A cousin of mine called me last week, frustrated. He’d been using iLovePDF to merge his university assignments into one PDF. Free, fine, no problem. Until he tried to do it on his phone in the library, and the file was 28MB. iLovePDF told him: “File size exceeds free limit. Upgrade to Premium.”
He needed to submit in 20 minutes. He paid the $7. Submitted. Cancelled the subscription the next day. But still — he paid $7 to merge two PDFs.
This is iLovePDF in 2026. Genuinely good tool. Genuinely free for small files. But the moment your file gets a little big, or you need to do a few tasks in a row, it starts gating you.
I’ve been using ConvertKR for the same kind of work — and it doesn’t have those walls. No file size limit. No daily task counter. No “upgrade to continue.” Let me actually compare them properly. iLovePDF wins on a few things. ConvertKR wins on most.
The price thing
| Plan | iLovePDF | ConvertKR |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Limited (small files, daily limit) | Unlimited |
| Premium monthly | ~$7/mo | $0 |
| Premium yearly | ~$48/yr | $0 |
| Signup required | Yes (to remove most limits) | No |
| Watermarks on free output | Sometimes (varies by tool) | Never |
iLovePDF is cheaper than Smallpdf — credit where it’s due. $48/year vs Smallpdf’s $108/year is a real difference. But ConvertKR is $0 for the same set of tools. The math is what it is.
Also worth flagging: iLovePDF’s free tier is generous compared to Smallpdf’s “2 tasks a day” — you can do quite a bit. The walls only appear when files are big or you batch-process. ConvertKR doesn’t have any of those walls.
Where your files actually go
iLovePDF uploads your files to their servers in Barcelona. They process them there. They say files are deleted after 2 hours (longer than Smallpdf’s 1 hour). Their privacy policy is solid.
ConvertKR processes files in your browser. The PDF never leaves your device. Nothing to upload, nothing to delete, nothing sitting on a server in another country for 2 hours.
For a school assignment, this difference doesn’t matter much. For a contract, a salary slip, a medical report, a tax return — it matters a lot. iLovePDF isn’t doing anything shady. It’s just architecturally a server-based tool, and that means your file leaves your computer.
Tools — what each one actually has
| Tool | iLovePDF | ConvertKR |
|---|---|---|
| Compress PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Merge PDFs | Yes | Yes |
| Split PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Rotate / reorder pages | Yes | Yes |
| PDF to JPG / image | Yes | Yes |
| Image to PDF (JPG to PDF) | Yes | Yes |
| Add watermark | Yes | Yes |
| Add page numbers | Yes | Yes |
| Edit PDF (text/shapes) | Yes | Yes |
| Unlock PDF (remove password) | Yes | Yes |
| Protect PDF (add password) | Yes | Limited |
| eSign PDF | Yes (dedicated flow) | Yes (via editor) |
| Word/Excel/PPT to PDF | Yes | Yes |
| PDF to Word/Excel (editable) | Yes | Coming soon |
| OCR scanned PDFs | Yes (Premium) | Limited |
| Image tools (compress, convert, crop, watermark) | No | Yes |
| Background remover | No | Yes |
| Passport photo maker | No | Yes |
| QR code generator | No | Yes |
| Repair PDF | Yes | No |
Tool count is similar. iLovePDF has the edge on PDF-to-Word with formatting preserved, OCR for scanned documents, dedicated signing workflow, and a “repair PDF” tool for corrupted files. ConvertKR has the edge on image tools, background removal, passport photos, and QR codes — things iLovePDF doesn’t do at all.
The free-tier limits — read this carefully
iLovePDF’s free tier is the trickiest part of the comparison. It works fine for small jobs, then suddenly blocks you. Here’s what actually triggers an upgrade prompt:
File size. Free tier caps individual file uploads. The exact number changes but it’s usually around 25–40MB per file. Anything bigger needs Premium.
Number of files in a batch. Trying to merge 10 PDFs at once? Free tier may cap it at 5 or so depending on the tool.
Tasks per hour. If you do a bunch of conversions back-to-back, you may hit a rate limit and have to wait.
Some tools are Premium-only. OCR is the big one. Also some advanced features in the editor.
ConvertKR doesn’t have any of these. There’s no file size limit (the limit is your browser’s RAM, which is way higher than 40MB). No batch limit. No rate limit. No Premium-only tools.
This is the real difference for daily users. Once a month, iLovePDF’s free tier is fine. Daily, it gets in your way.
Where iLovePDF actually wins
PDF to Word with formatting preserved. Their conversion engine is genuinely good. If you need a scanned contract turned into an editable Word doc with the layout intact, iLovePDF does this well.
OCR. Premium-tier OCR on scanned documents is solid. ConvertKR’s pdf-to-text works for digital PDFs but isn’t built for heavy OCR.
