iLovePDF Alternative That Doesn't Upload Your Files
iLovePDF is a popular online PDF utility with a generous free tier and a wide tool selection. It runs server-side: you upload your file, their servers process it, you download the result. For documents you’re comfortable uploading and tools that aren’t capped on the free tier, iLovePDF works well.
Signegy is a different bet. The trade-off: fewer tools (no PDF-to-Word, no Excel/PowerPoint converters), but everything happens in your browser, no upload, no account, no caps on the operations we do support. This page is the honest comparison — where each tool wins and where the choice depends on what you’re doing.
What iLovePDF Charges For
iLovePDF’s free tier is genuinely usable. Most operations are free with file count limits per task (typically 25 files per merge, varying file size caps per tool). Premium removes those caps and unlocks OCR, PDF repair, and a handful of advanced features. Premium pricing varies by region and promotion.
The structure is similar to Smallpdf’s: free tier as funnel, paid tier for power users. The economics are the same — every file you process costs them server time, so they need a paid tier to recover that cost from heavy users.
iLovePDF’s free tier limits are looser than Smallpdf’s, which is why iLovePDF is the more popular choice for casual users who hit Smallpdf’s 2/day cap. If you process a lot of PDFs free, iLovePDF gets you further before the cap matters.
Why Signegy Has No Caps
Signegy doesn’t have a server doing the work. Every operation runs in your browser using JavaScript libraries (pdf-lib, pdf.js). Your CPU does the compute; our cost per user per operation is essentially zero.
The implication is that we don’t need a paid tier to fund the service, and we don’t need caps to manage cost. There’s no business reason to limit you because there’s no scaling cost on our side. The free PDF signer page covers the longer version of this argument.
Tool-by-Tool Comparison
| Tool | iLovePDF | Signegy |
|---|---|---|
| Sign | Free with file caps, server-upload | Free, browser-only with audit cert |
| Merge | 25 files/task on free, server-upload | No file count limit, browser-only |
| Split | Free with file caps, server-upload | Unlimited, visual + range syntax |
| Compress | Free, server-upload | Unlimited, quality + DPI sliders |
| PDF to JPG / PNG | Free with caps, server-upload | Unlimited, choice of format, browser-only |
| Image to PDF | Free with caps, server-upload | Unlimited, drag-to-reorder, browser-only |
| Word to PDF | Free with caps, server-upload | Browser-only via mammoth.js |
| HTML to PDF | Free with caps, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Markdown to PDF | Not offered | Free, browser-only |
| Rotate | Free, server-upload | Unlimited, per-page controls |
| Reorder pages | Free, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Delete pages | Free, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Crop pages | Free, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Fill forms | Free with limits, server-upload | Browser-based, text + checkbox + dropdown + radio |
| Annotate | Free with signup | Free, no signup, browser-only |
| Watermark | Free, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Page numbers | Free, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Edit metadata | Free, server-upload | Free, browser-only |
| Repair PDF | Premium only | Free, browser-only |
| Bates numbering | Premium only | Free, browser-only |
| OCR | Premium only, multi-language | Free, browser-only, 12 languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic) |
| PDF to Word | Free with limits | Not available — client-side conversion produces consistently bad layout |
| PDF to Excel / PowerPoint | Free with limits | Not available — same reason |
| PDF/A archival | Premium | Not available yet |
iLovePDF has more tools — PDF-to-Word, multi-language OCR, and PDF/A. If those are part of your workflow, iLovePDF or Smallpdf is the right pick (the Smallpdf alternative page covers the same comparison from the Smallpdf angle).
The Privacy Difference
The architectural gap matters most for sensitive documents.
iLovePDF processes server-side. Their privacy policy commits to deletion within a defined window and they don’t share files with third parties. For most documents — public reports, generic forms, throwaway scans — this is reasonable.
For sensitive documents — a draft contract before signing, a tax return with full financial details, an HR letter with compensation, a legal filing with personal information — server-side processing is a different commitment than client-side. Even if iLovePDF’s policies are honored perfectly, the file existed on their servers for some window. With Signegy, the file existed only in your browser tab.
The verifiable difference: open DevTools, drop a PDF into Signegy, do an operation, and watch the Network panel. There are no POST requests because there’s no server doing the work. With iLovePDF, you’d see your file uploaded.
When iLovePDF Wins
A few honest cases:
You need PDF-to-Word, PDF-to-Excel, or PDF-to-PowerPoint. iLovePDF has them. Signegy doesn’t.
You need OCR in languages other than English. Signegy’s OCR tool ships with English Tesseract; iLovePDF Premium covers many more languages.
You need PDF/A archival conversion. Signegy doesn’t do PDF/A yet. iLovePDF does. (For watermarking, page numbering, and PDF repair, Signegy now has Watermark, Page Numbers, and Repair.)
You’re already paying for Premium and it works for you. Switching tools is friction; if the workflow is solid and the cost is acceptable, there’s no rush.
When Signegy Is the Right Switch
The clearest cases:
You don’t want files leaving your device. Browser-only is the design center.
You hit iLovePDF’s file count or size caps. No caps here.
You only need the common tools. Sign, merge, split, compress, convert to image, rotate, fill, annotate, watermark, page numbers, repair, English OCR, crop, reorder, delete pages, edit metadata, image-to-PDF, Word-to-PDF, HTML-to-PDF, Markdown-to-PDF, Bates numbering — all 22 covered, all free.
You don’t want another account. Signegy doesn’t have an account system.
You want a cryptographic audit certificate when signing. Signegy generates one automatically; most competitors paywall this feature.
To start, try the signing tool, browse the full tool list, or read the private PDF signing page for the architecture. The best free e-signature tools page compares Signegy across the broader signing landscape.
iLovePDF pricing and features accurate as of May 2026. Visit ilovepdf.com for the latest information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is iLovePDF free or does it have caps?
Free, but with file count and file size limits per task on the free tier (typically 25 files per merge, file size caps that vary by tool). Premium removes the limits and adds OCR plus advanced features. The free tier is genuinely usable for one-off tasks; the limits show up if you process a lot.
Does iLovePDF process files server-side?
Yes. Files are uploaded to their servers, processed, and made available for download. They have a privacy policy with retention windows and security measures, but the architecture is server-based. Signegy's is browser-based.
What does iLovePDF have that Signegy doesn't?
PDF-to-Word, PDF-to-Excel, and PDF-to-PowerPoint conversion (we don't do these — client-side conversion produces consistently bad layout), and PDF/A archival conversion. We have shipped watermark, page numbering, PDF repair, and multi-language OCR (12 languages) since this page was first written. If office-format conversion is essential to your workflow, iLovePDF (or Smallpdf) is the right pick.
Why pick Signegy over iLovePDF for the common tools?
No upload, no account, no file count caps, and a verifiable cryptographic audit certificate on signed documents. For the operations both tools cover (sign, merge, split, compress, convert to image, rotate, fill, annotate), Signegy keeps the file on your device and doesn't meter you.
Can I migrate my workflow off iLovePDF easily?
Yes. There's no account state to migrate (Signegy doesn't have accounts) and the basic flows are similar — drop, configure, download. Bookmark signegy.com instead of ilovepdf.com and the muscle memory transfers quickly.