PDF toolsiLovePDF is one of the most used PDF sites in the world, and for good reason: it covers almost everything, including the conversions to and from Office formats that we don't offer at all. If that's what you need, use it.
The difference that matters most is architectural. iLovePDF uploads your file, processes it on its servers and lets you download the result. PDFJade does the processing inside your browser, so the file never leaves your computer or phone. Both are reasonable designs with different trade-offs.
The short answer
Choose iLovePDF if
- You need PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint, or the reverse.
- You want to send a document for others to sign.
- You work with very large files on a slow computer: their servers do the heavy lifting.
- You want a desktop app or a team account.
Choose PDFJade if
- The document is confidential: a contract, a payslip, a medical letter, an ID scan. Nothing leaves your device.
- You hit the free per-tool caps, such as merging more than 25 files.
- You'd rather not see ads or create an account.
- Page-level jobs: merge, split, reorder, rotate, number, watermark, sign, compress, protect, OCR.
Side by side
| iLovePDF | PDFJade | |
|---|---|---|
| Where files are processed | On iLovePDF's servers. Files are uploaded over HTTPS. | In your browser. The file is never uploaded. |
| How long files are kept | Deleted automatically within two hours of processing. Signed documents are kept for up to 5 years. | Nothing is kept on a server, because nothing is sent to one. |
| Free limits | Per tool. For example Merge: 25 files and 100 MB; Compress: 2 files and 200 MB; Word to PDF: 1 file and 15 MB. | No caps on files, pages or tasks. Your device's memory is the practical limit. |
| Account | Optional for most tools | None |
| Paid plan | Premium: US$5 a month billed yearly, or US$9 month to month | Free |
| Ads | Shown on the free plan | None |
| Office conversions | Yes: PDF to and from Word, Excel and PowerPoint. OCR versions are Premium. | Not offered (no PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint, no Word to PDF) |
| Offline option | Desktop app for Windows and Mac | No app. Works in any current browser, on desktop and phone |
What iLovePDF says about your files
Its security page states that files are "automatically and permanently deleted within two hours of being processed", and that you can delete them yourself straight away from the download screen. Signed documents are the exception: they are kept for up to five years, which makes sense for a signature service that has to prove who signed what.
For most documents that's a fair policy. For a few, any copy on someone else's server is one copy too many: an employment contract you haven't signed yet, a scan of a passport, a document under a confidentiality agreement. That's where a local tool earns its place.
Free limits
The free plan works per tool. On the day we checked, merging was capped at 25 files and 100 MB, compressing at 2 files and 200 MB, and Word to PDF at a single 15 MB file. Premium raises most limits to 4 GB and removes the ads. We don't set limits; the ceiling is your device's memory, and on a laptop that's rarely reached.
What PDFJade doesn't do
A fair comparison includes our own gaps. These are deliberate, and they won't all change:
- Converting PDF to editable Word, Excel or PowerPoint, or Office files to PDF. Doing that well needs heavy server software.
- Editing the existing text of a PDF. You can add text, images and shapes on top in the Studio, not rewrite a paragraph in place.
- Signature requests with an audit trail. You can sign a PDF yourself, but not send it to others to sign and track it.
- Cloud storage, history or team accounts. Nothing is kept, so there is nothing to come back to.
- Very large jobs on weak devices. A 500-page scan on an old phone will be slow, because your phone does the work.
Questions
Is iLovePDF safe?
It encrypts transfers and deletes processed files within two hours, according to its security page. The remaining question is whether a temporary copy on a server is acceptable for your document.
Can PDFJade convert PDF to Word like iLovePDF?
No. We don't offer Office conversions. For a Word file you can edit, iLovePDF or a desktop app is the better choice.
Sources
Facts about iLovePDF come from its own public pages, checked on 22 October 2026. Prices and limits change; follow the links for the current terms.
iLovePDF is a trademark of its owner. PDFJade is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us