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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 | PDF24 Tools | avepdf.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 96/100 DOCX · Output attached | 76/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 99/100 PDF · Output attached | 95/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | PDF24 Tools PDF to Word 96/100 Seven-aspect task score Free login-free conversion retains text and editable tables and provides a deletion control, making it suitable for ordinary text PDFs. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | 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 | PDF24 online PDF-to-Word · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Ad-supported free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free The page states free access without limits; numeric page or file-size limits are not stated. 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The tool page explicitly states free, ad-supported access without limits. Arbitrarily large files and complex scans were not verified; no new performance test was conducted. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 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 | 100% Free & Unlimited (no daily task limit or page cap) | 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 | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | Cancel anytime; the official pricing page states a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Completely transparent from landing to download with zero post-conversion paywalls | 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 | Retained text and editable tables without login and offered deletion; scans were not tested. | Both pages of body text and the footer token were preserved; the 4x4 table was flattened into plain paragraphs. |
| Original historical observation | In a category notorious for post-conversion paywalls, German utility PDF24 Tools is a breath of fresh air: no login, zero dark patterns, unlimited free conversions, and 100% XML-verified reconstruction of all headings, Page 2 content, and the 16-cell native Word table—plus a button to immediately wipe your file from their server (03_download.png). | 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 | Office and academic users tired of '1–2 free tasks/day' or 'credit-card trial walls' who want a 100% free, unlimited PDF-to-Word converter that preserves editable Word tables | 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 · No watermark in test | DOCX · Output attached · Check watermark record |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page native .docx (32 paragraphs + 16-cell native Word table, watermark-free) | Not verified |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Not verified |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file batch upload and ZIP export | Not verified |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Ad-supported free: The page states free access without limits; numeric page or file-size limits are not stated. | 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: 5.8s · End-to-end reference: 6.4s | Network-observed server wait: 1.78s · End-to-end reference: 2.54s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · 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 | No login in this test | Not verified |
| Sign-in methods | 100% No Login Required | No login required within the 2-action free quota |
| Manual adjustment | Manual erase / adjustment recorded in the historical flow | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | No registration required and no credit-card trial modals; the completion screen provides direct Download and Delete (immediate server wipe) buttons. | 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 | Geek Software GmbH | Orpalis / Nutrient (GdPicture SDK) Web Tool |
| Recorded origin | Berlin, Germany | Not verified |
| Domain history record | 2006–Present (20-year German document utility benchmark) | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Developed and maintained for nearly 20 years by Geek Software GmbH in Berlin, Germany with stellar reputation across education and enterprise. | 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 | Strictly adheres to German and EU GDPR standards, provides an active 'Delete/Erase' button to physically wipe files from the server immediately, and offers a 100% offline Windows desktop app (PDF24 Creator) for free. | 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 | 35 / 35 100% free with zero hidden paywalls, zero daily task caps, and zero page truncation. Uploading our 2-page test PDF (with a 4×4 financial table and dual-column layout) produces a fully editable DOCX in ~5.8s with one-click download (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 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 | 29 / 30 No registration required and no credit-card trial modals; the completion screen provides direct Download and Delete (immediate server wipe) buttons. | 20 / 30 No forced popup at download; page displays a browser-language prompt, Nutrient acquisition notice, and Nudocs AI banner. |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Developed and maintained for nearly 20 years by Geek Software GmbH in Berlin, Germany with stellar reputation across education and enterprise. | 15 / 20 Operated by Orpalis (now Nutrient / GdPicture.NET SDK) as the official web showcase for its document SDK. |
| Engineering & privacy | 15 / 15 Strictly adheres to German and EU GDPR standards, provides an active 'Delete/Erase' button to physically wipe files from the server immediately, and offers a 100% offline Windows desktop app (PDF24 Creator) for free. | 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 | 63 / 65 Underlying word/document.xml inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 special-symbol phrases, Page 2 token verified) and 100% reconstruction of the 4×4 financial table into a 16-cell native Word <w:tbl> object (63.0/65) | 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 | 20 / 20 Exports a standard OpenXML (.docx) file (5.7 KB) without login, page limits, watermarks, or daily quota locks (20.0/20) | 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 | 12.5 / 15 Smooth upload and worker queue processing completes in ~5.8s (12.5/15) | 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). |
