Comparisons6 min read
Smallpdf vs iLovePDF: Free Limits & Pricing
Smallpdf and iLovePDF both offer around 30 PDF tools. Here's how their free-tier limits and pricing actually compare, fact-checked against current listings.
Compress PDF
Shrink your PDF's file size by recompressing embedded photos. Free, instant, nothing uploaded.
Drop your PDF here
or click to browse — PDF files only
✓Free forever
✓Runs locally
✓No account
✓No watermark
Everything you need to shrink a PDF
100% private — nothing uploaded
Compression happens locally in your browser using pdf-lib. Nothing is sent to a server.
Three quality levels
Pick the tradeoff between file size and image quality that fits your needs.
Targets the real bloat source
Recompresses embedded photos — the actual cause of most oversized PDFs — instead of guessing.
Instant processing
No waiting for uploads — compression runs in seconds, even for multi-page documents.
Text stays sharp
Only raster images are recompressed; text and vector graphics are untouched.
Three steps to a smaller PDF
- 1
Upload your PDF
Drag and drop your PDF onto the page, or click to browse.
- 2
Pick a compression level
Choose Smallest file, Balanced, or Best quality depending on how much you want to shrink it.
- 3
Compress and download
Click Compress — your browser recompresses embedded photos instantly. Download the result, nothing is uploaded.
Built for anyone who works with PDFs
Whether you're getting under an email attachment limit, an upload form's file-size cap, or just want a smaller scanned document — PixelTools compresses your PDF in seconds, free, with no upload.
Email attachments
Shrink a scanned PDF below an email provider's size limit before sending.
Scanned documents
Reduce the size of a phone-scanned document full of high-resolution photos.
Upload forms
Get under a website's file-size cap for a resume, application, or submission.
Business archives
Shrink a folder of photo-heavy reports before archiving or backing them up.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool free?
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Yes, completely free with no limits. No account required.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
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No. Compression happens entirely in your browser using pdf-lib. Your file never leaves your device.
How does it shrink the file?
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It finds embedded JPEG photos inside your PDF and recompresses them at a lower quality — this is the dominant cause of PDF bloat in scanned documents and photo-heavy files. Text and vector graphics are left untouched.
Why did my PDF barely shrink?
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If your PDF is mostly text or vector graphics (like a report or invoice) it's already compact — there's little for this tool to compress. Compression works best on scanned pages or photo-heavy documents.
Will compression make text blurry?
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No. Only embedded raster images are recompressed — the underlying text stays sharp and selectable.
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Compress your PDF now
Free, instant, no account needed.