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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 | lightpdf.com | avepdf.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 78/100 DOCX · Output attached | 76/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 88/100 PDF · Output attached | 95/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 82/100 DOCX · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | LightPDF PDF to Word 78/100 Seven-aspect task score After free account sign-in, the exported DOCX preserves both pages of text and a native editable table with solid fidelity, but guests are blocked by a login modal at the download step after conversion. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 | AvePDF PDF to Word (by Nutrient / Orpalis) PDF to Word 76/100 Seven-aspect task score Clearly states its two-action free quota upfront and lets guests quickly export a two-page DOCX with full text retention, but flattens tables into plain paragraphs and applies different retention terms to free uploads. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | LightPDF Individual Free, Monthly, Annual and Perpetual plans; Team & Business and Education tabs priced separately · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Plan2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Web only; max file size 10 MB, 1-year cloud storage for up to 5 files; downloading converted DOCX requires signing in to a free account Monthly Plan2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19.99/month — Monthly 1-month full access to all PDF tools across Web, Mobile and Desktop, unlimited file size, plus 1,000 AI credits/month Promotional price USD 19.99/month (strikethrough USD 29.99), billed monthly, cancel anytime；Unused AI credits expire monthly Annual Plan2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 49.99/year Annual 1-year full access to all PDF tools across 5 platforms (1 active device at a time), unlimited file size, plus 1,000 AI credits/month 3-day free trial then USD 49.99/year (strikethrough USD 89.99; skipping trial saves USD 5)；1,000 AI credits per month expire monthly Perpetual Plan (Lifetime)2026-10-21 ↗ USD 109.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One-time payment for lifetime access to all PDF tools across 5 platforms, unlimited file size, plus 40,000 AI credits 40,000 AI credits granted instantly and valid until used 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Individual pricing lists Free, Monthly USD 19.99, Annual USD 49.99 (with 3-day trial or $5 skip-trial discount), and Perpetual USD 109.99; per-feature AI credit deductions require hover tooltips and enterprise plans require custom quotes. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel recurring subscriptions via support ticket or payment platform email link; money-back guarantee is 30 days for Perpetual, 7 days for Annual, and 3 days for Monthly. LightPDF official Individual pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ | AvePDF web Free and Annual Premium plans · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits AvePDF Free2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Maximum 2 processing actions per 6 hours; max file size 128 MB, up to 10 files per processing across 50+ document tools AvePDF Premium2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 55/year Annual Single-user annual payment of USD 55; unlimited document processing with no hourly limit, max file size 512 MB, up to 100 files per action, no ads and technical support Billed annually as a single USD 55 payment; cancel anytime with a 30-day money-back guarantee 2 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page offers a Free tier (2 actions per 6 hours, 128 MB file limit) and an annual AvePDF Premium tier billed once at USD 55/year, with no standalone monthly plan. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel anytime; the official pricing page states a 30-day money-back guarantee. AvePDF official pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Downloaded valid 39,398-byte DOCX after free Google sign-in; 1 table (16 cells), Page 2, and 100% of text checkpoints preserved. | 2 free actions without login (up to 128 MB per file); exports a valid 11,435-byte DOCX with 100% text retention but 0 native tables. |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel recurring subscriptions via support ticket or payment platform email link; money-back guarantee is 30 days for Perpetual, 7 days for Annual, and 3 days for Monthly. | Cancel anytime; the official pricing page states a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Not verified | Not verified |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 0 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Preserved both pages of text, all key tokens, and one editable 4x4 table with high layout fidelity. | Both pages of body text and the footer token were preserved; the 4x4 table was flattened into plain paragraphs. |
| Original historical observation | Downloaded valid 39,398-byte DOCX after free Google sign-in with 100% text retention, Page 2 preserved, and 1 native 16-cell table. | Exported a valid 11,435-byte DOCX preserving all text checkpoints and Page 2, but flattening the 4×4 table into plain paragraphs. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Not verified | Not verified |
