Comparison
What is the difference between SimplyPDF and iLovePDF?
Both products give you the everyday PDF tools. iLovePDF runs its web tools on its own servers, so you upload your file to process it, and the free tier is limited by how many tasks you can run. SimplyPDF keeps the editing and page tools in your browser, so those files are never uploaded, and every PDF tool is free with no account.
Last checked on 2026-10-21. The free tiers of other products change, so read their own pricing page before you rely on the details.
01 / WHAT EACH PRODUCT IS
About iLovePDF
What the other product does, in its own terms.
iLovePDF is a web app from RemoteDocs. It covers merge, split, compress, rotate, organise, repair, protect, sign, watermark, page numbers, OCR and conversion between PDF, Word, PowerPoint and images. The web tools send your file to their servers, they process it and they hand the result back. There is also a desktop app and mobile apps. The free tier is limited by the number of tasks you can run, and paid Premium plans raise those limits.
The short version: iLovePDF uploads your file to process it on the web, and its free tier limits how much you can do. SimplyPDF keeps the editing and page tools in your browser, so those files stay on your device, and every PDF tool is free.
02 / SIDE BY SIDE
The same questions, two answers.
03 / WHERE SIMPLYPDF IS DIFFERENT
Four things that stay the same.
What you get with SimplyPDF that does not change with the plan.
- Every PDF tool in SimplyPDF is free. There is no free tier to run out of and no watermark on the export.
- The editing, page and compression tools run in your browser, so those files never touch a server.
- No account is needed to use a tool. You can open the file, do the job and download it.
- One workspace holds the editor, the page tools, the scanner, the converters and the invoice and contract builders.
04 / QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Is SimplyPDF really free?
Yes. Every PDF tool is free and needs no account. The AI assistant is the only part that needs one, and it comes with a monthly credit allowance.
Do I have to upload my file to SimplyPDF?
Not for the editing, page and compression tools: they run in your browser. The heavier jobs, such as OCR, Office conversion, repair and encryption, are sent to the SimplyPDF service when you pick them.
Is iLovePDF free?
It has a free tier. The limits and the paid plans change from time to time, so check the plan page on their own site for the current terms.
Do the two products do the same jobs?
They overlap on the everyday work: merge, split, compress, rotate, convert, OCR, watermark and page numbers. SimplyPDF also has an inline editor with text replacement, redaction and signing, and it keeps those jobs in the browser.
Which one should I use for a confidential document?
If the file must not leave your device, use the browser tools in SimplyPDF: the edit, page and compression jobs are read and written in your tab.
05 / KEEP GOING