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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 | PDFgear | pdfescape.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 82/100 DOCX · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 99/100 PDF · Output attached | 93/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF merge & split | 99/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | PDFgear PDF compression 99/100 Seven-aspect task score 100% free and ad-free across web and desktop, shrinking our 1.66 MB PDF by 97.63% down to 39.2 KB in 1.79s while preserving 100% of selectable vector text. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 | 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 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | PDFgear web PDF-to-Word; free desktop alternative noted separately · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Web free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free One PDF at a time, up to 100 MB; OCR is claimed by the vendor. Batch processing and no file-size limit are desktop features. 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official web limit is 100 MB per file. Its OCR claim is not a RealTest scanned-document test. Desktop batch and offline processing are not web capabilities. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | All 3 compression levels are 100% free with no daily task caps (up to 50 MB per file) | Free guest processing for files under 10MB with Regular and High levels, zero paywall intercept |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | Not verified |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | All 3 compression modes are openly accessible upfront with zero hidden paywalls | Pricing page discloses monthly and annual subscriptions with monthly equivalent presentation |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 97.63% · Output size: 39.2 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 98% · Output size: 33.2 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Reduced the 2-page PDF by 97.63% (39.2 KB output) while retaining 100% of all 27 native vector text operator blocks and table text. | 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. |
| Original historical observation | PDFgear compressed our 1.66 MB PDF fixture down to 39.2 KB (-97.63%) in 1.79s of server processing while preserving all 27 vector text operator blocks (02_workspace.png, 03_result.png). | 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. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users seeking a 100% free, ad-free tool that achieves extreme size reduction (-97.63%) while keeping all vector text selectable | Users seeking a trusted guest-usable tool to drastically compress PDF file sizes while retaining full dual-page vector text and table fidelity |
| 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 | Full 2-page native vector PDF (39.2 KB · -97.63% · watermark-free · 3 free presets) | 2-page intact watermark-free vector PDF (-98.00% extreme reduction) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Single-file web tool; batch compression available in the free desktop app | Web application handles single files without login; desktop client supports batch workflows |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 1.79s · End-to-end reference: 24.73s | Network-observed server wait: 4.62s · End-to-end reference: 4.91s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-02 · 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 | 100% guest-accessible without login | Basic online compression tools usable without login; email/password accounts supported for desktop suite |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | No registration required; choose a preset, click Compress, and download a watermark-free PDF from a clean, ad-free workspace. | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | PDFgear Tech Pte. Ltd. (pdfgear.com) | Avanquest Software (Claranova SE) |
| Recorded origin | Singapore | France / USA / Canada |
| Domain history record | 2022–Present (fast-growing free cross-platform PDF suite) | Founded in 2007 (operating for nearly 20 years) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Developed by PDFgear Tech Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, widely praised for its completely free cross-platform PDF toolkit. | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Veteran document utility operating since 2007, now maintained by public software group Avanquest / Claranova. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. | Google Analytics · Google Tag Manager · Axeptio · Avanquest Analytics |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Uses TLS encryption and purges temporary server files after download, alongside 100% offline desktop and mobile apps. | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 35 / 35 100% free across Low, Medium, and High compression presets with zero login walls, daily limits, ads, or post-compression paywalls (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_result.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 29 / 30 No registration required; choose a preset, click Compress, and download a watermark-free PDF from a clean, ad-free workspace. | |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 Developed by PDFgear Tech Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, widely praised for its completely free cross-platform PDF toolkit. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Uses TLS encryption and purges temporary server files after download, alongside 100% offline desktop and mobile apps. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture down to 39.2 KB (-97.63%, 42.27× ratio) while retaining 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) | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -98% (1659 KB → 33.2 KB, 50.04× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Exports a 39.2 KB watermark-free 2-page vector PDF without login, with all three compression presets unlocked for free (20.0/20) | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: 2-page intact watermark-free vector PDF (-98.00% extreme reduction) |
| Processing speed | 14.5 / 15 Once upload completes (22.94s), server-side PDF compression finishes in just 1.79s (14.5/15) | 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) |
