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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 | WorkinTool | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 89/100 DOCX · Output attached | 85/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | 90/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | 89/100 PDF · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | 91/100 PDF · Output attached |
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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 | WorkinTool PDF to Word Converter Online PDF to Word 85/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free conversion has upfront free limits and retains text; a 0.5MB file cap and extra empty table cells narrow its usefulness. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ | WorkinTool web PDF-to-Word · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The online tool is free, with 4 files per batch and 0.5 MB per file. Historical desktop Pro pricing has no current purchase evidence and is not a web plan. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 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 | Web version allows up to 4 files at a time, strictly capped at ≤0.5 MB (500 KB) per file; files over 0.5 MB require downloading the Windows desktop client |
| 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. | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Clearly labels Pro OCR before conversion, though remaining daily free task count is not shown upfront on the landing page | 'Up to 4 files at a time within 0.5 MB' is displayed above the upload button before file selection |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 32 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Completed promptly with editable tables retained; free use is subject to daily allowances. | Text was retained in this test; the historical free input limit was only 0.5MB, restrictive for illustrated PDFs. |
| 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. | WorkinTool states its rule upfront ('Up to 4 files at a time within 0.5 MB'): our 3.6 KB vector anchor PDF converts smoothly in 4.8s with 100% text retention, but the 500 KB ceiling is far too small for most everyday PDFs (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| 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 | Users who only need to convert tiny (<500 KB) text-only memos or invoices without logging in |
| 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) | Full 2-page native .docx (watermark-free, but web tool strictly caps input at ≤0.5 MB) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Batch conversion requires Pro upgrade | Supports up to 4 small (≤0.5MB) files concurrently; no public API |
| 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. | Online free: Up to 4 PDFs per batch; up to 0.5 MB each; no registration. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 0.76s · End-to-end reference: 1.26s | Network-observed server wait: 4.8s · End-to-end reference: 5.4s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-18 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-19 · 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 | No login required |
| 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. | For PDF files under 0.5 MB, clicking Convert without login directly enables a blue Download button for a watermark-free .docx (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png) with no sign-up modal. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Smallpdf AG | WorkinTool (workintool.com) |
| Recorded origin | Zurich, Switzerland | Shanghai / International Utility Software Vendor |
| Domain history record | 2013–Present | 2021–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 (Smallpdf AG) with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | Operated by utility software vendor WorkinTool, offering desktop and online PDF/data utilities. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR; temporary files are automatically purged 1 hour after upload. | Uses HTTPS encryption ('Your files are secure') and purges temporary cloud files on a regular schedule. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| 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). | 29 / 35 Discloses its restriction upfront above the upload button ('Up to 4 files at a time within 0.5 MB', 01_landing.png) rather than ambushing users after conversion, but a 0.5 MB (500 KB) file size cap is extremely restrictive and primarily serves to funnel users to the 'Desktop version →' button below. |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 First conversion completes smoothly without forced registration, though persistent 'Free Trial' upsell banners appear in the header and sidebar. | 24.5 / 30 For PDF files under 0.5 MB, clicking Convert without login directly enables a blue Download button for a watermark-free .docx (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png) with no sign-up modal. |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2013 (Smallpdf AG) with ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | 16 / 20 Operated by utility software vendor WorkinTool, offering desktop and online PDF/data utilities. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Complies with Swiss Federal Data Protection Act and EU GDPR; temporary files are automatically purged 1 hour after upload. | 12.5 / 15 Uses HTTPS encryption ('Your files are secure') and purges temporary cloud files on a regular schedule. |
| 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) | 59 / 65 100.0% text retention across 73 editable paragraphs (1,259 chars), full Page 2 preservation, and native Word <w:tbl> table reconstruction (preserving all 12/12 core values across 32 total alignment/padding cells) (59.0/65) |
| 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) | 15 / 20 Exports a watermark-free 9.9 KB .docx without login, but the 0.5 MB (500 KB) web file size cap blocks most real-world image-containing PDFs (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) | 12.5 / 15 Small PDF cloud conversion completes in ~4.8s and displays 'document.docx Success' (12.5/15) |
