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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 | Zamzar | PDF2Go | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | 79/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | Not tested in topic | 96/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | Not tested in topic | 91/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 96/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Zamzar PDF to DOCX Converter PDF to Word 90/100 Seven-aspect task score No login or email is needed, limits are disclosed upfront, and text and tables are retained; free files are capped at 3MB with stated 24-hour retention. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-19 | PDF2Go PDF to Word 79/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free access offers format choices and deletion; text is retained but tables need rebuilding, and third-party download ads add friction. Tested export DOCX · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-18 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Zamzar USD web monthly subscriptions and free allowance; API excluded · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Basic2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12/month — Monthly Unlimited web conversions; 200 MB files; 25 concurrent; 5 GB storage; desktop separately limited to 50/day. Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 19/month — Monthly Unlimited web conversions; 400 MB files; 50 concurrent; 20 GB storage; desktop separately limited to 100/day. Business2026-10-20 ↗ USD 39/month — Monthly Unlimited web conversions; 2 GB files; 100 concurrent; 100 GB storage; desktop separately limited to 500/day. Weekly subscription mentioned in FAQ2026-10-20 ↗ Weekly price not verified Other period Other period FAQ mentions a weekly subscription, but the table does not state its price or tier mapping. FAQ mentions a weekly subscription, but the table does not state its price or tier mapping. 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Current Basic/Pro/Business prices are USD 12/19/39 per month, replacing the historical USD 18 Basic summary. Unlimited web conversions are separate from daily desktop quotas. The FAQ mentions weekly subscriptions without prices; no weekly price is inferred. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel in the account; access continues through the paid period and the next cycle is not charged. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | PDF2Go USD single-user plans and education eligibility plan · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Up to 50 MB without registration; limited processing, no batching; exact count not listed. Starter2026-10-20 ↗ USD 8/month USD 77/year Monthly 64 GB files, batching, priority queue; 1× AI allowance Annual 64 GB files, batching, priority queue; 1× AI allowance Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 29/month USD 278/year Monthly 64 GB files, batching, higher priority; 5× AI allowance Annual 64 GB files, batching, higher priority; 5× AI allowance Business2026-10-20 ↗ USD 89/month USD 854/year Monthly Per-person price; custom limits and centralized billing; 20× AI allowance Annual Per-person price; custom limits and centralized billing; 20× AI allowance Education eligibility plan2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free School-email verification; non-commercial educational use only, renewable while eligible. 8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The annual view explicitly shows full-year USD 77/278/854; old monthly equivalents are not extrapolated. Paid plans use shared credits without full PDF credit rules here, so no file-count conversion is made. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page states cancel anytime and a 14-day money-back guarantee; eligibility is subject to official refund terms. 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free guests can convert files up to 3 MB, max 2 files per 24 hours; larger files require Basic ($18/mo) or higher | Free guests can convert documents and enable basic OCR; heavy batch sizes or exceeding daily credit allowances require a Premium plan |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel in the account; access continues through the paid period and the next cycle is not charged. | The page states cancel anytime and a 14-day money-back guarantee; eligibility is subject to official refund terms. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | 'Max. file size 3MB' is printed directly below Step 1 Choose Files before upload | Format and OCR options shown upfront before clicking 'PDF to Word converter Now' |
| 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 | Text and editable tables were retained; the historical free file-size limit was 3MB. | Text was retained, but tables became ordinary paragraphs; distinguish download ads from the real control. |
| Original historical observation | Operating for 20 years, Zamzar sets a high bar for upfront rule disclosure: stating 'Max. file size 3MB' right below Choose Files and delivering an 8.1 KB .docx with 100% text and 16-cell native table reconstruction without login (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | PDF2Go exports an 11.2 KB .docx with 100% text retention, Page 2 preservation, and an instant 'Delete Task' button, but flattens the 4×4 financial table into 61 separate paragraphs rather than a native Word table and displays green ad buttons below the result card (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users converting small-to-medium text PDFs under 3 MB who appreciate upfront rule disclosure from a 20-year UK pioneer | Users who need 100% text extraction (including free OCR) without logging in and do not require native Word table border reconstruction |
