PDFEditor.ae vs iLovePDF: Which PDF Tool Fits Your Needs?
A side-by-side look at editing, conversion, signing, pricing, usage limits and privacy, so you can pick the tool that suits the job in front of you.
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We make PDFEditor.ae, so read this as a vendor comparison. Competitor details come from iLovePDF's own pages, linked next to each claim. Where a page did not say something, we write "not verified" rather than guess.
Quick verdict
iLovePDF is the better fit if you need OCR for scanned documents, certificate-based digital signatures or signature requests, AI translation and summaries, desktop or mobile apps, very large files, or EU-based processing. It also has many more tools, and its Premium plan costs less than ours at the current exchange peg.
PDFEditor.ae fits occasional, everyday tasks — merging, splitting, compressing, filling forms, adding a visual signature, quick edits — without signing up, with pricing in UAE dirhams and clearly stated limits on every tool page.
Feature comparison
| Feature | PDFEditor.ae | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|
| Editing existing text | The Edit Text tool covers the original words and places your replacement in the same spot, matching size and colour where it can. The rest of the paragraph does not reflow, and the edited page is saved as an image, so its text is no longer selectable. Edit PDF | The Edit PDF page says you can select existing text to edit, move or delete it. It notes the content editor does not currently support right-to-left languages. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Adding text, images and annotations | Add text, images, shapes, highlights, freehand drawing, comments and links in the browser editor. A Redact tool removes content by turning that page into an image on download. | Edit PDF describes adding text, images, shapes, comments and highlights. A separate Redact PDF tool is listed. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Merge, split and compress | Merge up to 20 PDFs; split into one-page files or extract page ranges; files up to 100 MB. Compression is lossless only, so photo-heavy PDFs may barely shrink. | All three tools are offered. Free-plan examples on the pricing page: Merge PDF up to 25 files and 100 MB per task; Compress PDF 2 files and 200 MB per task. Premium raises most file limits to 4 GB. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| PDF ↔ Office conversion | PDF to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and the reverse, are text-based: layout, images and styling are not kept, and Office-to-PDF currently leaves out Arabic and other non-Latin text. | PDF to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF are offered. The free plan lists 15 MB per task for Office to PDF; PDF to Word/Excel with OCR is listed for paid plans. Output quality: not tested by us. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| OCR (scanned PDFs) | Not available. Text tools report when a PDF has no selectable text instead of returning an empty file. Scans can still be merged, signed, filled and annotated. | An OCR PDF tool turns scans into searchable PDFs, with document-language selection. Free-plan access to the OCR PDF tool: not verified (the tool page does not say). source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Signing | Draw, type or upload an image of your signature and place it on the page. This is a visual signature, not a certificate-based digital signature. No signature requests to other people. | A simple signature, plus a Premium "Digital Signature" described as eIDAS-certified with an embedded timestamp. You can invite others to sign. Premium includes 5 advanced eSignatures. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) pricing (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Translation and AI tools | Not available at present. The AI summary and translation tools are listed on the site but paused. | AI Summarizer, Translate PDF and PDF to Markdown are listed. Advanced AI options use AI credits; Premium includes 2,000 credits. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) pricing (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Free usage | 3 tasks a day on any available tool, counted per account or, without one, per IP address. Ads are shown. Pricing | The free plan offers "limited document processing" with per-tool limits on files and size, and shows ads. A daily task count is not stated on the pricing page. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Paid plans | Pro: AED 35 billed monthly, or AED 228 billed yearly. Unlimited tasks, no ads, 30-day file history. Upgrade is by request; we reply with a payment link. | Premium: US$7 billed monthly, or US$48 billed yearly (shown as US$4/month). Business: custom pricing. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Account required? | No account for the free plan. An account is needed for Pro and for file history. | The terms describe an unregistered free account as well as registered ones; Premium requires a registered account. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Where you can use it | In a web browser on computers and phones. There are no installable apps. | Web, plus desktop and mobile apps. The pricing page lists the desktop and mobile apps under Premium and Business, not Free. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Processing location and retention | Files are processed on servers hosted by Render; our deployment configuration uses Render's Oregon (US) region. PDF to JPG/PNG runs in your browser. Files are deleted after 24 hours; Pro keeps results for 30 days. Privacy | Content is deleted within 2 hours of processing (iLoveSign excepted). Processing is generally within the European Economic Area unless you choose otherwise; Premium lists 7 processing regions, Business 11. source (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) pricing (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) |
Common tasks, step by step
We describe how each product handles the task and its stated limits. We did not run speed or output-quality tests on iLovePDF, so we make no claims about which is faster or produces better files.
Changing a word or date in a PDF
PDFEditor.ae: Open Edit PDF, choose Edit Text, click the words and type the replacement, then download. Works best for short changes; longer rewrites do not reflow the paragraph. Open Edit PDF
iLovePDF: Open Edit PDF, select the existing text and edit it. Right-to-left languages are not supported by the content editor; Premium lists a 100 MB file limit for Edit PDF.
