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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 | ocr.space | PDF Candy | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | Not tested in topic | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | OCR.space Scanned PDF OCR 97/100 Seven-aspect task score OCR.space Scanned PDF OCR delivered outstanding benchmark results on the 2-page 150 DPI raster scan anchor, achieving a perfect 100.0% recall across headings and financial table cells while fully preserving page 2, exporting a 667.1 KB watermark-free searchable PDF in 9.01s server processing, earning an overall score of 97 (Capability 96 / Honesty 98). Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-02 | PDF Candy Scanned PDF OCR 87/100 Seven-aspect task score Offers 1 free OCR task per hour without login, recovering 100% of all 4 headings, 12 confusable invoice table cells, and the Page 2 verification token in 8.99s, but exports only a plain-text `.txt` file (1.6 KB) rather than a layout-preserving searchable `.pdf`. Tested export TXT · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-25 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | OCR.space free web tier, free API, PRO, and PRO PDF monthly subscriptions · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Plan (Web & API)2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free Web tool 5 MB file cap; API provides 25,000 calls/mo (1 MB file limit, 3 pages per PDF) Engine 2 & 3, receipt/table extraction, searchable PDF creation with watermark；API rate-limited to 500 requests/day per IP; searchable PDFs contain watermark PRO Plan (Monthly)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 30/month — Monthly 300,000 API requests/month, 5 MB file size limit, 3 pages per PDF Dedicated high-performance cluster, watermark-free searchable PDFs, 100% uptime SLA；Auto-renews monthly; 3 pages per PDF cap; longer documents require PRO PDF PRO PDF Plan (Monthly)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 60/month — Monthly 300,000 API requests/month, 100 MB+ file size limit, 999+ pages per PDF Fastest response, full multi-page PDF processing (999+ pp), watermark-free PDF, 100% SLA；Auto-renews monthly; cancellable anytime 3 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Free web OCR supports up to 5MB without login; free API tier includes 25,000 calls/mo (1MB, 3pp); PRO is $30/month (300k calls, 5MB); PRO PDF is $60/month (300k calls, 100MB+, 999+ pages). Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified OCR.space Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 Capture 1 ↗ | PDF Candy USD web and desktop + web bundles · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. Web Monthly2026-10-20 ↗ USD 6/month — Monthly Monthly web-tool subscription; up to 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, and high-priority processing. Desktop + Web Yearly2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 48/year Annual Billed annually at USD 48.00/year (displayed as USD 4/month equivalent); includes 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, web and desktop access, plus Video Candy and Image Candy web. Billed annually via Paddle at US$48.00/year (applicable taxes calculated at checkout) Desktop + Web Lifetime2026-10-20 ↗ USD 99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One payment; desktop perpetual licence is limited to the current major version, including minor updates. 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Confirmed USD 6 monthly, USD 48 yearly (card displays promotional USD 4/month equivalent; verified at USD 48.00/year in the Paddle checkout modal after login on 2026-10-21), and USD 99 one-time. Lifetime covers the licensed version and minor updates, not future major upgrades. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Logged-in pricing page and Paddle checkout annual bill verification ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free web conversion up to 5MB without login; free API tier includes 25,000 calls/month | 1 Free Task/Hour + Pro Subscription ($6/mo) |
| Cancellation & refunds | Not verified | The page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Web page publicly displays all engine options and output configurations | Options disclosed upfront with no post-OCR paywall trap |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | OCR text recall: 100% · Table cell accuracy: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | OCR text recall: 100% · Table cell accuracy: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Injected invisible text streams across both pages (243 BT / 245 TJ operators) with 100% precision on table figures and page 2 verification codes. | Exported a 1.6 KB UTF-8 plain-text `.txt` file (not a searchable PDF) with 100% recall across all 4 headings, 12 invoice table cells, and the Page 2 verification token. |
| Original historical observation | OCR.space processed the 644.4 KB 2-page raster PDF anchor (anchor_pdfocr_v1) via cloud Engine 2 in 9.01s with Searchable PDF mode enabled, achieving 100% recall on headings and financial table cells while fully preserving the page 2 verification code without watermarks (01_landing.png, 02_result.png, 03_download.png). | Exported a 1.6 KB UTF-8 plain-text `.txt` file (not a searchable PDF) with 100% recall across all 4 headings, 12 invoice table cells, and the Page 2 verification token. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Archivists, financial professionals, and researchers needing fast conversion of scanned PDFs into searchable PDFs or text extraction | Users needing to extract scanned PDFs into editable .txt text with 100% financial table number accuracy |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | PDF · Output attached · No watermark in test | TXT · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page dual-layer searchable PDF (667.1 KB · 243 BT / 245 TJ · zero watermarks) | Full 2-page UTF-8 plain text .txt (1.6 KB · not searchable PDF) |
| Watermark observation | None | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Not verified | Single-file OCR on free tier; batch processing per plan quota |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 9.01s · End-to-end reference: 10.96s | Network-observed server wait: 8.99s · End-to-end reference: 13.13s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-02 · anchor_pdfocr_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-25 · anchor_pdfocr_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 | Direct web upload without login; instant free API key access | No Login Required |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | Clean ad-free interface with multi-language OCR selection and a direct "Download file" button upon completion. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | a9t9 software GmbH | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) |
| Recorded origin | Not verified | Cyprus (European software team) |
| Domain history record | Not verified | 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Developed and operated by Icecream Apps Ltd (Cyprus) since 2016 alongside its desktop and web document utility suite. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Cloudflare · Stripe | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Not verified | End-to-end HTTPS transport with 2-hour automatic file purge and a manual delete button on the result screen. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 2 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 26 / 35 Offers free PDF OCR without login (1 free task per hour), completing server OCR on our 644.4 KB 2-page raster scan in 8.99s with direct download (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png); note that it exports a plain-text `.txt` file (1.6 KB) rather than an overlaid searchable `.pdf`. | |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 Clean ad-free interface with multi-language OCR selection and a direct "Download file" button upon completion. | |
| Background & reputation | 17 / 20 Developed and operated by Icecream Apps Ltd (Cyprus) since 2016 alongside its desktop and web document utility suite. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 End-to-end HTTPS transport with 2-hour automatic file purge and a manual delete button on the result screen. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 OCR Text Recall: 100% · Financial Table Cell Accuracy: 100% (12/12) · Headings Recognized: 4/4 · Page 2 Preserved: Yes | 62.5 / 65 Deterministic OCR text & table inspection: exports a 1.6 KB .txt file (rather than an overlaid searchable PDF), recovering 4/4 headings and 12/12 confusable invoice table cells (100% table accuracy, 100% overall text recall) with the Page 2 verification token intact (62.5/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Full 2-page dual-layer searchable PDF (667.1 KB · 243 BT / 245 TJ · zero watermarks) | 15 / 20 Exports a 2-page watermark-free .txt file (1.6 KB) without login rather than a layout-preserving searchable PDF (15/20) |
| Processing speed | 11 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 9.01s (API mode: sync_json_verified; network upload 0.1s / end-to-end 10.96s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 11.5 / 15 Upload took 4.14s and cloud OCR server processing completed in 8.99s (13.13s end-to-end) (11.5/15) |