| 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 (62 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, capped at ≤3MB on free tier) | Full 2-page unwatermarked .docx (11.2 KB, 61 paragraphs, 100% text retention) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file uploads and the mature Zamzar Developer API | Supports local, URL, Google Drive, and Dropbox imports plus ZIP download |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Published allowances & file limits · not tested | Web free: 2 files per 24 hours; tool-page limit 3 MB. | Free: Up to 50 MB without registration; limited processing, no batching; exact count not listed. / Education eligibility plan: School-email verification; non-commercial educational use only, renewable while eligible. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 6.5s · End-to-end reference: 7.3s | Network-observed server wait: 11.4s · End-to-end reference: 12.9s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-19 · anchor_pdf2word_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-18 · 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 (email notification is optional) | No login required (optional Google / email signup for extra free credits) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Has retired its legacy mandatory email-gate workflow in favor of direct browser downloads with zero third-party pop-up ads. | Provides a clean red 'Download' button on the result card, but embeds third-party AdSense banners featuring deceptive green 'DOWNLOAD PDF TO WORD' buttons below and beside the workspace (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Zamzar Ltd | QaamGo Web GmbH (pdf2go.com) |
| Recorded origin | United Kingdom (Founded 2006) | Radolfzell, Germany |
| Domain history record | 2006–Present (20-year online file conversion pioneer) | 2016–Present (10-year German online PDF platform) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Continuously operated by UK-based Zamzar Ltd since 2006 (20 years as one of the web's earliest file conversion platforms). | Operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany (the same parent company behind Img2Go and Online-Convert). |
| 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 | Completion page clearly notes 'Files are stored for 24 hours', operating under UK and EU GDPR data protection regulations. | Full HTTPS transport with a prominent 'Delete Task' instant-deletion button on the result page and automatic 24-hour server cleanup. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 31.5 / 35 Clearly states 'Max. file size 3MB (want more?)' directly beneath the Step 1 Choose Files button (01_landing.png), and makes 'Email when done?' an optional checkbox; uploading our anchor PDF and clicking Convert Now navigates to the completion page with a direct blue Download button (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 29 / 35 Clearly exposes DOCX/DOC format options and a free 'Enable OCR' toggle right in the workspace before conversion, exporting a full unwatermarked .docx with no login required (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 26.5 / 30 Has retired its legacy mandatory email-gate workflow in favor of direct browser downloads with zero third-party pop-up ads. | 20 / 30 Provides a clean red 'Download' button on the result card, but embeds third-party AdSense banners featuring deceptive green 'DOWNLOAD PDF TO WORD' buttons below and beside the workspace (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Continuously operated by UK-based Zamzar Ltd since 2006 (20 years as one of the web's earliest file conversion platforms). | 18 / 20 Operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany (the same parent company behind Img2Go and Online-Convert). |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 Completion page clearly notes 'Files are stored for 24 hours', operating under UK and EU GDPR data protection regulations. | 13 / 15 Full HTTPS transport with a prominent 'Delete Task' instant-deletion button on the result page and automatic 24-hour server cleanup. |
| Task quality | 61 / 65 100.0% text retention across 62 editable paragraphs (1,268 chars), 16/16 native Word <w:tbl> table cells, and full Page 2 preservation (61.0/65) | 49.5 / 65 OpenXML inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (all 4/4 headings, 12/12 table values, 3/3 body phrases, and Page 2 code preserved), but flattens the 4×4 table into 61 standalone paragraphs (table_count = 0) rather than a native Word <w:tbl> object (49.5/65) |
| Deliverable specifications | 16.5 / 20 Exports a compact, watermark-free 8.1 KB .docx without login, though the free single-file size limit is capped at 3 MB (16.5/20) | 17.5 / 20 Exports a clean 11.2 KB .docx with no login or watermark, plus free optional OCR and .doc legacy output (17.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 3-step upload and queue conversion completes in ~7.3s (~6.5s server conversion) (12.0/15) | |
