MB cap requires a paid Kraken.io PRO subscription |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | No forced sign-up modals block the download, but the page is heavily populated with Media.net / Yahoo! Search contextual ad blocks disguised as action buttons (e.g., 'Compress JPEG to 200 KB', see 01_landing.png, 03_download.png). | No fake download ads, but steps 1, 3, and 4 (URL Paster, Image Resizing, Image Conversion) are locked behind 'available in Kraken.io PRO' and any file over 1 MB fails with a PRO upgrade prompt (03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | TRMedia Inc. (FreeConvert.com) | Nekkra UG (Kraken.io) |
| Recorded origin | Canada | Germany |
| Domain history record | 2018–Present (major global cloud file conversion platform) | 2013–Present (13-year image optimization service) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Canada-based TRMedia Inc. with ISO/IEC 27001 information security certification and tens of millions of monthly visits. | Operated by Germany-based Nekkra UG (founded in 2013), well-known in legacy WordPress/Magento optimization workflows. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | 256-bit SSL encrypted upload with an explicit notice on the results screen: 'Converted files are automatically deleted after 8 hours to protect your privacy' plus a manual delete button (02_workspace.png). | Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 8 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 12 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 30 / 35 Clearly states 'Max file size 1GB. Sign Up for more' on the hero dropzone (01_landing.png); uploading the 4.14 MB anchor image requires no login to compress and directly download the full PNG (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png), subject to a ~20 conversion-minutes/day free cloud quota. | 21 / 35 Discloses 'Free Web Interface has a file size limit of 1MB' in small gray footer text below the dropzone (01_landing.png); however, capping a 'Free Online Image Optimizer and Compressor' at 1 MB blocks almost every real-world high-res PNG/JPG that actually needs compression, immediately prompting 'File size too large. Upgrade to PRO and get 32MB max file size.' (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 21 / 30 No forced sign-up modals block the download, but the page is heavily populated with Media.net / Yahoo! Search contextual ad blocks disguised as action buttons (e.g., 'Compress JPEG to 200 KB', see 01_landing.png, 03_download.png). | 21 / 30 No fake download ads, but steps 1, 3, and 4 (URL Paster, Image Resizing, Image Conversion) are locked behind 'available in Kraken.io PRO' and any file over 1 MB fails with a PRO upgrade prompt (03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 Operated by Canada-based TRMedia Inc. with ISO/IEC 27001 information security certification and tens of millions of monthly visits. | 16 / 20 Operated by Germany-based Nekkra UG (founded in 2013), well-known in legacy WordPress/Magento optimization workflows. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 256-bit SSL encrypted upload with an explicit notice on the results screen: 'Converted files are automatically deleted after 8 hours to protect your privacy' plus a manual delete button (02_workspace.png). | 10 / 15 Clearly states that optimized files remain available for 12 hours before automatic deletion. |
| Task quality | 55.5 / 65 Default PNG compression shrinks 4,137.9 KB to 2,172.4 KB (-47.50%, 1.90× ratio) at PSNR = 38.53 dB and SSIM = 0.9981, while offering advanced gear settings for target percentage tuning (55.5/65) | 20 / 65 Rejects our 4,137.9 KB (4.24 MB) standard 2048×2048 PNG benchmark anchor due to its strict 1 MB free file size cap (20.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 19.5 / 20 Exports a watermark-free 2048×2048 native PNG without login and uniquely supports up to 1 GB per file on the free tier—far exceeding the 5–50 MB cap of competitors (19.5/20) | 7.7 / 20 Free tier is restricted to files ≤1 MB, preventing free export of standard high-resolution PNG/JPG images (7.7/20) |
| Processing speed | 9.5 / 15 Three-stage cloud queue upload, worker compression, and result polling takes ~12.0s end-to-end (~8.5s server processing) (9.5/15) | 10 / 15 Client-side size check rejects >1 MB files in 0.2s with a PRO upgrade notice (10.0/15) |
