UboraConvert vs iLovePDF vs Smallpdf vs TinyWow
An honest, brutally specific comparison of the four major free PDF / document tool platforms. We're UboraConvert, so we're biased — but the rows below are facts you can verify yourself.
Try UboraConvert →The big picture
| UboraConvert | iLovePDF | Smallpdf | TinyWow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files uploaded to a server? | No — everything runs in your browser | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free file size cap | ~500 MB (browser RAM limit) | 15 MB / 25 MB free tier | 5 MB / day on most tools | ~200 MB |
| Daily / hourly tool limits | None | 2 tasks/hour free | 2 tasks/day free | Daily caps + ads |
| Watermark on free output | Never | Sometimes | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Signup required | Never | For some tools | For most tools | For some tools |
| Ads on the page | None | Banner ads on free tier | Aggressive upsells | Heavy ads + trackers |
| Works offline after first load | Yes (service worker) | No | No | No |
| Mobile camera scan | Yes (image & OCR tools) | Mobile app only | Mobile app only | No |
| AI background remover | Yes, runs on your device | Cloud-based | No | Cloud-based |
| Source code transparency | Single HTML file, viewable on the live site | Closed | Closed | Closed |
Tool coverage
Tool count is mostly vanity, but for completeness:
| Tool | UboraConvert | iLovePDF | Smallpdf | TinyWow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merge PDF | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Split PDF | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compress PDF (4 levels) | ✓ | 1 level | 3 levels | 1 level |
| PDF to Word with formatting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag-to-reorder pages on merge | ✓ | Limited | Limited | ✗ |
| OCR (8+ languages) | ✓ Tesseract | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI background remover (in-browser) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Cloud |
| QR code generator | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| EPUB to PDF | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Image collage / splitter | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| JSON ↔ XML ↔ CSV ↔ Excel | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hash calculator (MD5/SHA-256) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| e-Sign with full PAdES audit trail | Visual only | ✓ (paid) | ✓ (paid) | ✗ |
| Add password / encrypt | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PDF / A archival format | Coming soon | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Last updated May 2026. We don't capture screenshots automatically — if you spot an outdated row, let us know.
When NOT to use UboraConvert
- Files larger than your browser's RAM (UboraConvert tops out around 500 MB)
- PAdES-certified e-signatures with audit trails (regulated industries)
- Server-rendered PDF/A archival format (we have an honest "coming soon" stub — password encryption now works in-browser)
- API integrations into your software (no API)
- Team collaboration with shared workspaces
Why we built UboraConvert
The free tools from the big three are good but trade your trust for revenue: they upload your files, show ads, push subscriptions, and keep your data on their servers (sometimes briefly, sometimes longer). For document workflows where the file is sensitive — bank statements, contracts, ID scans, payroll — that trade-off doesn't make sense.
UboraConvert was built around one constraint: nothing your eyes don't see leaves your browser. We use the same open-source libraries those services use server-side (pdf-lib, pdf.js, Tesseract, mammoth, SheetJS), but run them on your CPU. The whole site is one HTML file you can right-click → View Source on. The privacy policy is short because there's nothing to disclose.
Try UboraConvert →Honest roadmap
- Coming soon: AI document summariser (with optional API key — opt-in), Google Drive / Dropbox import, batch workflow chaining (compress → merge → sign in one flow)
- Won't build: server-side PAdES e-sign, enterprise SSO, paid tiers — these need a backend, and a backend defeats the privacy claim