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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 | lightpdf.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | Not tested in topic | 78/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 97/100 PDF · Output attached | 88/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| Scanned PDF OCR | Not tested in topic | 82/100 DOCX · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 90/100 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 | LightPDF PDF compression 88/100 Seven-aspect task score Delivers an extreme 98.22% size reduction (down to 29.5 KB) with 100% selectable vector text retention for logged-in free accounts, though guests face a sign-in gate and 20.01s cloud wait. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 |
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| 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 ↗ | LightPDF Individual Free, Monthly, Annual and Perpetual plans; Team & Business and Education tabs priced separately · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Plan2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Web only; max file size 10 MB, 1-year cloud storage for up to 5 files; downloading converted DOCX requires signing in to a free account Monthly Plan2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19.99/month — Monthly 1-month full access to all PDF tools across Web, Mobile and Desktop, unlimited file size, plus 1,000 AI credits/month Promotional price USD 19.99/month (strikethrough USD 29.99), billed monthly, cancel anytime；Unused AI credits expire monthly Annual Plan2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 49.99/year Annual 1-year full access to all PDF tools across 5 platforms (1 active device at a time), unlimited file size, plus 1,000 AI credits/month 3-day free trial then USD 49.99/year (strikethrough USD 89.99; skipping trial saves USD 5)；1,000 AI credits per month expire monthly Perpetual Plan (Lifetime)2026-10-21 ↗ USD 109.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One-time payment for lifetime access to all PDF tools across 5 platforms, unlimited file size, plus 40,000 AI credits 40,000 AI credits granted instantly and valid until used 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Individual pricing lists Free, Monthly USD 19.99, Annual USD 49.99 (with 3-day trial or $5 skip-trial discount), and Perpetual USD 109.99; per-feature AI credit deductions require hover tooltips and enterprise plans require custom quotes. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel recurring subscriptions via support ticket or payment platform email link; money-back guarantee is 30 days for Perpetual, 7 days for Annual, and 3 days for Monthly. LightPDF official Individual pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Three compression presets freely available within free tier size limits | Free watermark-free single-file export after logging into a free account; bulk compression requires VIP |
| Cancellation & refunds | Not verified | Cancel recurring subscriptions via support ticket or payment platform email link; money-back guarantee is 30 days for Perpetual, 7 days for Annual, and 3 days for Monthly. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Extreme/Medium/Low preset cards shown upfront with zero surprise billing | Prompts unauthenticated guests to sign in after compression completes |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 94.6% · Output size: 89.6 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 98.22% · Output size: 29.5 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. | Reduced the 2-page PDF by 98.22% (down to 29.5 KB) while retaining 100% of selectable vector text and 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). | LightPDF compressed our 1.66 MB PDF down to 29.5 KB (-98.22% reduction) in 20.01s while keeping 100% of vector text and table cells selectable (02_workspace.png, 03_result.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users needing very fast server processing (1.29s), -94.60% size reduction, and vector text fidelity | Users willing to sign into a free account who need maximum file-size reduction (-98.22%, down to 29.5 KB) for strict portal upload limits while keeping text selectable |
| 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%) | Full 2-page native vector PDF (29.5 KB · -98.22% · watermark-free · requires free login) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Not verified | Supports cloud document management and PDF API; batch compression requires VIP |
| 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: 20.01s · End-to-end reference: 23.21s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-11-03 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-23 · 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 | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Compress and download directly without login | Requires free account login (Google / email) to download |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Not verified | Displays a clear "File size reduced by 98.22% (1.7MB → 30.24KB)" summary and direct download when logged in, though guests encounter a post-compression login prompt. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Aspose Pty Ltd (GroupDocs) | AI Document Tool Suite (Wangxu Tech / Apowersoft) |
| Recorded origin | Australia | Hong Kong / Shenzhen (Wangxu Technology) |
| Domain history record | Established in 2012 | 2018–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Not verified | Operated by Wangxu Technology (Apowersoft team), offering web and desktop PDF utilities. |
| External reputation record | Established commercial brand under Aspose Pty Ltd specializing in enterprise document collaboration. | 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 | Uses HTTPS transport via aoscdn.com cloud storage with scheduled cleanup of temporary files. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 26 / 35 Unauthenticated guests are prompted to sign in after compression before downloading; once signed in with a free account, clicking Download directly exports the 29.5 KB watermark-free PDF without payment (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_result.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 22 / 30 Displays a clear "File size reduced by 98.22% (1.7MB → 30.24KB)" summary and direct download when logged in, though guests encounter a post-compression login prompt. | |
| Background & reputation | 16 / 20 Operated by Wangxu Technology (Apowersoft team), offering web and desktop PDF utilities. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 Uses HTTPS transport via aoscdn.com cloud storage with scheduled cleanup of temporary files. | |
| 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 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: compresses the 1,659.0 KB fixture down to just 29.5 KB (30,241 bytes, -98.22% reduction, 56.18× ratio — highest in category) while retaining 100.0% of selectable vector text (7 BT / 10 TJ), 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cells, and the Page 2 token (65.0/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Full 2-page unwatermarked vector PDF (89.6 KB, -94.60%) | 17.5 / 20 Exports a 29.5 KB watermark-free 2-page vector PDF on a free logged-in account, gated only by account sign-in (17.5/20) |
| 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) | |
