PDF Loft and PDFgear compared
PDFgear describes itself as completely free and has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, OCR in more than 30 languages and an online e-signing service. PDF Loft is a web app with a free plan limited to a few tasks a day, plus e-signature requests, an API and single sign-on on its paid plans. The PDFgear pages we read do not state where its online tools process files or how long files are kept.
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. The PDFgear pages we read do not say where its online tools process files.
- 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. The PDFgear pages we read do not state a retention period.
Where PDFgear is stronger or equal
- PDFgear is described as completely free and without signing up. PDF Loft limits Free to a few tasks a day.
- PDFgear has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and a Chrome extension. PDF Loft has these apps and an extension built but not yet published.
- PDFgear states OCR in more than 30 languages. PDF Loft reads 10.
- PDFgear has an online e-signing platform (eSignGear) to send, track and collect signatures. PDF Loft also sends documents for signature, within a monthly allowance that depends on the plan.
- PDFgear provides a batch conversion mode.
Side by side
| Capability | PDF Loft | PDFgear |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Described as completely free and without signing up.Source |
| Free use | Every tool, 3 tasks a day, files up to 25 MB, up to 5 files in one run. No card needed. | Completely free; no limits statedSource |
| 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 work directly in the web browser. Where files are processed is not stated.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. | Not published |
| Number of tools | 39 tools | "Dozens" of online tools; no number givenSource |
| 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. | An online e-signing platform (eSignGear) to send, track and collect signaturesSource |
| OCR | OCR PDF makes a scanned PDF searchable in 10 languages, up to 3 in one run. | Yes, 30+ languages supportedSource |
| 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. | A batch conversion mode is providedSource |
| 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. | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and a Chrome extensionSource |
| Interface languages | 10 languages | Not published |
Read the PDFgear facts at www.pdfgear.com/. The full table of all products is on the comparison page.
Questions
- Is PDFgear free?
- PDFgear describes itself as completely free. 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 works on my phone?
- PDFgear has iOS and Android apps. PDF Loft runs in a phone browser, and its iOS and Android apps are built but not yet in the app stores.