Pricing
PDF tools no subscription
The PDF software market trained users to expect subscriptions. Adobe Acrobat, Smallpdf, iLovePDF, DocuSign, pdfFiller, Nitro — all default to monthly recurring, all auto-renew, all rely on forgotten trials for a chunk of revenue. For casual users, this is strictly worse than a usage-based model.
PennyPDF sells coins. One coin is about 4 cents at the Starter pack price. Each tool lists its cost in coins: merge is free, compress is 1 coin, PDF-to-Word is 2 coins, OCR is 3 coins, e-signing is 3 coins per signer. You buy 10 coins ($0.99), 50 coins ($2.99), 200 coins ($7.99), or 500 coins ($14.99). That's the entire pricing table.
A typical personal user does 20-50 PDF operations a year. The 50-coin pack covers that with margin for $2.99 — less than one month of any subscription. Coins never expire, so the pack you buy today is still there in five years.
How it works
- 1Go to /#tools to browse by category.
- 2Free tools (14 of them) need no coins — merge, split, rotate, reorder, crop, watermark, JPG↔PDF, page numbers, PDF-to-text.
- 3For paid tools, sign in with Google/Microsoft to get 10 welcome coins free.
- 4When those run out, buy a pack once. Coins never expire.
- 5Never see an auto-renewal charge again.
Frequently asked
What's the catch?+
None we'd hide. Server-side tools cost because they cost us — we pay AWS/Cloudflare for compute. Client-side tools are free because they cost nothing to serve (they run in your browser). The pricing is literally cost-plus-margin.
What if I run out of coins mid-task?+
The UI checks your balance before starting a paid operation. If you're out, it prompts you to top up. Partial results aren't charged.
Is 'never expires' actually forever?+
Yes. US state escheatment laws require a minimum dormancy period, but we have no business incentive to claw back unused coins — we'd rather you use them in year 5 and come back. Terms commit to coin validity for the lifetime of the account.
What happens if I stop using PennyPDF?+
Nothing. No charge, no 'account inactive' dunning email, no expiry of your remaining coin balance. Come back next year, the coins are still there.
Can I get a refund on unused coins?+
Yes, within 30 days of purchase for any reason. Partial coin usage is refunded pro-rated. After 30 days, the coins stay in your account but are non-refundable — standard for digital currency.
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.