Repair PDF. They have a tool that can sometimes recover corrupted PDFs. ConvertKR doesn’t have this. If you have a broken file, iLovePDF is worth trying.
Mobile and desktop apps. iLovePDF has polished iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps. ConvertKR works in mobile browsers but no native apps yet.
Brand recognition. If a client asks “what tool did you use,” iLovePDF sounds professional. ConvertKR is newer.
Where ConvertKR wins
Actually free, with no walls. Same toolset, no daily limit, no file size cap, no upgrade prompt mid-task.
No signup, no email collection. iLovePDF wants your account so it can sync, recommend, and remind. ConvertKR doesn’t know you exist.
Browser-based privacy. Files don’t leave your device. For sensitive documents this is a real architectural difference.
Wider toolkit beyond PDFs. Image compression, background removal, passport photos, QR codes — things people often need alongside PDF work.
Faster on small files. No upload step. Drop file, get result. Most noticeable on slow internet.
No watermarks on output. iLovePDF sometimes adds a “Created with iLovePDF” stamp on free outputs depending on the tool. ConvertKR never does.
Real-world scenarios — which one to use
Merging assignment PDFs in college.
ConvertKR. No file size cap, no signup, no risk of hitting a limit at 11pm before submission.
Compressing a 50MB scanned report.
ConvertKR. iLovePDF’s free tier may reject the file size. ConvertKR handles it in the browser.
Converting a 100-page scanned book to editable Word.
iLovePDF. Pay for Premium for one month, do the conversion, cancel. This is the job iLovePDF was built for.
Removing the password from a bank statement.
ConvertKR. Specifically because the file never uploads anywhere. convertkr.com/unlock-pdf.
Repairing a corrupted PDF that won’t open.
iLovePDF. They have a dedicated repair tool. Worth trying before giving up on the file.
Making a passport photo for a visa.
ConvertKR. iLovePDF doesn’t do this.
Daily PDF work for freelancing or accounting.
ConvertKR. Free, no walls, no rate limits. iLovePDF Premium would be $48/year for tasks that should be free.
Sharing a signed contract back to a client.
Either. iLovePDF has a slicker dedicated signing flow. ConvertKR’s editor lets you draw or upload a signature.
Smallpdf vs iLovePDF vs ConvertKR — quick verdict
Since people often compare all three, here’s the short version:
- Smallpdf — most expensive ($108/yr), strictest free tier (2 tasks/day), best for occasional pro use with strong PDF-to-Word.
- iLovePDF — middle price ($48/yr), generous-ish free tier with size limits, best for users who want a polished native app and need OCR.
- ConvertKR — free, no signup, browser-based privacy, best for daily users and anyone with sensitive documents. Lacks heavy OCR and PDF-to-Word for now.
The honest summary
iLovePDF is a solid product. Genuinely. If you need OCR on scanned documents or PDF-to-Word with formatting preserved, pay them for a month and use it.
For everything else — the merging, the compressing, the signing, the splitting, the watermarking, the page numbering, the image-to-PDF — ConvertKR does it free, in your browser, without a signup.
Most people use PDF tools 5–10 times a month. Paying $48/year (or $7/month) for that is just paying for the brand and the convenience of not switching tabs. The free tools work now. Use them.
FAQ
Is ConvertKR really free or is there a catch?
Really free. No paid tier. No “upgrade to continue.” It’s part of a broader tools ecosystem that includes desktop apps for power users — that’s how the project sustains itself, not by gating browser tools.
Is iLovePDF safe to use?
Yes. They’re a legitimate company based in Barcelona with proper privacy policies and SSL throughout. Files are deleted from their servers after a couple of hours. The question isn’t safety — it’s whether you need to upload your files at all when a browser tool can do the same thing locally.
Why does iLovePDF have a free tier at all if it has so many limits?
Same reason every freemium tool does — get you in the door, hope you hit the wall, sell you Premium. The free tier is real but it’s designed to convert you. Nothing wrong with that, just something to know.
What about Smallpdf, PDF24, Sejda?
Smallpdf — pricier with stricter free tier (covered separately). PDF24 — genuinely free but ad-heavy and dated UI. Sejda — has a 3-task daily limit and a 200-page cap on the free tier. None process in your browser the way ConvertKR does.
Can I use iLovePDF for sensitive documents?
You can, but you’re trusting their server with your file. For bank statements, contracts, medical records — a browser-based tool like ConvertKR is structurally more private because the file never gets uploaded.
Does ConvertKR work offline?
Most tools work after the page loads — the processing happens in your browser, not on a server. So once the tool page is loaded, you can disconnect from the internet and it’ll still work. iLovePDF can’t do this because it needs to upload to their server.
Skip the limits and the upgrade prompts. Try ConvertKR — same tools as iLovePDF, no signup, no file size caps, no daily limits, no upload.