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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 | PDFtoWord.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 93/100 DOCX · Output attached | 91/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 95/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| 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 to Word 93/100 Seven-aspect task score Smooth login-free downloads retain text and tables and offer deletion; free text conversion and paid OCR are distinguished upfront, with scans untested. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | Nitro PDF to Word (PDFtoWord.com) PDF to Word 91/100 Seven-aspect task score Nitro’s service retains text and tables without login or email; free files are limited to 25MB, with suite promotions and an assistant widget. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | pdftoword.com now redirects to Nitro: free browser converter and related Nitro PDF licences · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free web converter2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Free browser tool without registration or email; limited use with no numeric count stated. Nitro PDF Standard2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 180/year Annual USD 180 per user/year; conversion, editing and related subscription features. Nitro PDF Plus2026-10-20 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Enterprise teams quoted; advanced security and administration. Nitro PDF Classic · 3 years2026-10-20 ↗ USD 270 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time Windows desktop licence, one payment for 3 years; not unlimited web entitlement. Valid for 3 years, not perpetual Nitro 14-day trial2026-10-20 ↗ Free trial Trial Trial 14-day full-feature trial; no credit card required. 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Standard explicitly bills USD 180 annually; the USD 15 monthly equivalent is not presented as a flexible monthly plan. Classic costs USD 270 once for 3 years, not a lifetime licence. Some template copy says download PDF despite the PDF-to-Word title; no new conversion result is inferred. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. 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 tier converts standard digital PDFs without login; scanned OCR and large batches require Premium | Free online conversion and direct download for PDFs up to 25 MB (with a 'Restart' button to convert additional files) |
| 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. | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Clearly labels No OCR (Free) vs OCR (Premium) on the right panel before clicking Convert | Discloses 'Maximum size allowed is 25MB' directly below the upload button before file selection |
| 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 and tables were retained for this text PDF; scan OCR is a separate paid capability and was not tested. | Downloaded without an email address with tables retained; the historical entry limited files to 25MB. |
| Original historical observation | iLovePDF states its free vs. paid OCR boundary upfront before you click convert, and its 3.2s auto-downloaded 10.0 KB .docx achieves 100% text retention and 16-cell native Word table reconstruction upon XML inspection (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | Once notorious years ago for requiring an email address to receive converted files, `pdftoword.com` (now integrated into `gonitro.com/pdf-to-word`) has completely dropped the email gate: it discloses a clear 25 MB limit upfront and exports a 10.0 KB 16-cell native-table .docx in 4.8s via a direct Download button (03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Professionals and students seeking fast (3.2s auto-download), high-fidelity conversion of standard digital PDF documents without logging in | Business users who trust an enterprise PDF vendor (Nitro Software) and want to convert contracts or reports under 25 MB into native editable Word (.docx) without logging in or giving an email address |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| 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 | DOCX · Output attached · No watermark in test | DOCX · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native Word table, watermark-free) | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free, up to 25 MB per file) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and developer REST API | Web tool supports sequential single-file conversions ('Restart'); batch and OCR are handled by Nitro PDF Pro desktop |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Basic: Basic tools; limited documents, batching and file size, without numeric limits. | Free web converter: Free browser tool without registration or email; limited use with no numeric count stated. / Nitro 14-day trial: 14-day full-feature trial; no credit card required. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 3.2s · End-to-end reference: 3.7s | Network-observed server wait: 4.8s · End-to-end reference: 5.6s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · 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 for standard selectable-text PDF conversion | No login or email required; optional Nitro account sign-in |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Uploading without login and clicking Convert to WORD reaches the download screen in ~3.2s, triggers automatic browser download, and offers a one-click server delete button. | Zero registration modals or third-party ad banners; displays a side-by-side Nitro PDF desktop promo card and a dismissible 'Nina from Nitro' AI sales assistant widget in the bottom-right corner (02_workspace.png). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | iLovePDF (ilovepdf.com) | Nitro Software, Inc. |
| Recorded origin | Barcelona, Spain | Founded in Melbourne, Australia / HQ in San Francisco, USA |
| Domain history record | 2010–Present (16-year global PDF utility leader) | 2005–Present (21-year enterprise PDF software leader) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Officially operated by Nitro Software, Inc. (founded in Melbourne in 2005, headquartered in San Francisco), owner of the category-defining `pdftoword.com` domain. |
| 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 | End-to-end HTTPS encryption with an instant file-wipe trash button on the download screen and automatic server deletion within 2 hours. | Processed on Nitro's enterprise-compliant cloud infrastructure without requiring personal email submission or account creation to retrieve the converted file. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 2 hours; deletion not independently verified | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 32 / 35 Upfront on the pre-conversion sidebar, iLovePDF clearly distinguishes free 'No OCR (Convert PDFs with selectable text to editable Word files)' from Crown-badged 'OCR (Scanned PDFs, Premium)', never ambushing users with a paywall after conversion (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 31.5 / 35 Clearly states 'Maximum size allowed is 25MB. Supported formats: pdf' on the upload card (01_landing.png); uploading our 2-page anchor PDF immediately displays 'Your document is ready!' and a direct black Download button (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png), completely retiring its legacy email-gate requirement. |
| Interaction restraint | 27 / 30 Uploading without login and clicking Convert to WORD reaches the download screen in ~3.2s, triggers automatic browser download, and offers a one-click server delete button. | 25.5 / 30 Zero registration modals or third-party ad banners; displays a side-by-side Nitro PDF desktop promo card and a dismissible 'Nina from Nitro' AI sales assistant widget in the bottom-right corner (02_workspace.png). |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | 19.5 / 20 Officially operated by Nitro Software, Inc. (founded in Melbourne in 2005, headquartered in San Francisco), owner of the category-defining `pdftoword.com` domain. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 End-to-end HTTPS encryption with an instant file-wipe trash button on the download screen and automatic server deletion within 2 hours. | 13.5 / 15 Processed on Nitro's enterprise-compliant cloud infrastructure without requiring personal email submission or account creation to retrieve the converted file. |
| Task quality | 62 / 65 Underlying word/document.xml inspection confirms 100.0% text retention, Page 2 preservation, and 16-cell native Word <w:tbl> reconstruction with faithful typography and margins (62.0/65) | 61.5 / 65 Powered by Nitro's enterprise PDF conversion kernel, OpenXML `word/document.xml` inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 special-symbol phrases, 44 editable paragraphs) and a complete 16-cell native Word `<w:tbl>` table (12/12 financial values intact) with Page 2 token preserved (61.5/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 18 / 20 Exports a complete watermark-free .docx file (10.0 KB) without login; only scanned OCR and heavy batch concurrency require Premium (18.0/20) | 18 / 20 Exports a complete 2-page watermark-free native `.docx` file (10.0 KB) without login or email submission, supporting free files up to 25 MB (18.0/20) |
| Processing speed | 13.5 / 15 Fast cloud PDF-to-DOCX engine completes in ~3.2s and auto-triggers download (13.5/15) | 11.7 / 15 Automatically starts cloud conversion upon upload and presents the Download button in ~4.8s (11.7/15) |
