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 | PDF2Go | lightpdf.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 79/100 DOCX · Output attached | 78/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 96/100 PDF · Output attached | 88/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 91/100 PDF · Output attached | 82/100 DOCX · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 96/100 PDF · Output attached | 90/100 PDF · Output attached |
Select at least 2 tools to compare
You can also filter a task page first, then compare your shortlist.
Browse this task →| Criterion | PDF2Go PDF to Word 79/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free access offers format choices and deletion; text is retained but tables need rebuilding, and third-party download ads add friction. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | LightPDF PDF to Word 78/100 Seven-aspect task score After free account sign-in, the exported DOCX preserves both pages of text and a native editable table with solid fidelity, but guests are blocked by a login modal at the download step after conversion. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | PDF2Go USD single-user plans and education eligibility plan · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Up to 50 MB without registration; limited processing, no batching; exact count not listed. Starter2026-10-20 ↗ USD 8/month USD 77/year Monthly 64 GB files, batching, priority queue; 1× AI allowance Annual 64 GB files, batching, priority queue; 1× AI allowance Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 29/month USD 278/year Monthly 64 GB files, batching, higher priority; 5× AI allowance Annual 64 GB files, batching, higher priority; 5× AI allowance Business2026-10-20 ↗ USD 89/month USD 854/year Monthly Per-person price; custom limits and centralized billing; 20× AI allowance Annual Per-person price; custom limits and centralized billing; 20× AI allowance Education eligibility plan2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free School-email verification; non-commercial educational use only, renewable while eligible. 8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The annual view explicitly shows full-year USD 77/278/854; old monthly equivalents are not extrapolated. Paid plans use shared credits without full PDF credit rules here, so no file-count conversion is made. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page states cancel anytime and a 14-day money-back guarantee; eligibility is subject to official refund terms. 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 ↗ | LightPDF Individual Free, Monthly, Annual and Perpetual plans; Team & Business and Education tabs priced separately · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Plan2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Web only; max file size 10 MB, 1-year cloud storage for up to 5 files; downloading converted DOCX requires signing in to a free account Monthly Plan2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19.99/month — Monthly 1-month full access to all PDF tools across Web, Mobile and Desktop, unlimited file size, plus 1,000 AI credits/month Promotional price USD 19.99/month (strikethrough USD 29.99), billed monthly, cancel anytime；Unused AI credits expire monthly Annual Plan2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 49.99/year Annual 1-year full access to all PDF tools across 5 platforms (1 active device at a time), unlimited file size, plus 1,000 AI credits/month 3-day free trial then USD 49.99/year (strikethrough USD 89.99; skipping trial saves USD 5)；1,000 AI credits per month expire monthly Perpetual Plan (Lifetime)2026-10-21 ↗ USD 109.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One-time payment for lifetime access to all PDF tools across 5 platforms, unlimited file size, plus 40,000 AI credits 40,000 AI credits granted instantly and valid until used 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Individual pricing lists Free, Monthly USD 19.99, Annual USD 49.99 (with 3-day trial or $5 skip-trial discount), and Perpetual USD 109.99; per-feature AI credit deductions require hover tooltips and enterprise plans require custom quotes. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel recurring subscriptions via support ticket or payment platform email link; money-back guarantee is 30 days for Perpetual, 7 days for Annual, and 3 days for Monthly. LightPDF official Individual pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free guests can convert documents and enable basic OCR; heavy batch sizes or exceeding daily credit allowances require a Premium plan | Downloaded valid 39,398-byte DOCX after free Google sign-in; 1 table (16 cells), Page 2, and 100% of text checkpoints preserved. |
| Cancellation & refunds | The page states cancel anytime and a 14-day money-back guarantee; eligibility is subject to official refund terms. | Cancel recurring subscriptions via support ticket or payment platform email link; money-back guarantee is 30 days for Perpetual, 7 days for Annual, and 3 days for Monthly. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Format and OCR options shown upfront before clicking 'PDF to Word converter Now' | Not verified |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 0 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Text was retained, but tables became ordinary paragraphs; distinguish download ads from the real control. | Preserved both pages of text, all key tokens, and one editable 4x4 table with high layout fidelity. |
