PDFpad vs iLovePDF
Prices and features checked 20 September 2026
iLovePDF is a whole toolbox — compress, convert, merge, OCR, sign — and it is good at it. If you need more than filling and signing, it will cover jobs PDFpad does not attempt.
Two things to know: every tool works by uploading your file, and the free tier is metered per tool, with most tools allowing one document a month. Premium is listed at 9GBP a month or 60GBP billed annually.
Feature comparison
| Feature | PDFpad | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|
| Type on a flat (non-form) PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Fill existing form fields | Yes | Yes |
| Typed signature | Yes | Yes |
| Drawn signature (touch/mouse) | Yes | Yes |
| Upload signature image | Yes | Yes |
| Save and reuse signature | Yes | Paid only |
| Date and tick fields | Yes | Yes |
| Flatten so fills can't be moved | Yes | Yes |
| Save as PDF | Yes | Yes |
| Save as Word (DOCX) | Paid only | Paid only |
| Reorder / delete / merge pages | No | Yes |
| Works on a phone browser | Yes | Yes |
| File never uploaded | Yes | No |
| No watermark on free tier | No | Yes |
| No account needed to start | Yes | Partly |
Pricing
| Tool | Free tier | Paid | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFpadChecked 20 Sept 2026 | Unlimited filling and signing; 3 PDF exports per 30 days, each with a small footer line | £6 a month, £39 a year, or £2 to unlock one document for 24 hours | Monthly or annualOne click from the account page, any time |
| iLovePDFChecked 20 Sept 2026 | Free tier with per-tool monthly caps — most tools allow 1 document a month, merge allows 25 | Premium "9GBP / month", or "60GBP Billed annually" | Monthly or annual |
Choose iLovePDF if…
- You need the whole toolbox — compress, convert, OCR, merge — not just fill and sign
- You are already paying for it
Choose PDFpad if…
- Your document should not be uploaded to anyone
- One document a month is not enough and you only need fill and sign
- You want to work on a phone without an app
What each vendor says
iLovePDF
- The free tier is metered per tool: iLovePDF lists a limit of one document a month on most tools, with larger allowances on merge. [source]
- Premium is listed at 9GBP a month or 60GBP billed annually for 1–25 users. [source]
- Every tool works by uploading the file to iLovePDF's servers and downloading the result. [source]
Questions
- Does iLovePDF upload my file?
- Yes — the tools run on iLovePDF's servers, so the document is uploaded, processed and downloaded again. PDFpad does the same work in your browser, so nothing is sent.
- How much is iLovePDF?
- Premium was listed at 9GBP a month, or 60GBP billed annually, for 1–25 users when we last checked.
Try it on your PDF
Open your document, fill it in, sign it and save. Nothing is uploaded, and you don’t need an account to start.
or drop a file here · nothing is uploaded
Competitor names are used descriptively to identify their products. Every price and feature above was read from the vendor's own page on the date shown and is re-checked quarterly. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.