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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 | PDF Candy | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF to Word | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | 90/100 DOCX · Output attached | Active task |
| PDF compression | Not tested in topic | 92/100 PDF · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Scanned PDF OCR | Not tested in topic | 87/100 TXT · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
| PDF merge & split | Not tested in topic | 94/100 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 | PDF Candy (Icecream Apps PDF to Word) PDF to Word 90/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free conversion retains text and tables without blocking popups; the one-task-per-hour free limit is not disclosed on the landing screen. 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 ↗ | PDF Candy USD web and desktop + web bundles · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. Web Monthly2026-10-20 ↗ USD 6/month — Monthly Monthly web-tool subscription; up to 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, and high-priority processing. Desktop + Web Yearly2026-10-20 ↗ — USD 48/year Annual Billed annually at USD 48.00/year (displayed as USD 4/month equivalent); includes 500 MB/task, no hourly limits, web and desktop access, plus Video Candy and Image Candy web. Billed annually via Paddle at US$48.00/year (applicable taxes calculated at checkout) Desktop + Web Lifetime2026-10-20 ↗ USD 99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time One payment; desktop perpetual licence is limited to the current major version, including minor updates. 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Confirmed USD 6 monthly, USD 48 yearly (card displays promotional USD 4/month equivalent; verified at USD 48.00/year in the Paddle checkout modal after login on 2026-10-21), and USD 99 one-time. Lifetime covers the licensed version and minor updates, not future major upgrades. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official feature and pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Logged-in pricing page and Paddle checkout annual bill verification ↗ · 2026-10-21 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 | Unauthenticated free users can execute 1 free task per hour (subsequent tasks require waiting 1 hour or upgrading to PRO) |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel in the account; access continues through the paid period and the next cycle is not charged. | The page mentions 30-day refunds but also conditions them on recurring unresolved errors; eligibility follows the refund policy. Cancellation retains access through the paid period. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | 'Max. file size 3MB' is printed directly below Step 1 Choose Files before upload | Hourly rate limit is not stated on the landing dropzone, appearing as 'No hourly limits' on the PRO comparison card after conversion |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes | Text retained: 100% · Editable table cells: 16 · Page 2 preserved: Yes |
| Fixture findings | Text and editable tables were retained; the historical free file-size limit was 3MB. | Text and editable tables were retained; the historical free tier allowed one task per hour. |
| 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). | PDF Candy's OpenXML conversion engine delivers top-tier structural accuracy: its 9.8 KB .docx export (completed in 4.78s) preserves 100% of text across both pages and reconstructs the 4×4 financial table as a 16-cell native Word table—just note the 1-task-per-hour free limit (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 converting a single PDF document who want 100% native Word table (`<w:tbl>`) editability and an ad-free workspace 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 (62 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, capped at ≤3MB on free tier) | Full 2-page native .docx (44 paragraphs + 16-cell native table, watermark-free) |
| Watermark observation | Watermark-free | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports multi-file uploads and the mature Zamzar Developer API | Supports Google Drive / Dropbox integration and offline Windows desktop software |
| 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: No account; page, hourly and file-size limits; no batching. Numeric limits are not listed. |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 6.5s · End-to-end reference: 7.3s | Network-observed server wait: 4.78s · End-to-end reference: 5.68s |
| 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 for free conversion; optional PRO account sign-in |
| 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. | Zero ad banners, zero email gates, and no registration prompts; displays a non-intrusive PRO upgrade card alongside the download button. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Zamzar Ltd | Icecream Apps Ltd. (PDF Candy) |
| Recorded origin | United Kingdom (Founded 2006) | Cyprus (European software team) |
| Domain history record | 2006–Present (20-year online file conversion pioneer) | 2016–Present (10-year PDF utility suite) |
| 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 since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF 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 | Completion page clearly notes 'Files are stored for 24 hours', operating under UK and EU GDPR data protection regulations. | SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 2 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). | 28 / 35 Headlines 'Convert PDF to Word Online Fast and for Free' (01_landing.png) and converts our 2-page anchor PDF in ~4.78s to a green 'Download file' button without login (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png); however, the free tier is rate-limited to 1 free task per hour (disclosed via the 'PDF Candy PRO: No hourly limits' card on the result screen rather than upfront on the hero dropzone). |
| 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. | 26 / 30 Zero ad banners, zero email gates, and no registration prompts; displays a non-intrusive PRO upgrade card alongside the download button. |
| 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). | 18.5 / 20 Operated since 2016 by Cyprus-based Icecream Apps Ltd., a well-known developer of desktop and web PDF utilities. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13.5 / 15 Completion page clearly notes 'Files are stored for 24 hours', operating under UK and EU GDPR data protection regulations. | 13.5 / 15 SSL/TLS encrypted transfers with automatic server deletion after 2 hours and an immediate delete icon on the download screen. |
| 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) | 61.5 / 65 OpenXML `word/document.xml` inspection confirms 100.0% text retention (4/4 headings, 3/3 special-symbol phrases, 44 editable paragraphs) and a complete 16-cell native Word `<w:tbl>` table (12/12 financial values preserved) with Page 2 token intact (61.5/65) |
| 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 complete 2-page watermark-free native `.docx` file (9.8 KB) without login, subject to the 1-task-per-hour free rate limit (17.5/20) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 3-step upload and queue conversion completes in ~7.3s (~6.5s server conversion) (12.0/15) | 12 / 15 Completes cloud PDF-to-DOCX reconstruction in ~4.78s after clicking CONVERT (12.0/15) |
