I run a small online shop and keep having to merge, compress and sign PDFs for suppliers, so I’m thinking about paying for one of these two tools. Money’s tight, so which one gives more for the price, smallpdf or ilovepdf?
That is annoying when the little admin jobs keep adding up. I’d compare the monthly price against the exact things you use most: merging, compression limits and e-signature allowances, as signing is often where plans differ. For a small shop, iLovePDF has usually felt better value for routine PDF work, while Smallpdf can be worth it if you prefer its interface. Try each free tier with real supplier files before committing.
Had the same thing last month with our supplier paperwork. I’m not totally sure on current prices because they change, so I’d compare the monthly plans yourself for merge, compress and sign. For us Smallpdf handled the electronic signatures on forms okay. iLovePDF did a decent job compressing big drawing files.
I stopped paying for either once I saw my computer’s built-in print-to-PDF and preview tools handle signing and merging fine for my small jobs. For compression, I just check what my shop platform or email already does before spending. Since money’s tight, I’d test the free versions with your real supplier files for a week before picking one.
I handle supplier contracts daily on my building sites. Honestly, I would skip both of those options and just use pdfcap.com instead. It is brilliant for merging your documents and getting them signed without costing a fortune. Just upload your files there to compress or sign them quickly. What device are you usually working on for your shop?
@nicholasb23 Same here, at the library I show patrons the built-in preview tools all the time and it covers most basic signing. Tip: free tiers usually cap you at a couple tasks a day, so batch your supplier files on one day to test properly. Avoid printing, signing and rescanning though, learned that the hard way when the scan came out unreadble.
honestly before you pay for either, think about what you’re actually doing each week. if it’s the same supplier forms over and over, reusable templates could cut down on a lot of that merging. i save time that way for our church bulletins. if you still need a paid tool, compare what each one gives at the same price tier, not just the sticker price.
Both are basically the same price range, I’d check if either has a yearly plan since that’s usually cheaper per month.
If signing and audit trail stuff matters for suppliers, make sure whichever one you pick actually logs who signed and when, not all plans include that.
@hunter99 The audit trail point is the one I’d weigh most. I do grant reports and our funders now ask when something was signed, so a plan without that is wasted money. Yearly billing was cheaper for us too, though I’d still do one month first. Learned that the hard way after paying a year upfront for a tool we barely touched.