PDF Loft and PDF24 Tools compared
PDF24 Tools is free with no stated limits and supports 43 languages; PDF Loft has a free plan with daily limits and paid plans. PDF24 processes files on its servers and states only that they are removed after a short time. PDF Loft runs 21 of its 39 tools in the browser and states exactly how long server results are kept. If you want free, unlimited use, PDF24 is the stronger choice.
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. PDF24 states that its online tools process files on its servers.
- PDF Loft states exactly what is kept: nothing for browser tools on the web, and for server runs (which include every tool in the mobile apps and the API) the input is deleted when the run finishes and an unsaved result after 2 hours. PDF24 states only that files are removed after a short time.
Where PDF24 Tools is stronger or equal
- PDF24 is free, and states that there are no artificial limits. PDF Loft limits Free to a few tasks a day.
- PDF24 offers 43 languages. PDF Loft offers 10.
- PDF24 offers PDF24 Creator for Windows, a Chrome extension and an installable web app, and states that Creator keeps files on the PC. PDF Loft has a desktop app and a browser extension that are built but not yet published.
- PDF24 lists a Sign PDF tool and a PDF OCR tool. PDF Loft has both, and also sends documents for signature on its plans.
Side by side
| Capability | PDF Loft | PDF24 Tools |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | None stated. Tools are free.Source |
| Free use | Every tool, 3 tasks a day, files up to 25 MB, up to 5 files in one run. No card needed. | All tools free of charge and without restrictions; no artificial limits. Funded by ads.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. | Online tools run in the browser but process files on PDF24 servers. The desktop PDF24 Creator keeps files on the PC.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. | Removed from its servers after a short time. No period given.Source |
| Number of tools | 39 tools | 24 tools listed on its tools pageSource |
| 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. | A Sign PDF tool is listedSource |
| OCR | OCR PDF makes a scanned PDF searchable in 10 languages, up to 3 in one run. | A PDF OCR tool: recognise text and create searchable PDF filesSource |
| 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. | Not published |
| 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). | Not published |
| 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. | Not published |
| 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. | PDF24 Creator for Windows, a Chrome extension and an installable web appSource |
| Interface languages | 10 languages | 43 languagesSource |
Read the PDF24 Tools facts at tools.pdf24.org/en/. The full table of all products is on the comparison page.
Questions
- Is PDF24 really free, and is PDF Loft?
- PDF24 states that its tools are free without restrictions. PDF Loft has a free plan with every tool, 3 tasks a day and files up to 25 MB, and paid plans for more.
- Which keeps my files private?
- PDF24 states that its online tools process files on its servers and remove them after a short time. 21 of PDF Loft's 39 tools run in your browser and the file is not uploaded; the others run on PDF Loft servers and are deleted as described on each tool page.