Merging files for one upload
PDFEditor.ae: Open Merge PDF, add up to 20 PDFs in reading order, merge and download. Convert photos first with JPG to PDF. Open Merge PDF
iLovePDF: Open Merge PDF and add files; the free plan lists up to 25 files and 100 MB per task.
Shrinking an email attachment
PDFEditor.ae: Compress PDF is lossless and shows the size before and after. In our own test a text-heavy report shrank by 59% while a PDF of photos did not shrink at all. Open Compress PDF
iLovePDF: Compress PDF is offered; the free plan lists 2 files and 200 MB per task. We did not test its results.
Getting text out of a PDF
PDFEditor.ae: PDF to Word copies the text layer into a DOCX without the layout. Scans have no text layer and are refused with a clear message, because there is no OCR here. Open PDF to Word
iLovePDF: PDF to Word is offered, and the pricing page lists PDF to Word/Excel with OCR for paid plans. We did not test output quality.
Pricing and limits
PDFEditor.ae (AED)
- Free: 3 tasks a day, no account needed, ads shown.
- Pro monthly: AED 35, billed monthly.
- Pro yearly: AED 228, billed yearly (about AED 19 a month).
- Every plan: files up to 100 MB.
iLovePDF (US$)
- Free: essential tools with per-tool limits, ads shown.
- Premium monthly: US$7, billed monthly.
- Premium yearly: US$48, billed yearly (shown as US$4 a month).
- Business: custom pricing.
In dirhams, at the UAE dirham's fixed peg of AED 3.6725 per US$1, iLovePDF Premium is about AED 26 a month billed monthly, or about AED 176 a year. Your card may add its own conversion fees. Prices verified 10 October 2026; check both pricing pages before you buy.
Privacy and file handling
- PDFEditor.ae: uploads travel over HTTPS. Files are processed on Render-hosted servers (configured for the US Oregon region) and deleted after 24 hours; Pro keeps results for 30 days, and you can delete them yourself. Results sit behind a long random link until deletion. We log the tool, outcome, file name, size and IP address for each task. Read our privacy policy
- iLovePDF: its FAQ says uploads use HTTPS with end-to-end encryption, and its privacy policy says content is deleted within 2 hours of processing and generally processed within the European Economic Area, and that content is not used to train AI models. Read iLovePDF's privacy policy (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab) FAQ (iLovePDF, opens in a new tab)
We list only practices each company documents. Neither summary is a security certification.
Who should choose which?
Choose iLovePDF if…
- You work with scans and need searchable text or OCR conversion.
- Contracts need a certificate-based signature, or you collect signatures from others.
- You want AI summaries or translation, or desktop and mobile apps.
- You regularly handle files over 100 MB.
- Example: an office team sending contracts out for signature and archiving scanned paperwork.
Choose PDFEditor.ae if…
- You need a few tasks now and then and would rather not create an account.
- Your jobs are merging, splitting, compressing, filling forms or adding a visual signature.
- You prefer plans priced in UAE dirhams.
- Example: a student combining lecture notes and photographed handouts into one PDF, or an office worker filling and signing a form on a phone.
Frequently asked questions
Is PDFEditor.ae an alternative to iLovePDF?
For everyday tasks — merging, splitting, compressing, filling, signing with a visual signature and basic conversion — yes. If you need OCR, certificate-based digital signatures, signature requests, AI translation or desktop and mobile apps, iLovePDF offers those and PDFEditor.ae does not.
Which tools can I use for free?
On PDFEditor.ae every available tool is free for 3 tasks a day. iLovePDF's free plan gives access to essential tools with per-tool limits listed on its pricing page; some features, such as Digital Signature, are Premium.
Can I edit existing text in a PDF?
Both offer it. On PDFEditor.ae the Edit Text tool covers the original words and places your replacement in the same spot, without reflowing the paragraph; the edited page is saved as an image. iLovePDF says its editor lets you select existing text to edit, move or delete it, but does not support right-to-left languages.
Do I need an account?
Not for PDFEditor.ae's free plan; you need one for Pro and file history. iLovePDF's terms also describe unregistered free use, and require an account for Premium.
Can I work with scanned PDFs?
PDFEditor.ae can merge, sign, fill and annotate scans but cannot recognise their text (no OCR). iLovePDF has an OCR PDF tool; whether it is limited on the free plan is not stated on the tool page.
How are uploaded files handled?
PDFEditor.ae deletes uploads and results after 24 hours (Pro keeps results for 30 days) and runs processing on Render, configured for its US Oregon region. iLovePDF says it deletes content within 2 hours and processes generally within the European Economic Area.
Try PDFEditor.ae
Start with a free task — no account needed.
Merge PDFEdit PDFSign PDFCompress PDF
How we handle your files: privacy policy.
Sources
iLovePDF pages consulted on 10 October 2026:
iLovePDF is a trademark of its owner. PDFEditor.ae is not affiliated with iLovePDF.