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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 | online-convert.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | Not tested in topic | 90/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF to Word | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | 79/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Video compression | Not tested in topic | 85/100 MP4 · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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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 | Online-Convert (PDF to Word) PDF to Word 79/100 Seven-aspect task score Online-Convert (PDF to Word) provides a frictionless guest workflow. It completed two-page conversion in 10.05s, delivering a 14.9 KB unwatermarked DOCX with 100.0% text retention and flattened table layouts, earning a score of 76. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-05 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | Online-Convert free trial credits, Pay As You Go packages and subscriptions · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Trial2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free 16 free trial credits upon signup without payment details Supports evaluation of most conversion and compression tools；Shared standard queue with file size limits；No automatic renewal；Valid until credits exhausted Pay As You Go (240 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 8 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 240 credits ($0.0333/credit), valid for 1 year Access to all tools, no waiting queue, priority processing Rules [1] [2] [3]Pay As You Go (480 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 14 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 480 credits ($0.0292/credit), valid for 1 year Full tools access, zero wait queue, ad-free experience Rules [1] [2] [3]Monthly Subscription (2800 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 29/month — Monthly 2800 credits per month (up to 2800 standard tasks or 350 AI tasks) All features, no waiting queue, batch concurrent processing, no ads；Unused monthly credits do not roll over；Renews monthly, cancel anytime in dashboard；Valid during active billing period Annual Subscription (2800 Credits/mo)2026-10-31 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual 2800 credits per month; UI states $23.17 USD/month equivalent without full annual total All features, no waiting queue, batch concurrent processing, no ads；Annual billing total not stated upfront; held as null with partial coverage；Renews annually；Valid during annual period 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Anonymous conversions for basic files; 16 free trial credits upon registration; Pay As You Go packs: 240 credits for $8, 480 for $14; monthly subscription $29/mo for 2800 credits; annual plans state monthly equivalents without full upfront invoice total. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified Online-Convert Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 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) | Guest users can directly convert digital PDF documents for free |
| 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 | Upload and convert buttons are publicly visible throughout |
| 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. | The exported DOCX container is fully editable with 100% text retention and page 2 intact, with table data presented as formatted text lines. |
| 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). | Not verified |
| 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 · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free) | Two-page DOCX (14.9 KB) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Completely watermark-free (Native standard DOCX document) |
| 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. | Free Trial: 16 free trial credits upon signup without payment details · Supports evaluation of most conversion and compression tools · Shared standard queue with file size limits |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 4.78s · End-to-end reference: 5.68s | Network-observed server wait: 10.05s · End-to-end reference: 10.05s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-05 · 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 | Guest direct use without login; email and Google sign-in available |
| 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. | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) | QaamGo Media GmbH |
| 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. | Not verified |
| 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 Analytics · Google AdSense · Quantcast |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 2 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| 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). | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 Text Retention: 100% · Native Word Tables (<w:tbl>): 0 (0 cells) · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| 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) | |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 Completes cloud PDF-to-DOCX reconstruction in ~4.78s after clicking CONVERT (12.0/15) | 11 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 10.05s (API mode: async_verified; network upload 0s / end-to-end 10.05s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
