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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 | Soda PDF | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | 84/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF to Word | 92/100 Full 2-page .docx (9.4 KB, 44 paragraphs, 16/16 table cells) · Historical description; output not attached | 88/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 93/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | FreeConvert PDF to Word Converter PDF to Word 92/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free conversion delivers editable tables with a clear download button and deletion control; ads and cloud upload are the trade-offs. Tested export Full 2-page .docx (9.4 KB, 44 paragraphs, 16/16 table cells) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 | Soda PDF Online PDF to Word 88/100 Seven-aspect task score Automatic login-free conversion retains text and tables; free frequency and size limits apply, with no immediate deletion control observed and a stated 24-hour retention. Tested export DOCX · Output 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 ↗ | Soda PDF USD web/desktop Pro, Team and Business; annual team bill uses default 3 seats · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free online conversion2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free FAQ says “2 files per day or 3 MB”; the rule is ambiguous. Advanced features require payment; arbitrary free exports are not guaranteed. Soda PDF Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12.5/month USD 89/year Monthly 1-month licence; web and desktop access; monthly renewal amount not separately checked in checkout. Annual 1 seat, actual first-year bill USD 89; annual renewal USD 129; optional device/phone-support add-ons cost extra. USD 89 first year, then USD 129 every 12 months until cancelled Soda PDF Team · per seat2026-10-20 ↗ USD 11.25/month — Monthly Per-seat 1-month licence, 3–19 seats; not the team total. Soda PDF Team · 3-seat total2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 240/year Annual Default 3-seat first-year total USD 240; card says 80 per seat first year, then 129 per seat/year; other seat counts require a new quote. USD 80/seat first year, then USD 129/seat every 12 months; total depends on seats Soda PDF Business2026-10-20 ↗ USD 20/month USD 198/year Monthly 1-month licence; web and desktop tools. Annual Actual annual bill USD 198, renewing at 198 every 12 months. 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 recordCheckout 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free up to 1 GB file size with daily free conversion minutes; no signup required | Free guests can convert standard single files without login; high-volume batch jobs and full online editing require a Soda PDF plan |
| 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. | Checkout states automatic renewal, cancellable through the account or support. Full conditions of the 30-day refund guarantee were not separately verified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | File size limits and privacy guarantees are clearly stated on the landing page | Zero-friction direct conversion and download |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Text, tables and page two were retained; scans and longer documents need separate tests. | Converted automatically with text and editable tables retained; scans and long documents were not tested. |
| Original historical observation | FreeConvert converts our 2-page benchmark PDF in 5.8s into a clean 9.4 KB OpenXML .docx that retains 100% of text strings, the Page-2 verification token, and all 16/16 native <w:tbl> cells. | Soda PDF Online delivers veteran commercial quality: auto-converting upon upload in 14.3s and exporting a super-compact 5.5 KB .docx with 100% text retention and 16 native Word table cells (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users needing reliable, no-login cloud PDF-to-Word conversion that preserves editable native Word tables and multi-page structure | Office users seeking a clean, ad-free, no-login converter that accurately rebuilds native 16-cell Word tables (<w:tbl>) |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | |
| Scans / OCR | The fixture is a text PDF; scans and OCR were not tested | The fixture is a text PDF; scans and OCR were not tested |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | Full 2-page .docx (9.4 KB, 44 paragraphs, 16/16 table cells) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. | DOCX · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-Page Native OpenXML .docx (44 Paragraphs, 16/16 Table Cells) | Full 2-page native .docx (5.5 KB, 46 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-Free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file batch conversion, cloud drive import/export, and REST API | Supports local file and Google Drive / Dropbox cloud imports and exports |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Free: 20 conversion minutes/day; up to 5 conversion minutes/file; 1 GB web file limit. | Free online conversion: FAQ says “2 files per day or 3 MB”; the rule is ambiguous. Advanced features require payment; arbitrary free exports are not guaranteed. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 5.8s · End-to-end reference: 6.5s | Network-observed server wait: 12.8s · End-to-end reference: 14.3s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-19 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_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 | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required | No login required for standard single-file conversion |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Displays third-party ad banners around the conversion box on the free tier, but the primary blue 'Download' button works cleanly with one click. | Clean, ad-free commercial interface that automatically starts conversion upon upload and presents a clear blue 'Download file' button on the same page (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | TRMedia Inc. (United States) | Avanquest Software / LULU Software (sodapdf.com) |
| Recorded origin | United States | Montreal, Canada |
| Domain history record | 2018–Present | 2010–Present (16-year commercial PDF software suite) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by US-based TRMedia Inc., one of the largest general-purpose online file conversion platforms. | Developed and operated since 2010 by Montreal-based LULU Software / Avanquest Software Group, a veteran North American PDF software vendor. |
| 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 | Uses 256-bit SSL encryption, automatically deletes files after a few hours, and provides an immediate delete icon next to the download button. | Full SSL encryption with automatic 24-hour server file deletion. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 8 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 32 / 35 Allows anonymous upload, conversion, and direct download of the converted .docx file (9,611 bytes) without registration, email walls, or watermarks (01_landing.png, 02_result.png, 03_download.png). | 28 / 35 Supports direct no-login drag-and-drop PDF-to-Word conversion and exports a full unwatermarked .docx (01_landing.png, 03_download.png), subject to daily free task frequency and file size limits. |
| Interaction restraint | 25.5 / 30 Displays third-party ad banners around the conversion box on the free tier, but the primary blue 'Download' button works cleanly with one click. | 26 / 30 Clean, ad-free commercial interface that automatically starts conversion upon upload and presents a clear blue 'Download file' button on the same page (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Operated by US-based TRMedia Inc., one of the largest general-purpose online file conversion platforms. | 18 / 20 Developed and operated since 2010 by Montreal-based LULU Software / Avanquest Software Group, a veteran North American PDF software vendor. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 Uses 256-bit SSL encryption, automatically deletes files after a few hours, and provides an immediate delete icon next to the download button. | |
| Task quality | 62.5 / 65 Text Retention: 100.0% · Native Word Tables (<w:tbl>): 1 (16 cells) · Page 2 Preserved: Yes (63.5/65) | 61 / 65 Excellent OpenXML reconstruction: 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 body phrases, Page 2 verified) and 100% native Word <w:tbl> table reconstruction (4 rows, 16 cells, 12/12 data values intact) in a compact 5.5 KB file (61.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 19.5 / 20 Outputs a standard 9.4 KB (9,611 bytes) OpenXML .docx with 44 paragraphs and native table XML without login (20.0/20) | 17.5 / 20 Exports a complete, unwatermarked 5.5 KB .docx with no login required (17.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 11.5 / 15 Auto-converts upon upload in ~14.3s without requiring an extra Convert click (11.5/15) | |
