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 | PDF Candy | copychecker.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | 74/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | 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 | PDF Candy (Icecream Apps PDF to Word) PDF to Word 90/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free conversion retains text and tables without blocking popups; the one-task-per-hour free limit is not disclosed on the landing screen. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | CopyChecker PDF to Word PDF to Word 74/100 Seven-aspect task score Exports watermark-free DOCX locally without login with 100% text retention, but the 'Keep the Original Layout' cloud endpoint fails with HTTP 500 and 'Optimize Layout' flattens tables with a 1/day free guest limit. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-28 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | PDF Candy USD web and desktop + web bundles · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. Web Monthly2026-10-20 ↗ USD 6/month — Monthly Monthly web-tool subscription; up to 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, and high-priority processing. Desktop + Web Yearly2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 48/year Annual Billed annually at USD 48.00/year (displayed as USD 4/month equivalent); includes 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, web and desktop access, plus Video Candy and Image Candy web. Billed annually via Paddle at US$48.00/year (applicable taxes calculated at checkout) Desktop + Web Lifetime2026-10-20 ↗ USD 99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One payment; desktop perpetual licence is limited to the current major version, including minor updates. 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Confirmed USD 6 monthly, USD 48 yearly (card displays promotional USD 4/month equivalent; verified at USD 48.00/year in the Paddle checkout modal after login on 2026-10-21), and USD 99 one-time. Lifetime covers the licensed version and minor updates, not future major upgrades. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Logged-in pricing page and Paddle checkout annual bill verification ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ | CopyChecker PDF Suite and Writing Suite plans; free online conversion and weekly/monthly subscriptions · 2026-10-28 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits PDF Suite Weekly2026-10-28 ↗ USD 3.99/week Other period Other period Unlimited PDF conversions and downloads, ad-free and accelerated processing PDF Suite Monthly2026-10-28 ↗ USD 13.99/month — Monthly Unlimited PDF conversions and downloads, ad-free, fast processing, and priority support 3 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. PDF suite tools are free without login (ad-supported, no watermarks); paid PDF Suite subscriptions cost $3.99/week or $13.99/month for ad-free, accelerated processing. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified CopyChecker official homepage ↗ · 2026-10-28 Capture 1 ↗ CopyChecker official pricing page (PDF Suite) ↗ · 2026-10-28 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Unauthenticated free users can execute 1 free task per hour (subsequent tasks require waiting 1 hour or upgrading to PRO) | 1 free download per day for anonymous guests (verified via `/api/pdf-download-check`); unlimited access requires PDF Suite ($3.99/wk or $13.99/mo) |
| Cancellation & refunds | The page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. | Not verified |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Hourly rate limit is not stated on the landing dropzone, appearing as 'No hourly limits' on the PRO comparison card after conversion | Landing page displays '100% Free'; the 1/day download limit is checked via API upon download |
| 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 | Text and editable tables were retained; the historical free tier allowed one task per hour. | Suited to full text extraction across multi-page PDFs (100% text retention); because the layout-preserving mode errors out, exported files flatten the 4x4 table into 12 plain paragraphs (0 native tables). |
| Original historical observation | PDF Candy's OpenXML conversion engine delivers top-tier structural accuracy: its 9.8 KB .docx export (completed in 4.78s) preserves 100% of text across both pages and reconstructs the 4×4 financial table as a 16-cell native Word table—just note the 1-task-per-hour free limit (03_download.png). | After uploading `anchor_pdf2word_v1`, clicking 'Keep the Original Layout' fails with HTTP 500 (`Database error.`) and shows a false offline banner; selecting 'Optimize Layout for Easy Reading' generates an 8.2 KB `.docx` in 1.40s with 100.0% text retention and Page 2 preserved, but flattens the 4x4 table into plain paragraphs (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users converting a single PDF document who want 100% native Word table (`<w:tbl>`) editability and an ad-free workspace without logging in | Users who need fast local browser text extraction from a PDF into a watermark-free DOCX without relying on native table reconstruction |
