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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 | PDF Candy | hipdf.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | 70/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | 86/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | 77/100 DOCX · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | 89/100 PDF · Output attached |
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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 | Wondershare HiPDF PDF to Word 70/100 Seven-aspect task score Signed-in free accounts can export a DOCX preserving an editable table and Page 2, but guest downloads hit a login wall despite No Sign Up copy, alongside a misleading Share button and collapsed heading spaces. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 |
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| 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 ↗ | HiPDF web online PDF to Word tool (former /pricing page now returns 404) · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Web free account2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Convert and download DOCX after signing in to a free Wondershare account; numeric daily and file-size limits are not listed on the page (uploaded files deleted within 60 minutes) 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official tool page advertises free online conversion while /pricing returns 404 and header buttons promote desktop PDFelement; downloading the converted DOCX requires signing in to a free Wondershare account, and numeric daily or file-size limits are not published on the page. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. HiPDF official PDF to Word tool page ↗ · 2026-10-21 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) | Requires Wondershare sign-in to download; 1 free conversion per day on the free account. |
| 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. | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| 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 | Not verified |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 68.4% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Text and editable tables were retained; the historical free tier allowed one task per hour. | Preserved one editable 4x4 table and the Page 2 token; some heading word spaces were collapsed. |
| 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). | Downloaded valid DOCX with 1 editable table (16 cells) and Page 2 preserved; extracted headings collapse inter-word spaces (68.4% strict phrase match). |
| 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 | 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 (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free) | Not verified |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Not verified |
| Batch & API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and offline Windows desktop software | Not verified |
| 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. | Web free account: Convert and download DOCX after signing in to a free Wondershare account; numeric daily and file-size limits are not listed on the page (uploaded files deleted within 60 minutes) |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 4.78s · End-to-end reference: 5.68s | Network-observed server wait: 8.82s · End-to-end reference: 9.13s |
| 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 for free conversion; optional PRO account sign-in | Wondershare SSO / Google sign-in required for download |
| 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. | Labels free No-OCR mode "There is uneditable content in the converted Word files" to push OCR Pro, and styles "Share" as the wide primary button on the completion screen while shrinking Download to an unlabeled icon. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) | Wondershare Online PDF Suite |
| Recorded origin | Cyprus (European software team) | Not verified |
| Domain history record | 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite) | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. | Operated by Wondershare Technology (developer of PDFelement). |
| 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 | SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. | Processes files via web-api.hipdf.com async task queue and requires a Wondershare account to download. |
| 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). | 14 / 35 Page title claims "100% Free, No Sign Up", yet unauthenticated guests hit a Wondershare login modal at download; signed-in free accounts get 1 free conversion per day before hitting a daily limit banner. |
| 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. | 9 / 30 Labels free No-OCR mode "There is uneditable content in the converted Word files" to push OCR Pro, and styles "Share" as the wide primary button on the completion screen while shrinking Download to an unlabeled icon. |
| Background & reputation | 18.5 / 20 Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. | |
| 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. | 10 / 15 Processes files via web-api.hipdf.com async task queue and requires a Wondershare account to download. |
| 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) | 53 / 65 Exported a valid 12,194-byte DOCX (46 paragraphs, 1,313 chars): reconstructs 1 native editable 4×4 Word table (16 cells, 12/12 cell values matched) and preserves Page 2; collapsed spaces in extracted headings reduce strict substring checkpoint matching to 68.4% without losing body text. |
| 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 / 20 Signed-in free account exports a watermark-free 2-page DOCX (11.9 KB) with an editable table, but contradicts the "No Sign Up" title claim and enforces a strict daily free limit. |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 Completes cloud PDF-to-DOCX reconstruction in ~4.78s after clicking CONVERT (12.0/15) | 11 / 15 2026-10-21 single-sample network timing: clicking Convert triggered /middle/converter (r9) through terminal /middle/get-task-result poll (r15) in 8.82s server wait (end-to-end 9.13s). |
