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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 | products.groupdocs.app | 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 | 97/100 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 | GroupDocs Free Online Apps PDF compression 97/100 Seven-aspect task score GroupDocs PDF Compress reduced the 1.66 MB benchmark document to 89.6 KB (-94.60% reduction) in default Medium mode in just 1.29s of server processing, fully preserving 100% selectable vector text and two-page tables with direct download. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-03 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | GroupDocs App free tier and Premium monthly subscription · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free Free usage across 15+ apps; compress 5 ops/day (20MB), conversion 2 ops/day (20MB), merge 5 ops/day (100MB) Standard access to conversions, merging, compression, and difference comparison；Limited daily operations, single file batch on free tier；Permanently free, no renewal；Perpetual access Premium Monthly2026-10-31 ↗ USD 7/month — Monthly 1,000 operations per day per app, 30-50 batch limit, 500MB total merge limit Full access to all 15+ apps, priority processing, higher batch caps, technical support；20-50MB per file cap based on application category；Renews monthly at $7/mo, cancel anytime in dashboard；Valid during active billing period 2 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Free tier covers basic operations across 15+ tools (20-50MB limits, 2-5 operations/day); Premium Plan is $7/month (cancel anytime) expanding daily operations to 1,000 tasks with batch support. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified GroupDocs App 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) | Three compression presets freely available within free tier size limits |
| 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 | Extreme/Medium/Low preset cards shown upfront with zero surprise billing |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 97.63% · Output size: 39.2 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 94.6% · Output size: 89.6 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. | 94.60% size reduction (1,659.0 KB -> 89.6 KB), 18.51x compression ratio, 4/4 headings and 12/12 table cells perfectly preserved without vector rasterization. |
| 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). | GroupDocs Medium preset compressed 1,659.0 KB sample to 89.6 KB (-94.60%, 18.51x ratio); PDF stream inspection confirms all vector text and tables preserved, with 1.29s direct download (02_result.png, 03_download.png). |
| 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 needing very fast server processing (1.29s), -94.60% size reduction, and vector text 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) | Full 2-page unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Single-file web tool; batch compression available in the free desktop app | Not verified |
| 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: 1.29s · End-to-end reference: 1.29s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-03 · 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 | Compress and download directly without login |
| 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) | Aspose Pty Ltd (GroupDocs) |
| Recorded origin | Singapore | Australia |
| Domain history record | 2022–Present (fast-growing free cross-platform PDF suite) | Established in 2012 |
| 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 | Established commercial brand under Aspose Pty Ltd specializing in enterprise document collaboration. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Processing location unconfirmed |
| Third-party tracking record | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. | Google Tag Manager · Google 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: -94.6% (1659 KB → 89.6 KB, 18.51× 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: Full 2-page unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) |
| Processing speed | 14.5 / 15 Once upload completes (22.94s), server-side PDF compression finishes in just 1.79s (14.5/15) | 14.5 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 1.29s (API mode: cloud_groupdocs_pdf_compress; network upload 2.27s / end-to-end 1.29s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
