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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 | products.groupdocs.app | FreePDFConvert | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 89/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | 93/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 93/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | 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 | FreePDFConvert PDF compression 93/100 Seven-aspect task score First-file login-free compression shrinks our test PDF by 96% (to 59.5 KB) in ~1s while keeping 100% selectable vector text; free guests are limited to 1 task per 60 minutes, custom settings require PRO, and files are processed in the cloud. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | 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 ↗ | FreePDFConvert USD web membership · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Web free allowance2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Free conversion is available; consecutive tasks may require waiting or signup, with no exact allowance listed. 1-month membership2026-10-20 ↗ USD 8/month — Monthly Unlimited conversions, file size and 20+ tools; priority support. 12-month membership2026-10-20 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual Page shows USD 5/month equivalent without an explicit annual bill; not extrapolated. Page shows USD 5/month equivalent without an explicit annual bill; not extrapolated. Lifetime2026-10-20 ↗ USD 120 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time USD 120 once; web membership is advertised as lifetime, with unlimited conversions and file size. 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Reloading confirmed USD 8 monthly and USD 120 once. The 12-month membership shows only USD 5/month equivalent without the full annual charge, so that bill remains unverified. Numeric free wait intervals, counts and size limits are not published. 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Three compression presets freely available within free tier size limits | Unauthenticated visitors get 1 free task per 60 minutes with Better quality / Better compression presets; Custom settings and batch tasks require Membership |
| Cancellation & refunds | Not verified | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Extreme/Medium/Low preset cards shown upfront with zero surprise billing | Clearly badges Custom [PRO] in the workspace, but the 1-task-per-60-minutes cooldown only appears on a second consecutive task |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 94.6% · Output size: 89.6 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 96.41% · Output size: 59.5 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | 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. | Shrinks 1,659.0 KB to 59.5 KB (-96.41%, 27.88x) while retaining 100.0% of all 27 vector text operators and 12/12 table cells. |
| Original historical observation | 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). | Powered by ConvertAPI's PDF optimization pipeline (Preset=web, 150 DPI), FreePDFConvert shrank our 1,659.0 KB test PDF down to 59.5 KB (-96.41%, 27.88x) in 1.12s while keeping all 27 native vector text streams and table cells 100% selectable (03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users needing very fast server processing (1.29s), -94.60% size reduction, and vector text fidelity | Occasional single-file users needing extreme PDF size reduction (-96.41%) and 100% vector text fidelity within the 1-file-per-hour free limit |
| 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 unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) | Complete 2-page watermark-free vector PDF (59.5 KB, 96.41% reduction) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Not verified | 1 file per 60m on free tier; batch compression and custom DPI on paid plans |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 1.29s · End-to-end reference: 1.29s | Network-observed server wait: 1.12s · End-to-end reference: 6.28s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-03 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-26 · 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 | Compress and download directly without login | No login required for first file; supports Google / Email login |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Aspose Pty Ltd (GroupDocs) | Baltsoft Software Ltd. (ConvertAPI) |
| Recorded origin | Australia | Lithuania (est. 2005) |
| Domain history record | Established in 2012 | 2005–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Established commercial brand under Aspose Pty Ltd specializing in enterprise document collaboration. | Powered by the enterprise ConvertAPI document processing engine. |
| 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 | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | ||
| Interaction restraint | ||
| Background & reputation | ||
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -94.6% (1659 KB → 89.6 KB, 18.51× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes | 65 / 65 Size Reduction: -96.41% (1659 KB → 59.5 KB, 27.88× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 100% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Full 2-page unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) | 18 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Complete 2-page watermark-free vector PDF (59.5 KB, 96.41% reduction) |
| Processing speed | 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) | 15 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 1.12s (API mode: cloud_convertapi_pdf_compress; network upload 5.16s / end-to-end 6.28s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
