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Feature checklists make every tool look equivalent. This table leads with the three things that actually differ — what it costs you before it works, whether your files leave your device, and where the free version stops.
| PDF24 Toolstools.pdf24.org | iLovePDFilovepdf.com | OCR.spaceocr.space | Smallpdfsmallpdf.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Around thirty free PDF tools with no account and no daily counter | Merge, split, compress, unlock and convert PDFs from one toolbar | Pulls the text out of a scan or screenshot with no sign-up | The tidiest PDF suite, rationed to a couple of jobs a day |
| What it costs you | No sign-upWorks the moment the page loads. No account, no email, no trial. | Free tierA genuinely usable free tier with paid plans for volume or team features. | No sign-upWorks the moment the page loads. No account, no email, no trial. | Free tierA genuinely usable free tier with paid plans for volume or team features. |
| Your files | Runs on their server | Runs on their server | Runs on their server | Runs on their server |
| Where it stops | Which tools run locally and which upload varies page by page, so read the note before feeding it anything sensitive. | Free use caps the number and size of files per task, and OCR is a Premium-only feature. | Free uploads are capped at 5 MB per file, and layout is not preserved — you get text, not a formatted copy. | Free accounts get roughly two document tasks a day before a countdown appears. |
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| Category | PDF & Documents | PDF & Documents | PDF & Documents | PDF & Documents |
| Last checked | 2026-07-29 | 2026-07-29 | 2026-07-29 | 2026-07-29 |
| Open the site | Open | Open | Open | Open |
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