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iLovePDF vs PennyPDF

iLovePDF has a clean UI, 20+ tools, and pricing that starts at $4/month (cheaper than Smallpdf) but still requires a subscription you auto-renew forever. Their free tier is decent for light use — a handful of tasks per day — but gates common operations like 'split by range' behind the paid tier.

PennyPDF's free tier is genuinely free for client-side tools: unlimited merges, splits, rotates, JPG conversions, etc. The paid tools (compress, convert, OCR) are pay-per-use with coins that never expire.

Both have public APIs. iLovePDF's API is subscription-tiered; PennyPDF's API draws from the same coin balance as the web UI, no separate pricing, all tools available at launch.

See coin packsSee coin pricing

How it works

  1. 1If you do mostly client-side ops (merge/split/rotate/etc.): PennyPDF's free tier is strictly better.
  2. 2If you do mostly server-side ops (compress/convert/OCR): do the math on coin packs vs $4-$7/month.
  3. 3If you need the API: PennyPDF is cheaper above ~100 API calls/month.
  4. 4For casual mixed use, PennyPDF's $2.99 Starter pack usually outlasts the first year.

Frequently asked

Tool count comparison?+

iLovePDF: 25+ tools. PennyPDF: 22+ at launch, expanding through Phase 6. Feature parity on core tools (merge, split, compress, convert, OCR, sign, protect).

iLovePDF mobile apps?+

iLovePDF has iOS and Android apps. PennyPDF ships a mobile-optimized web app today; native apps and a browser extension are in development for release later this year.

Which is faster?+

For client-side tools, PennyPDF is instant (no upload round-trip). For server-side tools, both are typically 5-20 seconds depending on file size.

Premium features gated?+

iLovePDF gates 'split by range', some compression levels, and bulk processing behind paid tiers. PennyPDF gates only server-side operations (by coin cost, not feature flags).

What if I hate subscriptions?+

Then this is the whole point of PennyPDF. Buy coins once, use them forever, never auto-renew anything.

Related

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Smallpdf vs PennyPDF

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Alternative to iLovePDF

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Alternative to Adobe Acrobat online

Why PennyPDF

  • No subscription. Ever.
  • Coins never expire — use them in 5 years.
  • Client-side processing for 14 of 22 tools.
  • No watermarks at any tier.
  • Per-operation pricing, shown before you click.
  • Same coins for web + public API.