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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 | products.aspose.app | Soda PDF | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 88/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 96/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Aspose Free Online Apps PDF merge & split 97/100 Seven-aspect task score Aspose PDF Merger merged the two benchmark files into a 3-page PDF in 2.52s without login, strictly preserving the cross-document page order (DOC1-P1 -> DOC1-P2 -> DOC2-P3) with 100% selectable vector text and table retention, featuring direct download and physical wipe. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-03 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Aspose App free tier and Premium annual subscription · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free Free access without login; PDF 5MB limit / 2 uses per day, Words 3MB limit Basic access across Aspose.PDF, Words, Cells, and OCR；3-5MB per-file cap, daily task limits, single download per result；Permanently free, no renewal；Perpetual access Premium Annual2026-10-31 ↗ — USD 48/year Annual File size limit extended to 20-50MB, unlimited daily uses, 30-day output file storage Full access to all advanced tools, ad-free UI, precision rendering, priority support；Maximum 50MB per file；Renews annually at $48/year, cancel anytime in dashboard；Valid during annual subscription 2 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Free tier provides basic limits across tool lines (3-5MB per file, 2-5 uses per day); Premium Plan is billed annually at $48/year ($4/month equivalent) for 20-50MB limits, unlimited usage, and 30-day file retention. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified Aspose App Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 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 | Multi-file merge freely available within free tier size limits | Files under 3 MB can be downloaded after creating a free account; files over 3 MB hit a hard paywall |
| Cancellation & refunds | Not verified | 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 | Save as PDF option and MERGE button shown upfront with zero surprise billing | 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 | Strict 3/3 page fidelity, 100% sequence preservation, 5/5 headings and 12/12 table cells fully retained without vector rasterization. | 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 | Aspose PDF Merger merged 2 test PDFs into a 3-page PDF with 100% sequence accuracy and selectable text, offering direct download and physical wipe (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 reliable sequence retention, high-fidelity tables, and vector preservation in document merging | 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 vector PDF (strictly 3 pages) | 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 | Not verified | 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 | Network-observed server wait: 2.52s · End-to-end reference: 2.52s | Network-observed server wait: 2.25s · End-to-end reference: 4.1s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-03 · anchor_pdfmerge_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 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 | Merge and download directly without login | 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 | Aspose Pty Ltd | Avanquest Software / LULU Software (sodapdf.com) |
| Recorded origin | Australia | Montreal, Canada |
| Domain history record | Established in 2001 | 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 | Established commercial entity with over 20 years of operations, providing developer middleware globally. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Processing location unconfirmed | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Google Tag Manager · Google Analytics | 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 | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | 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 | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Full 3-page unwatermarked vector PDF (strictly 3 pages) | 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 | 14 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 2.52s (API mode: cloud_aspose_pdf_merger; network upload 2.13s / end-to-end 2.52s 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) |
