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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 | iLovePDF | online-convert.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | Not tested in topic | 90/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF to Word | 93/100 DOCX · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 95/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | iLovePDF PDF compression 97/100 Seven-aspect task score Offers three free compression presets without login; default preset auto-downloads in 2.32s, shrinking the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 94.94% to 84.0 KB with 100% selectable vector text retained and instant deletion. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 | Online-Convert PDF compression 94/100 Seven-aspect task score Online-Convert performed strongly in the 2-page hybrid PDF compression benchmark, completing server-side processing in 12.06 seconds to deliver a 79.0 KB document. It achieved a 95.24% file reduction (20.99x) while retaining 100.0% of all 17 vector text operators and table figures with zero logins and no watermarks. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | iLovePDF USD single-seat web plans; 25+ users quoted · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Basic2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Basic tools; limited documents, batching and file size, without numeric limits. Premium2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9/month USD 60/year Monthly Single seat; unlimited document processing across web, mobile and desktop, with batching; 2,000 AI credits are not a conversion count. Annual Single-seat annual bill USD 60; same capabilities as monthly. Education eligibility plan2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 0/year Annual Students and academics can apply for one free year of Premium, subject to eligibility. 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 recordUpgrade, 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 ↗ | Online-Convert free trial credits, Pay As You Go packages and subscriptions · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Trial2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free 16 free trial credits upon signup without payment details Supports evaluation of most conversion and compression tools；Shared standard queue with file size limits；No automatic renewal；Valid until credits exhausted Pay As You Go (240 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 8 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 240 credits ($0.0333/credit), valid for 1 year Access to all tools, no waiting queue, priority processing Rules [1] [2] [3]Pay As You Go (480 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 14 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 480 credits ($0.0292/credit), valid for 1 year Full tools access, zero wait queue, ad-free experience Rules [1] [2] [3]Monthly Subscription (2800 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 29/month — Monthly 2800 credits per month (up to 2800 standard tasks or 350 AI tasks) All features, no waiting queue, batch concurrent processing, no ads；Unused monthly credits do not roll over；Renews monthly, cancel anytime in dashboard；Valid during active billing period Annual Subscription (2800 Credits/mo)2026-10-31 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual 2800 credits per month; UI states $23.17 USD/month equivalent without full annual total All features, no waiting queue, batch concurrent processing, no ads；Annual billing total not stated upfront; held as null with partial coverage；Renews annually；Valid during annual period 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Anonymous conversions for basic files; 16 free trial credits upon registration; Pay As You Go packs: 240 credits for $8, 480 for $14; monthly subscription $29/mo for 2800 credits; annual plans state monthly equivalents without full upfront invoice total. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified Online-Convert Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free tier unlocks all 3 compression presets (Extreme / Recommended / Less); Premium increases per-batch file count and size limits | Anonymous guests can convert everyday small files; registered users receive 16 trial credits |
| Cancellation & refunds | Upgrade, downgrade or cancel in account settings. The page says prices include applicable VAT, with regional invoice treatment. Refund terms were not separately verified. | Not verified |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Displays all 3 compression level descriptions upfront on the right panel before compression | Immediate processing upon upload, direct download and delete links provided in result table |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 94.94% · Output size: 84 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 95.24% · Output size: 79 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Reduced the 1,659.0 KB fixture by 94.94% (84.0 KB output) with both pages and 100% selectable vector text preserved. | 95.24% file reduction (1.66MB to 79KB, 20.99x) with 100.0% retention of vector text and tabular layouts. |
| Original historical observation | At its default Recommended preset, iLovePDF achieves the highest size reduction in our batch (-94.94%, 1,659.0 KB -> 84.0 KB) in 2.32s while keeping all 27 native vector text operator blocks intact (02_result.png, 03_download.png). | Online-Convert compressed the 1.66MB test PDF to 79.0 KB under default settings, smooth image resampling with 100% vector typography preserved (02_result.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users seeking maximum file size reduction (-94.94%) and fast 2.32s auto-download without sacrificing selectable vector text | Users seeking to reduce large image-heavy PDFs below 100KB without login while preserving sharp vector text under EU GDPR protections |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | PDF · Output attached · No watermark in test | PDF · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page native vector PDF (84.0 KB · -94.94% · watermark-free · 3 free presets) | Complete 2-page native vector PDF (79.0 KB, 95.24% reduction) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and developer REST API | Supports multi-file batch additions and advanced parameter tuning |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 2.32s · End-to-end reference: 2.82s | Network-observed server wait: 12.06s · End-to-end reference: 13.56s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-05 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California) |
| 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 for direct compression and auto-download | Direct upload & compress without login |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Clicking Compress PDF without login reaches the download screen in ~2.32s, auto-triggers the browser download, displays "95% SAVED (1.62 MB → 83.99 KB)", and provides a one-click server delete button. | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | iLovePDF (ilovepdf.com) | QaamGo Media GmbH |
| Recorded origin | Barcelona, Spain | Cologne, Germany |
| Domain history record | 2010–Present (16-year global PDF utility leader) | Domain registered in 2009 |
| Background & reputation assessment | Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Operated continuously by German registered company QaamGo Media GmbH with transparent EU GDPR disclosures. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. | Google Analytics · Google AdSense · PayPal · Stripe |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | End-to-end HTTPS encryption with an instant trash-icon file wipe button on the download screen and automatic server deletion within 2 hours. | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 2 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 33 / 35 Exposes Extreme, Recommended (default), and Less Compression presets for free on the sidebar before compression, without locking high compression behind a post-upload paywall (01_landing.png, 02_result.png, 03_download.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 28 / 30 Clicking Compress PDF without login reaches the download screen in ~2.32s, auto-triggers the browser download, displays "95% SAVED (1.62 MB → 83.99 KB)", and provides a one-click server delete button. | |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 End-to-end HTTPS encryption with an instant trash-icon file wipe button on the download screen and automatic server deletion within 2 hours. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: default Recommended preset shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture to 84.0 KB (-94.94%, 19.75× ratio — smallest output in batch) while retaining 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) | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -95.24% (1659 KB → 79 KB, 20.99× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 Free tier exports a complete 84.0 KB 2-page watermark-free vector PDF without login; only higher batch file concurrency requires Premium (19.0/20) | 20 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Complete 2-page native vector PDF (79.0 KB, 95.24% reduction) |
| Processing speed | 14 / 15 Fast cloud PDF compression cluster completes in 2.32s and auto-triggers browser download (14.0/15) | 11 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 12.06s (API mode: cloud_online_convert_compress; network upload 1.5s / end-to-end 13.56s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
