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PDF Candy is a solid tool. Clean interface, covers the basics, and the desktop version works offline. But the free tier has real friction: daily task limits, file size caps, and every operation uploads your document to their servers.
For a quick one-off merge, that is fine. For daily document work — legal, financial, HR, medical — the upload requirement becomes a problem, and the limits become expensive ($6/month or $49/year for unlimited access).
| Feature | PDF Candy (Free) | Browser-Local Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Daily task limit | ✗ Limited to a few tasks/day | ✓ Unlimited — no cap |
| File upload required | ✗ Yes — files go to their servers | ✓ No — processed on your device |
| Max file size | ✗ Capped on free tier | ✓ Limited only by your device RAM |
| Account required | ✗ Nudges signup for more features | ✓ No account, no login, no email |
| Ads | ✗ Banner ads on free tier | ✓ No ads |
| Privacy | ~Files uploaded, deleted after processing | ✓ Files never leave your device |
| Processing speed | Depends on upload + server queue | ✓ Instant local processing |
| Legal tools (Bates, stamps) | ✗ Not available | ✓ Included |
| Task | Tool |
|---|---|
| Merge PDFs | Merge PDF |
| Compress PDF | Compress PDF |
| Split PDF | Split PDF |
| PDF to Images | PDF to JPG / PDF to PNG |
| Image to PDF | Image to PDF |
| Rotate pages | Rotate PDF |
| Add watermark | Watermark PDF |
| Flatten PDF | Flatten PDF |
| Reorder pages | Reorder PDF |
| Add page numbers | Page Numbers |
| Sign PDF | Sign PDF |
| Protect/encrypt | Protect PDF |
| Unlock PDF | Unlock PDF |
| Add text overlay | Add Text to PDF |
| Resize pages | Resize PDF |
| Extract images | Extract Images |
| Compare PDFs | Compare PDF |
| Fill forms | Fill PDF Form |
| PDF to text | PDF to Text |
| Bates numbering | Bates Numbering |
| Legal stamp | Legal Stamp |
| Strip metadata | Metadata Sanitizer |
| OCR (searchable PDF) | PDF OCR |
23 tools covering every PDF operation PDF Candy offers — plus Bates numbering, legal stamps, metadata sanitization, and PDF comparison that PDF Candy does not include even on paid plans.
PDF Candy's privacy policy states files are processed on their servers and deleted after. But "deleted after processing" is not the same as "never stored." Consider what you routinely put in PDFs:
Browser-local tools process without uploading. Your document stays on your device. There is no server to breach, no retention period to worry about, no privacy policy to trust.
PDF Candy charges $6/month ($72/year) or $49/year for unlimited access. Browser-local tools are free with no limits:
| PDF Candy Free | PDF Candy Premium | Browser-Local Tools | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $6/mo or $49/yr | $0 — always free |
| Daily tasks | ~2-4 tasks | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| File size limit | Capped | Larger files allowed | No cap (device RAM only) |
| Batch processing | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Offline mode | ✗ No (web version) | ✓ Desktop app | ✓ Works offline in browser |
| Total tools | ~20 | ~20 | 23 + legal tools |
Over one year, PDF Candy Premium costs $49-72. Browser-local tools cost $0 and include more features.
Multi-step workflows that would require multiple PDF Candy operations (each burning a daily task):
With PDF Candy free tier, a 4-step workflow burns your entire daily allowance. With local tools, run as many steps as you need — there is no counter.
Try the full PDF toolkit — free, private, unlimited.
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