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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 | pdfescape.com | Smallpdf | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 89/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 93/100 PDF · Output attached | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| Scanned PDF OCR | Not tested in topic | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | PDFescape PDF compression 93/100 Seven-aspect task score Veteran guest-usable PDF compressor delivering High Compression mode that slashes 1.62 MB dual-page anchor by 98.00% down to 33.2 KB while preserving 100% of 27 vector text operators and tables in 4.62s server wait. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-02 | Smallpdf PDF compression 90/100 Seven-aspect task score The free Basic preset shrinks the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 93.5% to 107.8 KB without login while retaining 100% selectable vector text, but Moderate/Strong presets require Pro and free usage is capped at ~2 tasks/day. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | PDFescape Free online tools, Premium and Ultimate annual desktop suites · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Online2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free Up to 10 stored files for 7 days, 10 MB per file limit Web-based PDF viewing, basic editing, form filling & creation, encryption, and sharing；Ad-supported; lacks desktop offline text/image editing and advanced conversion Premium (billed yearly)2026-10-31 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual Up to 100 stored files for 30 days, 40 MB per file limit Ad-free, desktop & online PDF editing, PDF to Word conversion, merge & compress, page numbering & watermarks；Displayed as $2.99/month billed yearly without disclosing the upfront annual invoice total Ultimate (billed yearly)2026-10-31 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual No expiration on online file storage, 40 MB per file limit All Premium features plus advanced form designer, digital signatures, and permanent redaction；Displayed as $5.99/month billed yearly without disclosing the upfront annual invoice total 3 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Free online tools allow up to 10MB/10 files without registration; Premium and Ultimate display monthly equivalents ($2.99/mo and $5.99/mo billed yearly) without stating the upfront annual billing invoice total. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified PDFescape Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 Capture 1 ↗ | Smallpdf USD web individual and team plans; default 2-seat team bill · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Daily downloads and file size are limited, without exact figures; PDF-to-Word OCR is a Pro feature. Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 15/month USD 120/year Monthly 1 user; unlimited document downloads; OCR and text editing. Annual 1 user; actual annual bill USD 120; unlimited downloads with OCR. Team · 2 seats2026-10-20 ↗ USD 24/month USD 192/year Monthly 2-seat total; USD 12/seat/month; supports 2–19 seats. Annual 2-seat annual total USD 192; shown equivalent USD 8/seat/month; supports 2–19 seats. 7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Current USD web prices show actual annual bills. Team entries use the default 2-seat total and identify the per-seat rate. The free daily allowance is not quantified. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordFAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not verified. 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 | Free guest processing for files under 10MB with Regular and High levels, zero paywall intercept | Free tier includes Basic compression for ~2 tasks/day; Moderate/Strong presets and unlimited tasks require Pro |
| Cancellation & refunds | Not verified | FAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not verified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Pricing page discloses monthly and annual subscriptions with monthly equivalent presentation | Labels Basic (free) vs Moderate/Strong (Pro) after upload, without stating the daily task cap on the landing page |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 98% · Output size: 33.2 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 93.5% · Output size: 107.8 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Guest export of full 2-page watermark-free PDF (33.2 KB · -98.00%) retaining 100% of 27 native vector text operators, 4/4 headings, and 12/12 table cells with page 2 token intact in 4.62s server wait. | Free Basic preset reduced the 1,659.0 KB fixture by 93.5% (107.8 KB output) with both pages and 100% selectable vector text preserved. |
| Original historical observation | PDFescape completed compression on the 1.62 MB dual-page PDF anchor in 4.62s server wait, achieving 98.00% size reduction down to 33.2 KB with all 27 vector text operators, 4/4 headings, and 12/12 table cells intact. | Even though Smallpdf locks Moderate and Strong presets behind Pro, its free Basic preset still shrinks our 1.66 MB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, beating its -86% UI estimate) while keeping 100% of vector text selectable (01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users seeking a trusted guest-usable tool to drastically compress PDF file sizes while retaining full dual-page vector text and table fidelity | Occasional users compressing 1–2 PDFs per day who want high size reduction (-93.5%) and 100% vector text fidelity without logging in |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | PDF · Output attached · No watermark in test | PDF · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2-page intact watermark-free vector PDF (-98.00% extreme reduction) | Full 2-page native vector PDF (107.8 KB · -93.5% · watermark-free · Basic preset & daily limit) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Web application handles single files without login; desktop client supports batch workflows | Batch PDF compression requires Pro |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 4.62s · End-to-end reference: 4.91s | Network-observed server wait: 5.08s · End-to-end reference: 5.78s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-02 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_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 | Basic online compression tools usable without login; email/password accounts supported for desktop suite | No login required within the daily free task allowance |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Avanquest Software (Claranova SE) | Smallpdf AG |
| Recorded origin | France / USA / Canada | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Domain history record | Founded in 2007 (operating for nearly 20 years) | 2013–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. |
| External reputation record | Veteran document utility operating since 2007, now maintained by public software group Avanquest / Claranova. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Google Analytics · Google Tag Manager · Axeptio · Avanquest Analytics | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Not verified | Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 26.5 / 35 Clearly separates the free "Basic" preset from Crown-badged Pro "Moderate / Strong (Smallest)" presets after upload; the free Basic tier actually beats its "~228.9 kB (-86%)" estimate by exporting a 107.8 KB (-93.5%) watermark-free PDF, though the ~2 tasks/day cap is not disclosed on the landing page (01_landing.png, 01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. | |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -98% (1659 KB → 33.2 KB, 50.04× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes | 65 / 65 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: even on the free Basic preset, Smallpdf shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, 15.39× ratio, beating its 228.9 KB UI estimate) while preserving 100.0% of all 27 native vector text operator blocks (BT/TJ), 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cells, and the Page 2 token (65.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: 2-page intact watermark-free vector PDF (-98.00% extreme reduction) | 15.5 / 20 Free Basic preset exports a complete 107.8 KB 2-page watermark-free vector PDF, but locks Moderate/Strong presets and batch compression behind Pro and caps free usage at ~2 tasks/day (15.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 13 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 4.62s (API mode: async_verified; network upload 0s / end-to-end 4.91s shown for reference only, never penalized) | |
