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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 | PDFtoWord.com | PDF Candy | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 91/100 DOCX · Output attached | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | Not tested in topic | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | Not tested in topic | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Nitro PDF to Word (PDFtoWord.com) PDF to Word 91/100 Seven-aspect task score Nitro’s service retains text and tables without login or email; free files are limited to 25MB, with suite promotions and an assistant widget. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | PDF Candy (Icecream Apps PDF to Word) PDF to Word 90/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free conversion retains text and tables without blocking popups; the one-task-per-hour free limit is not disclosed on the landing screen. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | pdftoword.com now redirects to Nitro: free browser converter and related Nitro PDF licences · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free web converter2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Free browser tool without registration or email; limited use with no numeric count stated. Nitro PDF Standard2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 180/year Annual USD 180 per user/year; conversion, editing and related subscription features. Nitro PDF Plus2026-10-20 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Enterprise teams quoted; advanced security and administration. Nitro PDF Classic · 3 years2026-10-20 ↗ USD 270 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time Windows desktop licence, one payment for 3 years; not unlimited web entitlement. Valid for 3 years, not perpetual Nitro 14-day trial2026-10-20 ↗ Free trial Trial Trial 14-day full-feature trial; no credit card required. 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Standard explicitly bills USD 180 annually; the USD 15 monthly equivalent is not presented as a flexible monthly plan. Classic costs USD 270 once for 3 years, not a lifetime licence. Some template copy says download PDF despite the PDF-to-Word title; no new conversion result is inferred. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | PDF Candy USD web and desktop + web bundles · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. Web Monthly2026-10-20 ↗ USD 6/month — Monthly Monthly web-tool subscription; up to 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, and high-priority processing. Desktop + Web Yearly2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 48/year Annual Billed annually at USD 48.00/year (displayed as USD 4/month equivalent); includes 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, web and desktop access, plus Video Candy and Image Candy web. Billed annually via Paddle at US$48.00/year (applicable taxes calculated at checkout) Desktop + Web Lifetime2026-10-20 ↗ USD 99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One payment; desktop perpetual licence is limited to the current major version, including minor updates. 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Confirmed USD 6 monthly, USD 48 yearly (card displays promotional USD 4/month equivalent; verified at USD 48.00/year in the Paddle checkout modal after login on 2026-10-21), and USD 99 one-time. Lifetime covers the licensed version and minor updates, not future major upgrades. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Logged-in pricing page and Paddle checkout annual bill verification ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free online conversion and direct download for PDFs up to 25 MB (with a 'Restart' button to convert additional files) | Unauthenticated free users can execute 1 free task per hour (subsequent tasks require waiting 1 hour or upgrading to PRO) |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | The page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Discloses 'Maximum size allowed is 25MB' directly below the upload button before file selection | Hourly rate limit is not stated on the landing dropzone, appearing as 'No hourly limits' on the PRO comparison card after conversion |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Downloaded without an email address with tables retained; the historical entry limited files to 25MB. | Text and editable tables were retained; the historical free tier allowed one task per hour. |
| Original historical observation | Once notorious years ago for requiring an email address to receive converted files, `pdftoword.com` (now integrated into `gonitro.com/pdf-to-word`) has completely dropped the email gate: it discloses a clear 25 MB limit upfront and exports a 10.0 KB 16-cell native-table .docx in 4.8s via a direct Download button (03_download.png). | PDF Candy's OpenXML conversion engine delivers top-tier structural accuracy: its 9.8 KB .docx export (completed in 4.78s) preserves 100% of text across both pages and reconstructs the 4×4 financial table as a 16-cell native Word table—just note the 1-task-per-hour free limit (03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Business users who trust an enterprise PDF vendor (Nitro Software) and want to convert contracts or reports under 25 MB into native editable Word (.docx) without logging in or giving an email address | Users converting a single PDF document who want 100% native Word table (`<w:tbl>`) editability