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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 | iLovePDF | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 96/100 DOCX · Output attached | 93/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 99/100 PDF · Output attached | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | 95/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | 97/100 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 | iLovePDF PDF to Word 93/100 Seven-aspect task score Smooth login-free downloads retain text and tables and offer deletion; free text conversion and paid OCR are distinguished upfront, with scans untested. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | 100% Free & Unlimited (no daily task limit or page cap) | Free tier converts standard digital PDFs without login; scanned OCR and large batches require Premium |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | Upgrade, downgrade or cancel in account settings. The page says prices include applicable VAT, with regional invoice treatment. Refund terms were not separately verified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Completely transparent from landing to download with zero post-conversion paywalls | Clearly labels No OCR (Free) vs OCR (Premium) on the right panel before clicking Convert |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Retained text and editable tables without login and offered deletion; scans were not tested. | Text and tables were retained for this text PDF; scan OCR is a separate paid capability and was not tested. |
| 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). | iLovePDF states its free vs. paid OCR boundary upfront before you click convert, and its 3.2s auto-downloaded 10.0 KB .docx achieves 100% text retention and 16-cell native Word table reconstruction upon XML inspection (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| 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 | Professionals and students seeking fast (3.2s auto-download), high-fidelity conversion of standard digital PDF documents without logging in |
| 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 · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page native .docx (32 paragraphs + 16-cell native Word table, watermark-free) | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native Word table, watermark-free) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file batch upload and ZIP export | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and developer REST API |
| 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. | Basic: Basic tools; limited documents, batching and file size, without numeric limits. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 5.8s · End-to-end reference: 6.4s | Network-observed server wait: 3.2s · End-to-end reference: 3.7s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · 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 | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | 100% No Login Required | No login required for standard selectable-text PDF conversion |
| 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. | Uploading without login and clicking Convert to WORD reaches the download screen in ~3.2s, triggers automatic browser download, and offers a one-click server delete button. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Geek Software GmbH | iLovePDF (ilovepdf.com) |
| Recorded origin | Berlin, Germany | Barcelona, Spain |
| Domain history record | 2006–Present (20-year German document utility benchmark) | 2010–Present (16-year global PDF utility leader) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Developed and maintained for nearly 20 years by Geek Software GmbH in Berlin, Germany with stellar reputation across education and enterprise. | Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. |
| 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. | End-to-end HTTPS encryption with an instant file-wipe trash button on the download screen and automatic server deletion within 2 hours. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 2 hours; 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). | 32 / 35 Upfront on the pre-conversion sidebar, iLovePDF clearly distinguishes free 'No OCR (Convert PDFs with selectable text to editable Word files)' from Crown-badged 'OCR (Scanned PDFs, Premium)', never ambushing users with a paywall after conversion (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| 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. | 27 / 30 Uploading without login and clicking Convert to WORD reaches the download screen in ~3.2s, triggers automatic browser download, and offers a one-click server delete button. |
| 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. | 19 / 20 Independently operated in Barcelona, Spain since 2010 with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. |
| 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. | 14 / 15 End-to-end HTTPS encryption with an instant file-wipe trash button on the download screen and automatic server deletion within 2 hours. |
| 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) | 62 / 65 Underlying word/document.xml inspection confirms 100.0% text retention, Page 2 preservation, and 16-cell native Word <w:tbl> reconstruction with faithful typography and margins (62.0/65) |
| 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) | 18 / 20 Exports a complete watermark-free .docx file (10.0 KB) without login; only scanned OCR and heavy batch concurrency require Premium (18.0/20) |
| Processing speed | 12.5 / 15 Smooth upload and worker queue processing completes in ~5.8s (12.5/15) | 13.5 / 15 Fast cloud PDF-to-DOCX engine completes in ~3.2s and auto-triggers download (13.5/15) |
