PDF Loft and iLovePDF compared
Both are web tools for everyday PDF jobs, and both delete uploaded files within two hours. The difference that matters most is where the work happens: iLovePDF uploads files for processing, while 21 of PDF Loft's 39 tools run in your browser. iLovePDF is the stronger choice today if you need desktop and mobile apps you can install now or more interface languages. PDF Loft also has a developer API, e-signature requests and single sign-on.
Competitor facts as published on their websites, checked . Where a page did not say, the table reads Not published.
Where PDF Loft is stronger
- 21 of PDF Loft's 39 tools run in the browser, so the file never leaves your device. iLovePDF states that files are uploaded and processed on cloud infrastructure.
- PDF Loft Pro is USD 12 a month billed yearly, or USD 18 a month billed monthly. The iLovePDF pricing page we read shows Premium in rupees only, and publishes no dollar price.
Where iLovePDF is stronger or equal
- iLovePDF has desktop apps for Mac and Windows and mobile apps for iOS and Android, on its paid plans. PDF Loft has apps for these systems that are built but not yet in the app stores, so only its web app can be used today.
- iLovePDF offers 26 languages. PDF Loft offers 10.
- iLovePDF publishes a Business plan with single sign-on for organisations of more than 25 people. PDF Loft offers single sign-on too, on its Business plan.
- Both state that processed files are deleted within two hours.
Side by side
| Capability | PDF Loft | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|
| Main paid plan | Pro: USD 12 a month billed yearly (USD 144 a year), or USD 18 a month billed monthly. Team: USD 48 a month billed yearly. Business: USD 199 a month billed yearly. Prices exclude tax. | Premium: 242 INR a month on annual billing, or 500 INR billed monthly. No dollar price shown.Source |
| Free use | Every tool, 3 tasks a day, files up to 25 MB, up to 5 files in one run. No card needed. | Limited document processing, with limits that differ by tool. Examples shown: 1 Split task, 2 Compress tasks, 25 Merge tasks.Source |
| Where files are processed | On the web, 21 of 39 tools run in your browser, so the file is not uploaded. The other 18 run on PDF Loft servers, and so does every tool in the mobile apps and the API. | Uploaded and processed on third-party cloud infrastructure, encrypted in transit and at rest.Source |
| Files kept after processing | On the web, browser tools keep nothing on our servers. Server tools, and every tool run from the mobile apps or the API, delete the files you give them when they finish, and delete a result you do not save 2 hours after it is made. | Automatically and permanently deleted within two hours of being processed.Source |
| Number of tools | 39 tools | 33 tools in its all-tools menuSource |
| E-signing | Send a document for signature to people who need no account: signers sign one after the other or all at once, from a template or a one-off document, and each request has a timeline whose entries are chained so that a change shows, and a completion certificate. Signature requests a month: 2 on Free, 50 on Pro, 300 on Team and 1,500 on Business. Sign PDF also adds your own signature, drawn, typed or uploaded. | Yes (iLoveSign). Signing yourself is unlimited on all plans; advanced e-signature is on Premium.Source |
| OCR | OCR PDF makes a scanned PDF searchable in 10 languages, up to 3 in one run. | Basic OCR on all plans; advanced OCR on Premium and Business.Source |
| Several files at once | Up to 5 files in one run on Free, 25 on Pro, 50 on Team and 100 on Business, for the tools that take several files. Each output file counts as one task. | Limited on the free plan; unlimited on Premium and Business.Source |
| Team plans | Team and Business plans. For a team sharing one library, one set of stamps and one allowance. Business adds SAML and OpenID Connect single sign-on with automatic provisioning (SCIM). | Premium covers 1 to 25 users with teams and workflows. Business is for more than 25 users, with custom pricing and single sign-on.Source |
| Developer API | A public REST API described by an OpenAPI 3.1 document, with API keys, scopes, idempotency keys and signed webhooks, and an MCP server for AI assistants. Included in the Team plan and above. The Zapier and Make apps are built but not yet published to their directories. | Yes (iLoveAPI)Source |
| Desktop and mobile apps | A web app that runs in the browser. Mobile apps for iOS and Android, a desktop app and a browser extension are built but are not yet in the app stores or published for download, so there is no separate desktop or mobile app to install today. | Desktop for Mac and Windows, and mobile for iOS and Android, on Premium and Business.Source |
| Interface languages | 10 languages | 26 languagesSource |
Read the iLovePDF facts at www.ilovepdf.com/. The full table of all products is on the comparison page.
Questions
- Does PDF Loft upload my files the way iLovePDF does?
- Not for most tools on the web. 21 of PDF Loft's 39 tools run in your browser there and the file is not uploaded. The other 18 run on PDF Loft servers, and so does every tool when you use the mobile apps or the API. iLovePDF states that its files are uploaded and processed on cloud infrastructure.
- How long does each service keep my files?
- iLovePDF states that processed files are deleted within two hours. For PDF Loft, browser tools on the web keep nothing on our servers, and server runs (including every tool in the mobile apps and the API) delete the input when they finish and an unsaved result after 2 hours.
- Which has an API or apps?
- Both have a developer API: iLovePDF calls its API iLoveAPI, and the PDF Loft API is included in the Team plan and above. iLovePDF has desktop and mobile apps on its paid plans. PDF Loft has mobile apps and a desktop app that are built but not yet published, so today only its web app can be used.