| 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 (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free) | Full 2-Page Native .docx (8.2 KB · 12 Paragraphs · 0 Native Tables, No Watermark) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and offline Windows desktop software | Single-file web conversion; no batch upload or public API |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Free: No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. | Free PDF Tools: Standard document conversion without login, no watermark |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 4.78s · End-to-end reference: 5.68s | Network-observed server wait: 1.4s · End-to-end reference: 4.38s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-28 · 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 | No login required for free conversion; optional PRO account sign-in | No login required (also supports email and Google sign-in) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Zero ad banners, zero email gates, and no registration prompts; displays a non-intrusive PRO upgrade card alongside the download button. | After upload, clicking 'Keep the Original Layout' fails with an HTTP 500 (`{"error":"Database error."}`) from `/api/pdf-to-word/upload-pdf` while displaying a misleading 'You seem to be offline' alert; only 'Optimize Layout for Easy Reading' completes conversion. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) | CopyChecker Team (copychecker.com) |
| Recorded origin | Cyprus (European software team) | Independent Online Utility Platform (Hosted on Cloudflare) |
| Domain history record | 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite) | 2023–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. | Operated by CopyChecker Team with public Terms, Privacy Policy, and support email support@copychecker.com, without disclosing a registered corporate entity name. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Processing location unconfirmed |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Google Ads · Google Analytics |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. | The working 'Optimize Layout for Easy Reading' mode parses and packs the `.docx` locally in the browser via PDF.js Web Worker and JS `docx` without uploading document bytes, sending only a quota check to `/api/pdf-download-check`. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 2 hours; deletion not independently verified | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 28 / 35 Headlines 'Convert PDF to Word Online Fast and for Free' (01_landing.png) and converts our 2-page anchor PDF in ~4.78s to a green 'Download file' button without login (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png); however, the free tier is rate-limited to 1 free task per hour (disclosed via the 'PDF Candy PRO: No hourly limits' card on the result screen rather than upfront on the hero dropzone). | 27 / 35 The landing page claims '100% Free' without upfront disclosure of the 1 download/day anonymous limit enforced by `/api/pdf-download-check`; within that quota, guests can directly export a watermark-free 8.2 KB `.docx` without registration (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 Zero ad banners, zero email gates, and no registration prompts; displays a non-intrusive PRO upgrade card alongside the download button. | 20 / 30 After upload, clicking 'Keep the Original Layout' fails with an HTTP 500 (`{"error":"Database error."}`) from `/api/pdf-to-word/upload-pdf` while displaying a misleading 'You seem to be offline' alert; only 'Optimize Layout for Easy Reading' completes conversion. |
| Background & reputation | 18.5 / 20 Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. | 14 / 20 Operated by CopyChecker Team with public Terms, Privacy Policy, and support email support@copychecker.com, without disclosing a registered corporate entity name. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. | 12 / 15 The working 'Optimize Layout for Easy Reading' mode parses and packs the `.docx` locally in the browser via PDF.js Web Worker and JS `docx` without uploading document bytes, sending only a quota check to `/api/pdf-download-check`. |
| Task quality | 61.5 / 65 OpenXML `word/document.xml` inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 special-symbol phrases, 44 editable paragraphs) and a complete 16-cell native Word `<w:tbl>` table (12/12 financial values preserved) with Page 2 token intact (61.5/65) | 45 / 65 OpenXML (word/document.xml) inspection: 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 12/12 table values, 3/3 body phrases, and Page 2 token preserved across 12 paragraphs), but 0 native `<w:tbl>` tables because 'Keep the Original Layout' fails with HTTP 500 and 'Optimize Layout' flattens table cells into paragraph runs (45.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 17.5 / 20 Exports a complete 2-page watermark-free native `.docx` file (9.8 KB) without login, subject to the 1-task-per-hour free rate limit (17.5/20) | 15.5 / 20 Exports a valid 8.2 KB (8,388 bytes) watermark-free OpenXML `.docx` without login, subject to 1 free download/day and flattened table structure (15.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 Completes cloud PDF-to-DOCX reconstruction in ~4.78s after clicking CONVERT (12.0/15) | 14 / 15 Client-side PDF.js worker parsing takes 2.98s and 'Optimize Layout' DOCX generation completes in 1.40s (4.38s end-to-end, 0s network upload) (14.0/15) |
