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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 | PDF24 Tools | products.groupdocs.app | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 96/100 DOCX · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 99/100 PDF · Output attached | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | PDF24 Tools PDF compression 99/100 Seven-aspect task score Completely free and login-free with adjustable DPI and quality; reduced the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 93.38% to 109.8 KB while retaining 100% selectable vector text and offering instant server deletion. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 | GroupDocs Free Online Apps PDF compression 97/100 Seven-aspect task score GroupDocs PDF Compress reduced the 1.66 MB benchmark document to 89.6 KB (-94.60% reduction) in default Medium mode in just 1.29s of server processing, fully preserving 100% selectable vector text and two-page tables with direct download. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-03 |
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| 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 ↗ | GroupDocs App free tier and Premium monthly subscription · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free Free usage across 15+ apps; compress 5 ops/day (20MB), conversion 2 ops/day (20MB), merge 5 ops/day (100MB) Standard access to conversions, merging, compression, and difference comparison；Limited daily operations, single file batch on free tier；Permanently free, no renewal；Perpetual access Premium Monthly2026-10-31 ↗ USD 7/month — Monthly 1,000 operations per day per app, 30-50 batch limit, 500MB total merge limit Full access to all 15+ apps, priority processing, higher batch caps, technical support；20-50MB per file cap based on application category；Renews monthly at $7/mo, cancel anytime in dashboard；Valid during active billing period 2 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Free tier covers basic operations across 15+ tools (20-50MB limits, 2-5 operations/day); Premium Plan is $7/month (cancel anytime) expanding daily operations to 1,000 tasks with batch support. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified GroupDocs App Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | 100% free and unlimited with no daily task or page caps | Three compression presets freely available within free tier size limits |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | Not verified |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Exposes adjustable DPI and image quality controls before compression with zero hidden paywalls | Extreme/Medium/Low preset cards shown upfront with zero surprise billing |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 93.38% · Output size: 109.8 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 94.6% · Output size: 89.6 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Reduced the 1,659.0 KB fixture by 93.38% (109.8 KB output) with both pages and 100% selectable vector text preserved. | 94.60% size reduction (1,659.0 KB -> 89.6 KB), 18.51x compression ratio, 4/4 headings and 12/12 table cells perfectly preserved without vector rasterization. |
| Original historical observation | At default 144 DPI / 75% quality settings, PDF24 Tools compresses our 1.66 MB anchor PDF to 109.8 KB (-93.38%) in 1.09s while retaining all 27 native vector text operator blocks so typography remains razor-sharp at any zoom level (02_result.png, 03_download.png). | GroupDocs Medium preset compressed 1,659.0 KB sample to 89.6 KB (-94.60%, 18.51x ratio); PDF stream inspection confirms all vector text and tables preserved, with 1.29s direct download (02_result.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users needing completely free, unlimited PDF size reduction that preserves 100% sharp selectable vector text and Ctrl+F searchability | Users needing very fast server processing (1.29s), -94.60% size reduction, and vector text fidelity |
| 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 | Full 2-page native vector PDF (109.8 KB · -93.38% · watermark-free · adjustable DPI/quality) | Full 2-page unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file batch PDF compression and ZIP download | Not verified |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 1.09s · End-to-end reference: 1.59s | Network-observed server wait: 1.29s · End-to-end reference: 1.29s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-03 · 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 | 100% login-free direct compression and download | Compress and download directly without login |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | No registration or email required, with clear DPI and image-quality controls upfront; a single clearly labeled static Advertisement banner sits below the result box without obstructing or mimicking the Download button. | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Geek Software GmbH | Aspose Pty Ltd (GroupDocs) |
| Recorded origin | Berlin, Germany | Australia |
| Domain history record | 2006–Present (20-year German PDF utility suite) | Established in 2012 |
| Background & reputation assessment | Developed and maintained by Geek Software GmbH in Berlin, Germany since 2006, widely trusted across academic and enterprise workflows. | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Established commercial brand under Aspose Pty Ltd specializing in enterprise document collaboration. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Processing location unconfirmed |
| Third-party tracking record | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. | Google Tag Manager · Google Analytics |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Complies with German and EU GDPR standards, offers an immediate "Erase" button on the result screen to wipe temporary server files, and provides the free offline PDF24 Creator desktop suite. | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 35 / 35 100% free with zero daily task limits, file-size paywalls, or post-compression upgrade traps. Uploading our 1.66 MB 2-page mixed text-and-image PDF without login compresses it in ~1.09s at default settings (144 DPI / 75% quality) with direct download and an instant server-wipe button (01_landing.png, 02_result.png, 03_download.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 29 / 30 No registration or email required, with clear DPI and image-quality controls upfront; a single clearly labeled static Advertisement banner sits below the result box without obstructing or mimicking the Download button. | |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Developed and maintained by Geek Software GmbH in Berlin, Germany since 2006, widely trusted across academic and enterprise workflows. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 15 / 15 Complies with German and EU GDPR standards, offers an immediate "Erase" button on the result screen to wipe temporary server files, and provides the free offline PDF24 Creator desktop suite. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: shrinks file size from 1,659.0 KB to 109.8 KB (-93.38%, 15.12× ratio) by recompressing embedded raster streams while preserving all 27 native vector text operator blocks (BT/TJ), 100.0% of headings (4/4), table cells (12/12), and the Page 2 verification token (65.0/65) | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -94.6% (1659 KB → 89.6 KB, 18.51× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Exports a complete 2-page watermark-free standard PDF (109.8 KB) without login, with customizable DPI and image quality settings and zero daily quota caps (20.0/20) | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Full 2-page unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) |
| Processing speed | 14.5 / 15 Cloud compression worker (filetools12.pdf24.org/client.php?action=compressPdf) completes in 1.09s (14.5/15) | 14.5 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 1.29s (API mode: cloud_groupdocs_pdf_compress; network upload 2.27s / end-to-end 1.29s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
