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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 | pdfsetgo.com | Soda PDF | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 88/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | PDF Set Go PDF merge & split 98/100 Seven-aspect task score PDF Set Go performed exceptionally in the two-file 3-page PDF merge benchmark, completing a lossless client-side concatenation in 3.1 seconds with instant Blob export. All 37 vector text operators and financial tables were 100% preserved with zero uploads, no login, and no watermarks, offering top-tier privacy and effortless usability. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-05 | Soda PDF PDF merge & split 89/100 Seven-aspect task score Downplays restrictions behind a "free*" asterisk; while our 316.8 KB fixture sits under its 3 MB paywall cap and merges in 2.25s into a 316.9 KB 3-page watermark-free PDF with 100% page order and vector text fidelity, Soda PDF redirects to `/file-ready-s/` and gates the download behind mandatory account signup. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-25 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | PDF Set Go site-wide free online tools · 2026-11-05 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. All tools across the site are provided free of charge with no login, no quotas, and no export watermarks. Cancellation, sources & verification recordFree service without paid subscriptions or cancellation procedures. PDF Set Go Official Homepage ↗ · 2026-11-05 Capture 1 ↗ PDF Set Go Official Terms of Use & Free Policy ↗ · 2026-11-05 Capture 1 ↗ | Soda PDF USD web/desktop Pro, Team and Business; annual team bill uses default 3 seats · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free online conversion2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free FAQ says “2 files per day or 3 MB”; the rule is ambiguous. Advanced features require payment; arbitrary free exports are not guaranteed. Soda PDF Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12.5/month USD 89/year Monthly 1-month licence; web and desktop access; monthly renewal amount not separately checked in checkout. Annual 1 seat, actual first-year bill USD 89; annual renewal USD 129; optional device/phone-support add-ons cost extra. USD 89 first year, then USD 129 every 12 months until cancelled Soda PDF Team · per seat2026-10-20 ↗ USD 11.25/month — Monthly Per-seat 1-month licence, 3–19 seats; not the team total. Soda PDF Team · 3-seat total2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 240/year Annual Default 3-seat first-year total USD 240; card says 80 per seat first year, then 129 per seat/year; other seat counts require a new quote. USD 80/seat first year, then USD 129/seat every 12 months; total depends on seats Soda PDF Business2026-10-20 ↗ USD 20/month USD 198/year Monthly 1-month licence; web and desktop tools. Annual Actual annual bill USD 198, renewing at 198 every 12 months. USD 198 every 12 months until cancelled 7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Annual order totals checked without payment: Pro USD 89 first year, renewing at 129; Business 198/year; default 3-seat Team first year 240 (card says 80 per seat). The Team monthly card shows 11.25 per seat, not the 3-seat total. All seat tiers, optional add-ons and taxes were not exhaustively verified. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCheckout states automatic renewal, cancellable through the account or support. Full conditions of the 30-day refund guarantee were not separately 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 ↗ 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 | Completely free across all tools with zero file or task count limits | Files under 3 MB can be downloaded after creating a free account; files over 3 MB hit a hard paywall |
| Cancellation & refunds | Free service without paid subscriptions or cancellation procedures. | Checkout states automatic renewal, cancellable through the account or support. Full conditions of the 30-day refund guarantee were not separately verified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Uploads render file lists immediately with move up/down ordering and instant merge download | Places only an asterisk on "free*" upfront and reveals the mandatory signup wall after merging completes |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Merged page count: 3 / 3 · Page order preserved: Yes · Selectable text retained: 100% | Merged page count: 3 / 3 · Page order preserved: Yes · Selectable text retained: 100% |
| Fixture findings | 100.0% vector text and table structures perfectly retained across 3 correctly ordered pages with zero raster degradation. | Merged 2 multi-page anchor PDFs (3 pages total, 316.8 KB) into a 316.9 KB watermark-free standard PDF with 3/3 pages in exact cross-document sequence (DOC1-P1 -> DOC1-P2 -> DOC2-P3) and 100% retention of all 37 native vector text operator blocks, 5/5 headings, and 12/12 financial table cells. |
