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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 | Xodo | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 91/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | Not tested in topic | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | Not tested in topic | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 98/100 PDF · Output attached | 95/100 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 | Xodo PDF merge & split 95/100 Seven-aspect task score Merges PDFs locally in the browser in 0.38s via Apryse WebViewer WASM with zero cloud upload (316.5 KB 3-page watermark-free PDF, 100% page order and vector text fidelity), usable without login for 1 free task/day while gating page selection behind Pro. 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 ↗ | Xodo USD individual web and cross-platform suite; desktop alternative identified · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Xodo Web2026-10-20 ↗ USD 10.99/month USD 95.88/year Monthly 40+ web tools and unlimited document downloads Rules [1] Annual 40+ web tools and unlimited document downloads Rules [1] Xodo Document Suite2026-10-20 ↗ USD 24.99/month USD 107.93/year Monthly Web, desktop and mobile bundle with unlimited web use Rules [1] Annual Web, desktop and mobile bundle with unlimited web use Rules [1] Xodo Desktop · PDF Studio2026-10-20 ↗ USD 19.99/month USD 119.88/year Monthly Desktop alternative, not web access Rules [1] Annual Desktop alternative, not web access Rules [1] Web / suite trial2026-10-20 ↗ Free trial Trial Trial 3 days; valid payment method required, cancellable during the trial. Custom team plan2026-10-20 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Price varies by app bundle, seats and billing cycle; not all combinations verified. 9 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Monthly and annual bills confirmed. Document Suite USD 107.93/year is a new-annual-subscription promotion through 2026-12-31, retained while the annual subscription stays active. Team seat combinations and desktop perpetual licences were not exhaustively checked. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordMonthly subscriptions can be cancelled anytime; trials require a valid payment method. Refund terms were not fully 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 | Completely free across all tools with zero file or task count limits | 1 free "Merge all" task per day; "Select and merge pages" requires Xodo Pro |
| Cancellation & refunds | Free service without paid subscriptions or cancellation procedures. | Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled anytime; trials require a valid payment method. Refund terms were not fully verified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Uploads render file lists immediately with move up/down ordering and instant merge download | Displays Pro badges on page-selection controls and a remaining free action banner inside the workspace |
| 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 316.5 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). | Xodo merges the 2-page main report and 1-page appendix into a 316.5 KB 3-page PDF in 0.38s 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 | Merges PDFs locally in the browser in 0.38s via Apryse WebViewer WASM with zero cloud upload (316.5 KB 3-page watermark-free PDF, 100% page order and vector text fidelity), usable without login for 1 free task/day while gating page selection behind Pro. |
| 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 (316.5 KB · watermark-free · Apryse browser-local merge) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file up/down ordering and one-click clear | Supports multi-PDF import and file reordering, backed by Apryse enterprise SDKs |
| 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 | Recorded local processing time: 0.38s · End-to-end reference: 2.08s |
| 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 | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | 100% no sign-up required, direct local merge and export | Login-free direct merge and download (within the 1 free action/day quota) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | Workspace clearly displays per-file page counts and sizes alongside a remaining-free-action counter; page-level selection and multi-task workflows require Xodo Pro. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | PDF Set Go | Apryse Software Corp. (formerly PDFTron Systems Inc.) |
| Recorded origin | Not verified | Vancouver, Canada / Denver, USA |
| Domain history record | Not verified | Xodo launched in 2014 (parent company PDFTron founded in 1998) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Backed by Apryse Software Corp. (formerly PDFTron Systems Inc.), a premier enterprise PDF SDK provider. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | On-device processing | On-device 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 | Executes PDF stream concatenation 100% locally inside the browser via Apryse WebViewer WebAssembly (pdfnet.res, upload_s_net = 0.0s), keeping sensitive documents off external servers. |
| Retention statement | This flow runs locally; post-close deletion not independently verified | This flow runs locally; post-close deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 28 / 35 Grants guest users 1 free action per day via the "Merge all" button with direct watermark-free download, while gating "Select and merge pages" behind a Pro badge and prompting for a subscription once the 1/day quota is used (landing.png, result.png, download.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 25 / 30 Workspace clearly displays per-file page counts and sizes alongside a remaining-free-action counter; page-level selection and multi-task workflows require Xodo Pro. | |
| Background & reputation | 19.5 / 20 Backed by Apryse Software Corp. (formerly PDFTron Systems Inc.), a premier enterprise PDF SDK provider. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 15 / 15 Executes PDF stream concatenation 100% locally inside the browser via Apryse WebViewer WebAssembly (pdfnet.res, upload_s_net = 0.0s), keeping sensitive documents off external servers. | |
| 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 316.5 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) | 18 / 20 Exports a complete 3-page watermark-free standard PDF (316.5 KB) locally without login, though limited to "Merge all" whole-file merging and 1 free task/day (18.0/20) |
| 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) | 15 / 15 Apryse WebAssembly local engine merges all 3 pages in just 0.38s (15.0/15) |