| Original historical observation | PDF2Go exports an 11.2 KB .docx with 100% text retention, Page 2 preservation, and an instant 'Delete Task' button, but flattens the 4×4 financial table into 61 separate paragraphs rather than a native Word table and displays green ad buttons below the result card (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | Downloaded valid 39,398-byte DOCX after free Google sign-in with 100% text retention, Page 2 preserved, and 1 native 16-cell table. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users who need 100% text extraction (including free OCR) without logging in and do not require native Word table border reconstruction | 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 unwatermarked .docx (11.2 KB, 61 paragraphs, 100% text retention) | Not verified |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | Not verified |
| Batch & API | Supports local, URL, Google Drive, and Dropbox imports plus ZIP download | Not verified |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Free: Up to 50 MB without registration; limited processing, no batching; exact count not listed. / Education eligibility plan: School-email verification; non-commercial educational use only, renewable while eligible. | Free Plan: Web only; max file size 10 MB, 1-year cloud storage for up to 5 files; downloading converted DOCX requires signing in to a free account |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 11.4s · End-to-end reference: 12.9s | Network-observed server wait: 6.45s · End-to-end reference: 10.01s |
| 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 | No login required (optional Google / email signup for extra free credits) | Google / Facebook / Apple / email login required when clicking Download Files |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Provides a clean red 'Download' button on the result card, but embeds third-party AdSense banners featuring deceptive green 'DOWNLOAD PDF TO WORD' buttons below and beside the workspace (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | Uses a post-conversion login wall at the download step and places a "Download for MacOS" desktop app button beside Download Files. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | QaamGo Web GmbH (pdf2go.com) | AI Document Tool Suite (Wangxu Tech / Apowersoft) |
| Recorded origin | Radolfzell, Germany | Not verified |
| Domain history record | 2016–Present (10-year German online PDF platform) | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany (the same parent company behind Img2Go and Online-Convert). | Operated by Wangxu Technology (HK) Co., Limited (Apowersoft) since 2018. |
| 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 | Full HTTPS transport with a prominent 'Delete Task' instant-deletion button on the result page and automatic 24-hour server cleanup. | Uploads to Alibaba Cloud Hong Kong OSS and converts via gw.aoscdn.com async task queue; requires account login to retrieve the converted DOCX. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 29 / 35 Clearly exposes DOCX/DOC format options and a free 'Enable OCR' toggle right in the workspace before conversion, exporting a full unwatermarked .docx with no login required (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 15 / 35 Landing page headlines "Free Online PDF to Word Converter" and completes cloud conversion for guests, but clicking Download Files triggers a mandatory login modal; after free Google sign-in, the full 38.5 KB DOCX downloads without payment. |
| Interaction restraint | 20 / 30 Provides a clean red 'Download' button on the result card, but embeds third-party AdSense banners featuring deceptive green 'DOWNLOAD PDF TO WORD' buttons below and beside the workspace (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 12 / 30 Uses a post-conversion login wall at the download step and places a "Download for MacOS" desktop app button beside Download Files. |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 Operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany (the same parent company behind Img2Go and Online-Convert). | 15 / 20 Operated by Wangxu Technology (HK) Co., Limited (Apowersoft) since 2018. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 Full HTTPS transport with a prominent 'Delete Task' instant-deletion button on the result page and automatic 24-hour server cleanup. | 10 / 15 Uploads to Alibaba Cloud Hong Kong OSS and converts via gw.aoscdn.com async task queue; requires account login to retrieve the converted DOCX. |
| Task quality | 49.5 / 65 OpenXML inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (all 4/4 headings, 12/12 table values, 3/3 body phrases, and Page 2 code preserved), but flattens the 4×4 table into 61 standalone paragraphs (table_count = 0) rather than a native Word <w:tbl> object (49.5/65) | 61 / 65 Exported a valid 39,398-byte (38.5 KB) DOCX (43 paragraphs): 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cell values, 3/3 body phrases, and the Page 2 marker are 100% preserved, and the 4×4 financial table is reconstructed as 1 native 16-cell Word table. |
| Deliverable specifications | 17.5 / 20 Exports a clean 11.2 KB .docx with no login or watermark, plus free optional OCR and .doc legacy output (17.5/20) | 15.5 / 20 Signed-in free account exports a complete, watermark-free 2-page DOCX with native editable table structure; deducted for the post-conversion login gate on guest download. |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 2026-10-21 single-sample network timing: OSS upload and hash registration took 3.19s (PUT upload ~1.89s), and async conversion task /v2/tasks/conversion (r16 to r21) took 6.45s server wait (end-to-end 10.01s). | |
