PDFOnly vs iLovePDF — feature-by-feature
Honest comparison of PDFOnly and iLovePDF: tool coverage, file-size limits, pricing, AI features, self-hosting.
iLovePDF is a popular free PDF toolkit with a friendly UI and a generous free tier. Here's how it stacks up against PDFOnly.
## TL;DR
iLovePDF and PDFOnly are similar in spirit — both offer free PDF tools without aggressive paywalls. PDFOnly has more tools (45+ vs ~25), more advanced AI/LLM features (PDF-to-Markdown, OCR-to-Markdown, RAG-ready output), and supports self-hosting. iLovePDF has a friendlier landing page, more existing brand recognition, and Google/Dropbox/OneDrive integrations.
## Free tier
**iLovePDF:** Free tier is reasonable — most basic operations are free. Some advanced features (OCR, larger files) require Premium.
**PDFOnly:** No daily caps. 100 MB upload size on free. OCR is free. No feature paywall on the basics.
## Tool coverage
iLovePDF covers the standard set: compress, merge, split, convert (Office formats), watermark, page numbers, edit, OCR. PDFOnly covers all of those PLUS:
- **AI/RAG**: PDF-to-Markdown, OCR-to-Markdown, AI summarize. - **Legal**: PDF/A conversion, Bates numbering, Compare PDF (visual diff). - **Advanced page management**: Insert pages at specific position, extract pages, delete blank pages. - **Form workflows**: AcroForm field auto-detection and fill. - **Highlight/redact** with text search.
## Privacy
iLovePDF runs SaaS only. Files are deleted after processing per their privacy policy.
PDFOnly: same default (1-hour deletion, no AI training), plus optional self-hosting. For HIPAA-style needs, self-hosting puts you in control.
## File size
iLovePDF has size limits that increase with paid tier.
PDFOnly: 100 MB free / 200 MB Pro / unlimited self-hosted.
## Pricing
iLovePDF: free with feature paywall, Premium subscription for advanced features.
PDFOnly: free is generous; Pro for higher limits and team features.
## Bottom line
If you need basic PDF operations and brand recognition matters, iLovePDF is a fine choice. If you do AI/RAG work, legal/court e-filing, or want to self-host, PDFOnly is built for those use cases out of the box.
Frequently asked questions
Are the conversions as accurate as iLovePDF's?
Both tools use similar underlying engines (LibreOffice for Office conversions, Ghostscript for compression, Tesseract for OCR). Output quality should be comparable for standard documents.
Does PDFOnly have batch processing?
Single-file submissions are the default. Multi-file workflows for things like merge accept multiple inputs in one job. True 'batch' (process N independent files at once) is on the roadmap.
Self-hosting really works?
Yes — the entire stack (Next.js + MySQL + Redis + MinIO + worker) deploys to a single VPS. We have install scripts in the repo.