CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
What iLovePDF does well
iLovePDF has been around since 2010 and is based in Barcelona, Spain. They've earned a real user base for real reasons — here are the ones that matter.
- A polished, mature product — 14 years of refinement shows in the UX of the core tools.
- Localized into 25+ languages with strong adoption across Europe.
- Solid mobile and desktop apps — useful if you live in their ecosystem.
- Stable API that has been in market for years.
- Honest, paid-tier-funded business model with no surprise charges.
HONEST COMPARISON
Where each tool actually wins
Where pdfcraft ai wins
- 95 PDF tools versus their ~25 — including 50+ AI tools they don't offer at all (Chat with PDF, Summarize, Translate with layout preservation, AI Redact, AI Compare, Smart OCR, and 40+ more).
- No daily task cap on the free tier. Their free is rate-limited per day; ours runs unlimited.
- All free tools run in your browser — your file never touches our server. Their free tools upload to their servers regardless of plan.
- No signup for any free tool. They require an account beyond a few uses.
- Pricing is roughly half theirs at the entry tier, and we ship the AI features as the same plan.
Where iLovePDF still wins
- Brand maturity. iLovePDF is the household name for online PDF tools in Europe; we are a newer entrant.
- Native desktop and mobile apps. We are web-first; they have full installable clients.
- Larger localization footprint — they support more interface languages than we do today.
- Workflow integrations with WordPress, Joomla, and a few enterprise platforms. We offer an API; they offer that plus prebuilt plugins.
- If you only use the basic 5 tools (merge, split, compress, PDF-to-Word, JPG-to-PDF), iLovePDF Premium is fine and their established brand may be reassuring to your IT team.
SIDE BY SIDE
pdfcraft ai vs iLovePDF
Catalog
Free tier
AI features
API & integrations
Privacy
PRICING
What each one costs
Free tier
pdfcraft ai: 43 tools, unlimited use, no signup
iLovePDF: All tools, daily per-task limits, free account required after a few uses
Cheapest paid plan
pdfcraft ai: $4/month for the Pro plan including all AI features
iLovePDF: $4/month iLovePDF Premium (paid annually $48/year), AI features extra
Headline pricing is similar — both around $48/year for the entry paid tier. The real difference is what's included: pdfcraft ai's plan ships the AI features (Chat, Summarize, Translate, OCR, Redact, Compare) at the entry tier, while iLovePDF treats AI as add-ons or premium-tier-only. If you only need the basics, iLovePDF Premium is a fine choice and the brand is more established.
MIGRATION GUIDE
If you switch, here's what changes
Common workflows mapped from iLovePDF to pdfcraft ai. You don't have to switch everything at once — many users keep both for a while and migrate piece by piece.
Merging PDFs
iLovePDF way
iLovePDF → Merge PDF tool, upload files, click Merge, download.
pdfcraft ai way
pdfcraft ai → Merge PDFs (free, runs in browser, no upload). Same UI; the file stays on your machine.
Compressing for email
iLovePDF way
iLovePDF → Compress PDF, choose level, download.
pdfcraft ai way
pdfcraft ai → Compress PDF with target-size mode ('get under 5 MB'). Iterates parameters automatically; iLovePDF doesn't have this option.
OCR a scanned document
iLovePDF way
iLovePDF → OCR PDF, free with caps; full quality requires Premium.
pdfcraft ai way
pdfcraft ai → AI OCR or Make PDF Searchable. 20 pages free, then 2 credits per page. AI OCR adds structure detection (tables, headings) iLovePDF doesn't.
Extract text or tables
iLovePDF way
iLovePDF → PDF to Word or PDF to Excel.
pdfcraft ai way
pdfcraft ai → PDF to Word/Excel/PPT. Or use AI Table Extract for tables that don't follow simple grid patterns — iLovePDF doesn't have a dedicated table-only tool.
Translating documents
iLovePDF way
iLovePDF doesn't currently translate PDFs while preserving layout — they offer plain-text translation only.
pdfcraft ai way
pdfcraft ai → Translate PDF preserves the original layout in 90+ languages — text fits inside its original bounding boxes, tables stay tables.
START HERE
Tools to try first if you're switching from iLovePDF
FAQ
Questions about switching from iLovePDF
Honestly, you might not need to. If you only use the basic tools (merge, split, compress) and they're working for you, there's no urgency to switch. The reasons to consider us: you've started needing AI features (Chat, Summarize, Translate, Redact) that iLovePDF either doesn't offer or charges extra for; you want the free tier without daily caps; or you want free tools that run in your browser instead of uploading every file.