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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 | PDF2Go | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | 79/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | 96/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | 91/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | 96/100 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 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | 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 ↗ |
| 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) | Free guests can convert documents and enable basic OCR; heavy batch sizes or exceeding daily credit allowances require a Premium plan |
| 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. | The page states cancel anytime and a 14-day money-back guarantee; eligibility is subject to official refund terms. |
| 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 | Format and OCR options shown upfront before clicking 'PDF to Word converter Now' |
| 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. | Text was retained, but tables became ordinary paragraphs; distinguish download ads from the real control. |
| 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). | 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). |
| 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 100% text extraction (including free OCR) without logging in and do not require native Word table border 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 unwatermarked .docx (11.2 KB, 61 paragraphs, 100% text retention) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and offline Windows desktop software | Supports local, URL, Google Drive, and Dropbox imports plus ZIP download |
| 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: 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. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 4.78s · End-to-end reference: 5.68s | Network-observed server wait: 11.4s · End-to-end reference: 12.9s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · 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 (optional Google / email signup for extra free credits) |
| 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. | 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). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) | QaamGo Web GmbH (pdf2go.com) |
| Recorded origin | Cyprus (European software team) | Radolfzell, Germany |
| Domain history record | 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite) | 2016–Present (10-year German online PDF platform) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. | Operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany (the same parent company behind Img2Go and Online-Convert). |
| 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. | Full HTTPS transport with a prominent 'Delete Task' instant-deletion button on the result page and automatic 24-hour server cleanup. |
| 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). | 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). |
| 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 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). |
| Background & reputation | 18.5 / 20 Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. | 18 / 20 Operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany (the same parent company behind Img2Go and Online-Convert). |
| 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. | 13 / 15 Full HTTPS transport with a prominent 'Delete Task' instant-deletion button on the result page and automatic 24-hour server cleanup. |
| 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) | 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) |
| 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) | 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) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 Completes cloud PDF-to-DOCX reconstruction in ~4.78s after clicking CONVERT (12.0/15) | |
