Partly. Free covers the essential tools with limited document processing, a limit the pricing page states without a number. Premium, with unlimited processing and the full catalog, costs 5 euro a month billed annually or 9 euro monthly (checked 2 November 2026).

What happens to my file on iLovePDF servers?

It is processed there, then automatically and permanently deleted within two hours, and you can delete it sooner from the download screen yourself (checked 2 November 2026). For routine files that window is unremarkable; for sensitive ones, weigh it deliberately.

Can PDFGym turn a PDF into Word like iLovePDF?

Partly. PDF to Word turns selectable text into editable DOCX paragraphs, but it does not rebuild tables, images, columns or fonts, and there is no PowerPoint converter and no text recognition here. For a formatted Word export, iLovePDF or another server suite is the right answer, and this page will not pretend otherwise.

Which one hits an exact size like 200 KB?

PDFGym, because it accepts the number as a target and checks the measured result before download. iLovePDF offers three quality presets instead, which cannot promise a byte count.

Can I use both on the same file?

Yes, and it is often the smart split: convert or recognize text on iLovePDF, then compress, reorder, or scrub metadata in a tab that uploads nothing. Just remember the converted file passed through a server either way.

iLovePDF vs PDFGym: Suite Depth or Tab Privacy

Who should pick which

A consultant receives a 30-page supplier report as a PDF and must return it as an editable Word file by Friday. That is conversion work, and iLovePDF's PDF to Word tool is built for exactly it. No tab-local trick substitutes for a formatted Office export.

A tenant, meanwhile, must send a signed lease to a landlord through a portal capped at 2 MB. The file is personal, the fix is mechanical: shrink, check, send. Uploading the lease to a server farm for that would trade privacy for nothing, so the browser tab is the right room for the job. Plenty of people use both services, converting there and compressing here, and nothing about either stops that split.

The two next to each other

Five lines capture the trade. iLovePDF's side comes from its own pricing, security, and tool pages, read on 2 November 2026.

iLovePDF and PDFGym compared on five lines
Line	iLovePDF	PDFGym
Office conversion	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, both directions	Word and Excel, text first; no slides
Recognition and signing	OCR tool, signatures, e-sign product	No OCR; visible mark only, no e-sign
Compression style	Three named presets up to Extreme	Exact kilobyte target, checked output
Where files go	Processed on its servers, deleted within two hours	Stay in the browser tab, never uploaded
Free shape and price	Essential tools with limited processing; Premium from 5 euro a month	Free, no account, no paid tier

Where iLovePDF is simply stronger

Conversion is the headline. Its catalog lists Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, HTML, and PDF/A in both directions, plus scan-to-PDF and an OCR tool, an edit tool, forms, redaction, comparison, and an AI summarizer (ilovepdf.com, Checked 2 November 2026). PDFGym has no PowerPoint converter, no text recognition, and no e-sign workflow, so any of those errands ends the comparison immediately in iLovePDF's favor. Desktop apps for Mac and Windows and mobile apps for iOS and Android extend the same suite beyond the browser.

Price is published plainly. Free covers the essential tools with limited document processing, a limit the page states without a number. Premium for one to twenty five users costs 5 euro a month billed annually at 60 euro, or 9 euro billed monthly, and adds full tool access, unlimited processing, desktop and mobile use, digital signatures, workflows, an ad-free experience, priority support, regional processing, and AI credits; Business from twenty five users up goes through a contact form (ilovepdf.com/pricing, Checked 2 November 2026).

Where the browser tab answers back

An exact size is the first answer. iLovePDF compresses through three named presets, Extreme, Recommended, and Less compression, while the PDFGym compressor takes the portal's number in kilobytes, runs four local methods against it, and reopens the winner to check it against the original before any download. When a form field says 200 KB, a preset is a guess and a target is an answer.

Privacy is the second. iLovePDF states that processed files are automatically and permanently deleted within two hours, with a manual delete option on the download screen (ilovepdf.com/help/security, Checked 2 November 2026). Two hours is a clear, fair window, and for contracts, payslips, and medical letters the tab still wins by never creating the copy at all. Merging shows the same philosophy: the browser joins the pages, reopens the result, and compares pages and text with the sources before the download appears. The compressor roundup and the Smallpdf comparison widen the view.

How we checked this page

iLovePDF's catalog, prices, preset names, and deletion window were read on its own site on 2 November 2026: the tool menu, the pricing table, the compression page, and the security page. PDFGym behaviors, the exact-target compressor with its four methods and reopen check, and the merge-then-compare flow, were taken from the tool pages and code in this project. No conversion quality or speed tests were run.

Candid questions about iLovePDF and PDFGym

Is iLovePDF free?: Partly. Free covers the essential tools with limited document processing, a limit the pricing page states without a number. Premium, with unlimited processing and the full catalog, costs 5 euro a month billed annually or 9 euro monthly (checked 2 November 2026).
What happens to my file on iLovePDF servers?: It is processed there, then automatically and permanently deleted within two hours, and you can delete it sooner from the download screen yourself (checked 2 November 2026). For routine files that window is unremarkable; for sensitive ones, weigh it deliberately.
Can PDFGym turn a PDF into Word like iLovePDF?: Partly. PDF to Word turns selectable text into editable DOCX paragraphs, but it does not rebuild tables, images, columns or fonts, and there is no PowerPoint converter and no text recognition here. For a formatted Word export, iLovePDF or another server suite is the right answer, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
Which one hits an exact size like 200 KB?: PDFGym, because it accepts the number as a target and checks the measured result before download. iLovePDF offers three quality presets instead, which cannot promise a byte count.
Can I use both on the same file?: Yes, and it is often the smart split: convert or recognize text on iLovePDF, then compress, reorder, or scrub metadata in a tab that uploads nothing. Just remember the converted file passed through a server either way.

Compare wider or start the job

Compress PDF Hit the portal's kilobyte number with a result checked before download.
Merge PDF Join files in your order, with pages and text compared after.
PDFGym vs Smallpdf Put the other big suite's rations and prices next to these.
Best PDF compressor Survey every compression route before your next size cap.

Written and maintained by the PDFGym team. Last updated: November 2, 2026