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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 | youcompress.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | Not tested in topic | 89/100 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 | 78/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| 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 → |
| Video compression | Not tested in topic | 95/100 MP4 · Output attached | 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 | YouCompress PDF compression 78/100 Seven-aspect task score 100% free with no login, processing in 2.07s and 100% preserving vector text and tables across both pages, though reducing size by only 0.05% to 1.62 MB. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-04 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | YouCompress 100% free web utility structure · 2026-10-30 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-30 ↗ Free Free Free 100% free without login, unlimited daily compressions, no watermarks Automated compression for videos, PDFs, MP3s, and PNG/JPG/GIF images 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. All file compression utilities are 100% free without registration or usage quotas. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified YouCompress Official Homepage ↗ · 2026-10-30 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 | Not verified |
| 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 | Not verified |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 94.94% · Output size: 84 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 0.05% · Output size: 1658.1 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. | Perfect vector text selectability and table integrity without rasterization, but minimal compression strength (-0.05%); fast and login-free. |
| 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). | Uploading the standard 1,659 KB two-page mixed PDF anchor (anchor_pdfcompress_v1) to YouCompress (https://www.youcompress.com/pdf/) completed in 2.07s on cloud servers, displaying Completed: Download (1.62MB => 1.62MB, -0.05%), exporting a 1,658.1 KB PDF preserving all 27 vector text operators and 2-page table structures. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users seeking maximum file size reduction (-94.94%) and fast 2.32s auto-download without sacrificing selectable vector text | Not verified |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | PDF · Output attached · No watermark in test | PDF · Output attached · Check watermark record |
| 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 (100% vector text and table structure preserved) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Not verified |
| Batch & API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and developer REST API | Not verified |
| 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: 2.07s · End-to-end reference: 3.23s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-04 · anchor_pdfcompress_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 | Not verified |
| Sign-in methods | No login required for direct compression and auto-download | Direct anonymous usage without login or registration |
| 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) | YouCompress |
| Recorded origin | Barcelona, Spain | Not verified |
| Domain history record | 2010–Present (16-year global PDF utility leader) | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| 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 AdSense · Google Analytics · Fathom Analytics |
| 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 | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| 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) | 38 / 65 Size Reduction: -0.05% (1659 KB → 1658.1 KB, 1× 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 (100% vector text and table structure preserved) |
| Processing speed | 14 / 15 Fast cloud PDF compression cluster completes in 2.32s and auto-triggers browser download (14.0/15) | 14 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 2.07s (API mode: sync_json_verified; network upload 1.15s / end-to-end 3.23s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
