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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 | Smallpdf | online-convert.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image compression | Not tested in topic | 90/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF to Word | 89/100 DOCX · Output attached | 79/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | 94/100 PDF · Output attached | |
| PDF merge & split | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Video compression | Not tested in topic | 85/100 MP4 · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Smallpdf PDF to Word 89/100 Seven-aspect task score Text and tables are retained with fast conversion in this run and upfront OCR pricing; tight free allowances and repeated upgrade prompts limit convenience. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 | Online-Convert (PDF to Word) PDF to Word 79/100 Seven-aspect task score Online-Convert (PDF to Word) provides a frictionless guest workflow. It completed two-page conversion in 10.05s, delivering a 14.9 KB unwatermarked DOCX with 100.0% text retention and flattened table layouts, earning a score of 76. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-11-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Smallpdf USD web individual and team plans; default 2-seat team bill · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Daily downloads and file size are limited, without exact figures; PDF-to-Word OCR is a Pro feature. Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 15/month USD 120/year Monthly 1 user; unlimited document downloads; OCR and text editing. Annual 1 user; actual annual bill USD 120; unlimited downloads with OCR. Team · 2 seats2026-10-20 ↗ USD 24/month USD 192/year Monthly 2-seat total; USD 12/seat/month; supports 2–19 seats. Annual 2-seat annual total USD 192; shown equivalent USD 8/seat/month; supports 2–19 seats. 7 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Current USD web prices show actual annual bills. Team entries use the default 2-seat total and identify the per-seat rate. The free daily allowance is not quantified. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordFAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not 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 ↗ | Online-Convert free trial credits, Pay As You Go packages and subscriptions · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Trial2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free 16 free trial credits upon signup without payment details Supports evaluation of most conversion and compression tools；Shared standard queue with file size limits；No automatic renewal；Valid until credits exhausted Pay As You Go (240 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 8 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 240 credits ($0.0333/credit), valid for 1 year Access to all tools, no waiting queue, priority processing Rules [1] [2] [3]Pay As You Go (480 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 14 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 480 credits ($0.0292/credit), valid for 1 year Full tools access, zero wait queue, ad-free experience Rules [1] [2] [3]Monthly Subscription (2800 Credits)2026-10-31 ↗ USD 29/month — Monthly 2800 credits per month (up to 2800 standard tasks or 350 AI tasks) All features, no waiting queue, batch concurrent processing, no ads；Unused monthly credits do not roll over；Renews monthly, cancel anytime in dashboard；Valid during active billing period Annual Subscription (2800 Credits/mo)2026-10-31 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual 2800 credits per month; UI states $23.17 USD/month equivalent without full annual total All features, no waiting queue, batch concurrent processing, no ads；Annual billing total not stated upfront; held as null with partial coverage；Renews annually；Valid during annual period 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Anonymous conversions for basic files; 16 free trial credits upon registration; Pay As You Go packs: 240 credits for $8, 480 for $14; monthly subscription $29/mo for 2800 credits; annual plans state monthly equivalents without full upfront invoice total. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified Online-Convert Plans & Pricing ↗ · 2026-10-31 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Capped at ~2 free tasks per day (selectable-text PDFs only; scanned OCR requires Pro), after which a 7-day trial wall appears | Guest users can directly convert digital PDF documents for free |
| Cancellation & refunds | FAQ says the trial can be cancelled without charge, reverting to Free at the end of 7 days. Paid refund details were not verified. | Not verified |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Clearly labels Pro OCR before conversion, though remaining daily free task count is not shown upfront on the landing page | Upload and convert buttons are publicly visible throughout |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 0 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Completed promptly with editable tables retained; free use is subject to daily allowances. | The exported DOCX container is fully editable with 100% text retention and page 2 intact, with table data presented as formatted text lines. |
| Original historical observation | Smallpdf's cloud conversion engine is blazingly fast—CDP logs show the server reconstructed our 2-page PDF into a 10.1 KB .docx with a 16-cell native table in just 0.76s (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png); its main limitation is the ~2 tasks/day free cap. | Not verified |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Occasional users who need a single ultra-fast (0.76s), high-fidelity PDF-to-Word conversion and haven't hit their 2-task daily free limit | Not verified |
| 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 (10.1 KB, watermark-free, subject to daily free task cap) | Two-page DOCX (14.9 KB) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Completely watermark-free (Native standard DOCX document) |
| Batch & API | Batch conversion requires Pro upgrade | Not verified |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Free: Daily downloads and file size are limited, without exact figures; PDF-to-Word OCR is a Pro feature. / Pro trial: 7-day trial; verify billing conditions before starting. | Free Trial: 16 free trial credits upon signup without payment details · Supports evaluation of most conversion and compression tools · Shared standard queue with file size limits |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 0.76s · End-to-end reference: 1.26s | Network-observed server wait: 10.05s · End-to-end reference: 10.05s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-05 · 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 required within the daily free task quota | Guest direct use without login; email and Google sign-in available |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | First conversion completes smoothly without forced registration, though persistent 'Free Trial' upsell banners appear in the header and sidebar. | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Smallpdf AG | QaamGo Media GmbH |
| Recorded origin | Zurich, Switzerland | Not verified |
| Domain history record | 2013–Present | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 (Smallpdf AG) with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Processing location unconfirmed |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Google Analytics · Google AdSense · Quantcast |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR; temporary files are automatically purged 1 hour after upload. | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 26.5 / 35 Clearly distinguishes free 'Convert selectable text only' from Pro-badged 'OCR (Scanned pages)' before conversion, and exports a complete 2-page .docx without login; however, the free tier enforces a strict daily task limit (~2 tasks/day) before prompting a 7-day trial wall (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 First conversion completes smoothly without forced registration, though persistent 'Free Trial' upsell banners appear in the header and sidebar. | |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 (Smallpdf AG) with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR; temporary files are automatically purged 1 hour after upload. | |
| Task quality | 61.5 / 65 Powered by a high-precision Solid Documents-grade conversion kernel, achieving 100.0% text retention, 16-cell native Word <w:tbl> reconstruction, and full multi-page preservation (61.5/65) | 45 / 65 Text Retention: 100% · Native Word Tables (<w:tbl>): 0 (0 cells) · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| Deliverable specifications | 15 / 20 Exports an unwatermarked, untruncated .docx (10.1 KB), though the tight ~2 tasks/day free quota limits heavy daily workflows (15.0/20) | |
| Processing speed | 14.5 / 15 CDP job status JSON confirms pure server conversion took just 0.76s (11:13:40.990Z → 11:13:41.751Z)—the fastest engine in the category (14.5/15) | 11 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 10.05s (API mode: async_verified; network upload 0s / end-to-end 10.05s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
