iLovePDF vs PDF24
A paid browser toolkit against a free one, on the fact that matters most.
The short answer
The two verdicts here do not carry equal weight. iLovePDF's web redact tool was tested by us, on our own canary document, and the marked text was still in the file afterwards, so it covers content rather than removing it. The desktop application advertises permanent removal separately and we have not tested it. PDF24's page says it removes content, and that rests on the vendor's documentation, which we have not tested. So the only verdict in this pair that came from a test is the one that failed, and the free tool is the one making the stronger claim unverified. iLovePDF costs from £5 a month; PDF24 is free.
The difference that decides it
Free against paid normally settles a comparison before it starts, and it should not settle this one. The safety-critical fact is unresolved, and unresolved in the direction that inverts the price: the tool we tested does not remove redacted content, and the tool we have not tested is the one that says it does. If redaction is why you are choosing, neither answer here is good enough to act on - and the honest next step is to run the tool on a document you do not care about, which the redaction guide explains how to do in a few minutes.
Side by side
9 of 11 rows differ
| Compared | iLovePDF | PDF24 |
|---|---|---|
| Files stay on your device | Reported to upload your files | Mixed - depends on version and feature |
| Redaction | Covers it - content is not removed | Removes the content |
| Price | £60 a year (Premium, annual billing) - converted: Free · paid from £5.00 a month | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web · Windows · macOS · iOS · Android · API | Web · Windows |
| Open source | No | Not verified |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Data residency | Multiple regions | European Union |
| Programmatic access | HTTP API | None |
| Owner | Not recorded | geek Software GmbH |
| Website responded | Responded in 57 ms | Responded in 271 ms |
Rows that differ are shown in full contrast; rows where the two agree are dimmed. Every value here comes from the individual records, where each one names the page it came from - and says plainly when something has not been verified rather than filling the gap.
iLovePDF
Broad web PDF toolkit with desktop, mobile and API companions.
Visit iLovePDF Opens the vendor's own site.
PDF24
Free ad-funded PDF toolkit online, plus a free offline Windows Creator app.
Visit PDF24 Opens the vendor's own site.
Other comparisons
- iLovePDF vs Smallpdf The two biggest browser PDF toolkits, both of which upload your files.