| Original historical observation | PDF Set Go merged both test PDFs into a 3-page native vector document within 3.1s locally in the browser, fully preserving typography with zero watermarks (02_result.png, 03_download.png). | Soda PDF merges the 2-page main report and 1-page appendix into a 316.9 KB 3-page PDF in 2.25s while preserving all 37 native vector text streams and embedded figures (result.png, download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users needing fast, lossless merging of multiple PDF documents with strict absolute privacy | Downplays restrictions behind a "free*" asterisk; while our 316.8 KB fixture sits under its 3 MB paywall cap and merges in 2.25s into a 316.9 KB 3-page watermark-free PDF with 100% page order and vector text fidelity, Soda PDF redirects to `/file-ready-s/` and gates the download behind mandatory account signup. |
| 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 3-page unwatermarked native vector PDF (316.1 KB · 100% vector retention) | Full 3-page native vector merged PDF (316.9 KB · watermark-free · requires login to claim download) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file up/down ordering and one-click clear | Supports multi-PDF import and page preview before merging; larger batches require a paid subscription |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Recorded local processing time: 0s · End-to-end reference: 3.1s | Network-observed server wait: 2.25s · End-to-end reference: 4.1s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-05 · anchor_pdfmerge_v1 · Client-Side (Browser Local / JavaScript) | 2026-10-25 · anchor_pdfmerge_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 | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | 100% no sign-up required, direct local merge and export | Forces account creation or login on the post-merge screen before downloading |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | Allows users to select files, preview pages, and click "Merge Files" without warning before gating the finished download behind mandatory account creation (while files over 3 MB hit a hard `?r=psl` paywall). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | PDF Set Go | Avanquest Software / LULU Software (sodapdf.com) |
| Recorded origin | Not verified | Montreal, Canada |
| Domain history record | Not verified | 2010–Present (16-year commercial PDF software suite) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Long-standing desktop and web PDF suite operated by LULU Software / Avanquest Software in Montreal, Canada. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | On-device processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Google Ads | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Not verified | Stores merged outputs on Microsoft Azure Blob Storage (productionsodapdf.blob.core.windows.net) while firing multiple marketing attribution trackers (Google Ads, Avanquest Funnel). |
| Retention statement | This flow runs locally; post-close deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 23 / 35 Advertises "Combine multiple PDF files online: easy and free*" on the landing page; because our 316.8 KB fixture sits under Soda PDF's 3 MB paywall threshold, the server merges the file but redirects to `/file-ready-s/?r=ready` demanding "Create an account or sign in to instantly download your file" (landing.png, result.png, download.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 20 / 30 Allows users to select files, preview pages, and click "Merge Files" without warning before gating the finished download behind mandatory account creation (while files over 3 MB hit a hard `?r=psl` paywall). | |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 Long-standing desktop and web PDF suite operated by LULU Software / Avanquest Software in Montreal, Canada. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 12 / 15 Stores merged outputs on Microsoft Azure Blob Storage (productionsodapdf.blob.core.windows.net) while firing multiple marketing attribution trackers (Google Ads, Avanquest Funnel). | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Merged Page Completeness: 3/3 pages · Exact Page Sequence (P1→P2→P3): Yes · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% (12/12 table cells) | 65 / 65 Deterministic multi-PDF stream inspection: merges our 2 anchor PDFs (3 pages total, 316.8 KB) into a 316.9 KB standard PDF with exact 3/3 page count, 100% sequential page-order token verification (DOC1-P1 -> DOC1-P2 -> DOC2-P3), and 100.0% retention of all 37 native vector text operator blocks (BT/TJ), 5/5 headings, and 12/12 cross-document financial table cells (65.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Full 3-page unwatermarked native vector PDF (316.1 KB · 100% vector retention) | 17 / 20 Produces a complete 3-page watermark-free standard PDF (316.9 KB, 100% page order and vector text retention) for files under 3 MB, but gates download behind mandatory login (17.0/20) |
| Processing speed | 15 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 0s (API mode: client_side_javascript_pdf_merge; network upload 0s / end-to-end 3.1s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 14 / 15 Cloud merge and redirect complete in ~2.25s server wait (4.10s end-to-end) (14.0/15) |
