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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 | pdfcompressor.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 89/100 DOCX · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF compression | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | 79/100 PDF · Output attached | Active task |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Smallpdf PDF compression 90/100 Seven-aspect task score The free Basic preset shrinks the 1.66 MB 2-page PDF by 93.5% to 107.8 KB without login while retaining 100% selectable vector text, but Moderate/Strong presets require Pro and free usage is capped at ~2 tasks/day. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 | PDF Compressor PDF compression 79/100 Seven-aspect task score PDF Compressor provides a completely free, login-free batch compression service supporting up to 20 files with 1-hour auto-purge, slashing file size by 90.82% in 2.08s, but at the steep cost of rasterizing most vector text into bitmaps, sacrificing text selectability and sharp rendering. Tested export PDF · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | PDF Compressor web batch compression tool · 2026-10-31 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Web Free2026-10-31 ↗ Free Free Free Batch upload up to 20 files per task, unlimited daily usage Automated PDF compression with individual or batch ZIP downloads；1-hour file retention, maximum 20 files per batch 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Official site explicitly states all features are free, supporting up to 20 files at once with zero paywalls. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCompletely free without subscription; no cancellation or refund terms needed. Official homepage and compression workspace ↗ · 2026-10-31 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free tier includes Basic compression for ~2 tasks/day; Moderate/Strong presets and unlimited tasks require Pro | Completely free, batch upload up to 20 files per task |
| 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. | Completely free without subscription; no cancellation or refund terms needed. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Labels Basic (free) vs Moderate/Strong (Pro) after upload, without stating the daily task cap on the landing page | Homepage states 20-file batch limit; terms specify 1-hour deletion |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | File reduction: 93.5% · Output size: 107.8 KB · Selectable text retained: 100% · Page 2 preserved: Yes | File reduction: 90.82% · Output size: 152.3 KB · Selectable text retained: 11.1% · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Free Basic preset reduced the 1,659.0 KB fixture by 93.5% (107.8 KB output) with both pages and 100% selectable vector text preserved. | In the 2-page mixed-content anchor benchmark, file size plummeted from 1,659 KB to 152.3 KB (-90.82%), but underlying vector text retention dropped to 11.1% (only 1 of 4 headings preserved, table text fully rasterized). |
| Original historical observation | Even though Smallpdf locks Moderate and Strong presets behind Pro, its free Basic preset still shrinks our 1.66 MB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, beating its -86% UI estimate) while keeping 100% of vector text selectable (01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). | PDF Compressor accepted the sample without login, compressed it by 90.82% to 152.3 KB in 2.08s, and exported a watermark-free PDF with rasterized text (01_landing.png, 02_result.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Occasional users compressing 1–2 PDFs per day who want high size reduction (-93.5%) and 100% vector text fidelity without logging in | Users needing maximum file size reduction who do not require searchable or selectable vector text |
| 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 native vector PDF (107.8 KB · -93.5% · watermark-free · Basic preset & daily limit) | Two-page PDF (152.3 KB, no watermark, 90.82% reduction) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Batch PDF compression requires Pro | Supports batch upload of up to 20 files with ZIP download |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 5.08s · End-to-end reference: 5.78s | Network-observed server wait: 2.08s · End-to-end reference: 2.08s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_pdfcompress_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-31 · 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 | No login required within the daily free task allowance | Direct batch upload with zero login required |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. | Not verified |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Smallpdf AG | PDF Compressor Team |
| Recorded origin | Zurich, Switzerland | Not verified |
| Domain history record | 2013–Present | Not verified |
| Background & reputation assessment | Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Not verified |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. | Google Ads · Google Analytics |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. | Not verified |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 26.5 / 35 Clearly separates the free "Basic" preset from Crown-badged Pro "Moderate / Strong (Smallest)" presets after upload; the free Basic tier actually beats its "~228.9 kB (-86%)" estimate by exporting a 107.8 KB (-93.5%) watermark-free PDF, though the ~2 tasks/day cap is not disclosed on the landing page (01_landing.png, 01b_workspace.png, 02_result.png). | |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 First task completes and downloads without login in Basic mode, though two of the three compression presets and the header persistently promote a Pro Free Trial. | |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 by Smallpdf AG with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR with TLS encryption and 1-hour automatic cloud file deletion. | |
| Task quality | 65 / 65 Deterministic PDF stream inspection: even on the free Basic preset, Smallpdf shrinks the 1,659.0 KB fixture to 107.8 KB (-93.5%, 15.39× ratio, beating its 228.9 KB UI estimate) while preserving 100.0% of all 27 native vector text operator blocks (BT/TJ), 4/4 headings, 12/12 table cells, and the Page 2 token (65.0/65) | 45 / 65 Size Reduction: -90.82% (1659 KB → 152.3 KB, 10.89× ratio) · Selectable Vector Text Retained: 11.1% · Page 2 Preserved: Yes |
| Deliverable specifications | 15.5 / 20 Free Basic preset exports a complete 107.8 KB 2-page watermark-free vector PDF, but locks Moderate/Strong presets and batch compression behind Pro and caps free usage at ~2 tasks/day (15.5/20) | 14 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export spec: Two-page PDF (152.3 KB, no watermark, 90.82% reduction) |
| Processing speed | 15 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 2.08s (API mode: cloud_pdfcompressor_cluster; network upload 0s / end-to-end 2.08s shown for reference only, never penalized) | |