and an ad-free workspace without logging in |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Scans / OCR | The fixture is a text PDF; scans and OCR were not tested | The fixture is a text PDF; scans and OCR were not tested |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | DOCX · Output attached · No watermark in test | DOCX · Output attached · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free, up to 25 MB per file) | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Web tool supports sequential single-file conversions ('Restart'); batch and OCR are handled by Nitro PDF Pro desktop | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and offline Windows desktop software |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Free web converter: Free browser tool without registration or email; limited use with no numeric count stated. / Nitro 14-day trial: 14-day full-feature trial; no credit card required. | Free: No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 4.8s · End-to-end reference: 5.6s | Network-observed server wait: 4.78s · End-to-end reference: 5.68s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_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 | No login or email required; optional Nitro account sign-in | No login required for free conversion; optional PRO account sign-in |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Zero registration modals or third-party ad banners; displays a side-by-side Nitro PDF desktop promo card and a dismissible 'Nina from Nitro' AI sales assistant widget in the bottom-right corner (02_workspace.png). | Zero ad banners, zero email gates, and no registration prompts; displays a non-intrusive PRO upgrade card alongside the download button. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Nitro Software, Inc. | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) |
| Recorded origin | Founded in Melbourne, Australia / HQ in San Francisco, USA | Cyprus (European software team) |
| Domain history record | 2005–Present (21-year enterprise PDF software leader) | 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Officially operated by Nitro Software, Inc. (founded in Melbourne in 2005, headquartered in San Francisco), owner of the category-defining `pdftoword.com` domain. | Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Processed on Nitro's enterprise-compliant cloud infrastructure without requiring personal email submission or account creation to retrieve the converted file. | SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 2 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 31.5 / 35 Clearly states 'Maximum size allowed is 25MB. Supported formats: pdf' on the upload card (01_landing.png); uploading our 2-page anchor PDF immediately displays 'Your document is ready!' and a direct black Download button (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png), completely retiring its legacy email-gate requirement. | 28 / 35 Headlines 'Convert PDF to Word Online Fast and for Free' (01_landing.png) and converts our 2-page anchor PDF in ~4.78s to a green 'Download file' button without login (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png); however, the free tier is rate-limited to 1 free task per hour (disclosed via the 'PDF Candy PRO: No hourly limits' card on the result screen rather than upfront on the hero dropzone). |
| Interaction restraint | 25.5 / 30 Zero registration modals or third-party ad banners; displays a side-by-side Nitro PDF desktop promo card and a dismissible 'Nina from Nitro' AI sales assistant widget in the bottom-right corner (02_workspace.png). | 26 / 30 Zero ad banners, zero email gates, and no registration prompts; displays a non-intrusive PRO upgrade card alongside the download button. |
| Background & reputation | 19.5 / 20 Officially operated by Nitro Software, Inc. (founded in Melbourne in 2005, headquartered in San Francisco), owner of the category-defining `pdftoword.com` domain. | 18.5 / 20 Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 Processed on Nitro's enterprise-compliant cloud infrastructure without requiring personal email submission or account creation to retrieve the converted file. | 13.5 / 15 SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. |
| Task quality | 61.5 / 65 Powered by Nitro's enterprise PDF conversion kernel, OpenXML `word/document.xml` inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 special-symbol phrases, 44 editable paragraphs) and a complete 16-cell native Word `<w:tbl>` table (12/12 financial values intact) with Page 2 token preserved (61.5/65) | 61.5 / 65 OpenXML `word/document.xml` inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 special-symbol phrases, 44 editable paragraphs) and a complete 16-cell native Word `<w:tbl>` table (12/12 financial values preserved) with Page 2 token intact (61.5/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 18 / 20 Exports a complete 2-page watermark-free native `.docx` file (10.0 KB) without login or email submission, supporting free files up to 25 MB (18.0/20) | 17.5 / 20 Exports a complete 2-page watermark-free native `.docx` file (9.8 KB) without login, subject to the 1-task-per-hour free rate limit (17.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 11.7 / 15 Automatically starts cloud conversion upon upload and presents the Download button in ~4.8s (11.7/15) | 12 / 15 Completes cloud PDF-to-DOCX reconstruction in ~4.78s after clicking CONVERT (12.0/15) |