| 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 · Check watermark record | DOCX · Output attached · Check watermark record |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Not verified | Not verified |
| Watermark observation | Not verified | Not verified |
| Batch & API | Not verified | Not verified |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Free Plan: Web only; max file size 10 MB, 1-year cloud storage for up to 5 files; downloading converted DOCX requires signing in to a free account | AvePDF Free: Maximum 2 processing actions per 6 hours; max file size 128 MB, up to 10 files per processing across 50+ document tools |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 6.45s · End-to-end reference: 10.01s | Network-observed server wait: 1.78s · End-to-end reference: 2.54s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-19 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-19 · 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 | Not verified | Not verified |
| Sign-in methods | Google / Facebook / Apple / email login required when clicking Download Files | No login required within the 2-action free quota |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Uses a post-conversion login wall at the download step and places a "Download for MacOS" desktop app button beside Download Files. | No forced popup at download; page displays a browser-language prompt, Nutrient acquisition notice, and Nudocs AI banner. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | AI Document Tool Suite (Wangxu Tech / Apowersoft) | Orpalis / Nutrient (GdPicture SDK) Web Tool |
| Recorded origin | Not verified | Not verified |
| Domain history record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Wangxu Technology (HK) Co., Limited (Apowersoft) since 2018. | Operated by Orpalis (now Nutrient / GdPicture.NET SDK) as the official web showcase for its document SDK. |
| 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 | Uploads to Alibaba Cloud Hong Kong OSS and converts via gw.aoscdn.com async task queue; requires account login to retrieve the converted DOCX. | On-page Privacy notice states uploaded files are accessible for up to 30 minutes and can be manually deleted, while explicitly distinguishing free users from "We do not retain files for AvePDF Premium subscribers". |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 30 minutes; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 15 / 35 Landing page headlines "Free Online PDF to Word Converter" and completes cloud conversion for guests, but clicking Download Files triggers a mandatory login modal; after free Google sign-in, the full 38.5 KB DOCX downloads without payment. | 28 / 35 Top banner clearly discloses "You have 2 free actions left" and "Max file size: 128 MB" before upload; within that quota, guests convert and download the 11.2 KB DOCX directly without a login wall. |
| Interaction restraint | 12 / 30 Uses a post-conversion login wall at the download step and places a "Download for MacOS" desktop app button beside Download Files. | 20 / 30 No forced popup at download; page displays a browser-language prompt, Nutrient acquisition notice, and Nudocs AI banner. |
| Background & reputation | 15 / 20 Operated by Wangxu Technology (HK) Co., Limited (Apowersoft) since 2018. | 15 / 20 Operated by Orpalis (now Nutrient / GdPicture.NET SDK) as the official web showcase for its document SDK. |
| Engineering & privacy | 10 / 15 Uploads to Alibaba Cloud Hong Kong OSS and converts via gw.aoscdn.com async task queue; requires account login to retrieve the converted DOCX. | 7 / 15 On-page Privacy notice states uploaded files are accessible for up to 30 minutes and can be manually deleted, while explicitly distinguishing free users from "We do not retain files for AvePDF Premium subscribers". |
| Task quality | 61 / 65 Exported a valid 39,398-byte (38.5 KB) DOCX (43 paragraphs): 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cell values, 3/3 body phrases, and the Page 2 marker are 100% preserved, and the 4×4 financial table is reconstructed as 1 native 16-cell Word table. | 48 / 65 Exported a valid 11,435-byte DOCX (55 paragraphs): 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cell strings, 3/3 body phrases, and the Page 2 marker are 100% preserved, but the 4×4 financial table is flattened into plain paragraphs (native <w:tbl> table_count=0). |
| Deliverable specifications | 15.5 / 20 Signed-in free account exports a complete, watermark-free 2-page DOCX with native editable table structure; deducted for the post-conversion login gate on guest download. | 16 / 20 Guests directly download a valid watermark-free DOCX (11.2 KB) without signing in, subject to the 2-action free quota and lacking native Word table objects. |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 2026-10-21 single-sample network timing: OSS upload and hash registration took 3.19s (PUT upload ~1.89s), and async conversion task /v2/tasks/conversion (r16 to r21) took 6.45s server wait (end-to-end 10.01s). | 14.5 / 15 2026-10-21 single-sample network timing: /en/file/upload took 0.76s, and server preparation/conversion (/en/file/prepare-file-for-tool to /en/tools/pdf-to-word-action) took 1.78s (end-to-end 2.54s). |
