See your options side by side
Choose one task and 2–4 tools. Compare pricing, output, test results and trust.
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 | online-convert.com | Smallpdf | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | 90/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 89/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
Select at least 2 tools to compare
You can also filter a task page first, then compare your shortlist.
Browse this task →| Criterion | 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 | Smallpdf PDF compression 90/100 Seven-aspect task score The free Basic preset shrinks the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 93.5% to 107.8 KB without login while retaining 100% selectable vector text, but Moderate/Strong presets require Pro and free usage is capped at ~2 tasks/day. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | 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 ↗ | Smallpdf USD web individual and team plans; default 2-seat team bill · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Daily downloads and file size are limited, without exact figures; PDF-to-Word OCR is a Pro feature. Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 15/month USD 120/year Monthly 1 user; unlimited document downloads; OCR and text editing. Annual 1 user; actual annual bill USD 120; unlimited downloads with OCR. Team · 2 seats2026-10-20 ↗ USD 24/month USD 192/year Monthly 2-seat total; USD 12/seat/month; supports 2–19 seats. Annual 2-seat annual total USD 192; shown equivalent USD 8/seat/month; supports 2–19 seats. 7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Current USD web prices show actual annual bills. Team entries use the default 2-seat total and identify the per-seat rate. The free daily allowance is not quantified. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordFAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not verified. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ 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 | Anonymous guests can convert everyday small files; registered users receive 16 trial credits | Free tier includes Basic compression for ~2 tasks/day; Moderate/Strong presets and unlimited tasks require Pro |
| Cancellation & refunds | Not verified | FAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not verified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Immediate processing upon upload, direct download and delete links provided in result table | Labels Basic (free) vs Moderate/Strong (Pro) after upload, without stating the daily task cap on the landing page |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 95.24% · Output size: 79 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 93.5% · Output size: 107.8 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | 95.24% file reduction (1.66MB to 79KB, 20.99x) with 100.0% retention of vector text and tabular layouts. | Free Basic preset reduced the 1,659.0 KB fixture by 93.5% (107.8 KB output) with both pages and 100% selectable vector text preserved. |
| Original historical observation | 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). | Even though Smallpdf locks Moderate and Strong presets behind Pro, its free Basic preset still shrinks our 1.66 MB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, beating its -86% UI estimate) while keeping 100% of vector text selectable (01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users seeking to reduce large image-heavy PDFs below 100KB without login while preserving sharp vector text under EU GDPR protections | Occasional users compressing 1–2 PDFs per day who want high size reduction (-93.5%) and 100% vector text fidelity without logging in |
| 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 | Complete 2-page native vector PDF (79.0 KB, 95.24% reduction) | Full 2-page native vector PDF (107.8 KB · -93.5% · watermark-free · Basic preset & daily limit) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file batch additions and advanced parameter tuning | Batch PDF compression requires Pro |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 12.06s · End-to-end reference: 13.56s | Network-observed server wait: 5.08s · End-to-end reference: 5.78s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-05 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California) | 2026-10-23 · 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 | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Direct upload & compress without login | No login required within the daily free task allowance |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | QaamGo Media GmbH | Smallpdf AG |
| Recorded origin | Cologne, Germany | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Domain history record | Domain registered in 2009 | 2013–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. |
| External reputation record | Operated continuously by German registered company QaamGo Media GmbH with transparent EU GDPR disclosures. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Google Analytics · Google AdSense · PayPal · Stripe | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Not verified | Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 26.5 / 35 Clearly separates the free "Basic" preset from Crown-badged Pro "Moderate / Strong (Smallest)" presets after upload; the free Basic tier actually beats its "~228.9 kB (-86%)" estimate by exporting a 107.8 KB (-93.5%) watermark-free PDF, though the ~2 tasks/day cap is not disclosed on the landing page (01_landing.png, 01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. | |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -95.24% (1659 KB → 79 KB, 20.99× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes | 65 / 65 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: even on the free Basic preset, Smallpdf shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, 15.39× ratio, beating its 228.9 KB UI estimate) while preserving 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) |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Complete 2-page native vector PDF (79.0 KB, 95.24% reduction) | 15.5 / 20 Free Basic preset exports a complete 107.8 KB 2-page watermark-free vector PDF, but locks Moderate/Strong presets and batch compression behind Pro and caps free usage at ~2 tasks/day (15.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 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) | |
