If you're looking for a free online PDF toolkit, iLovePDF is one of the best-known options. It's an established product with desktop and mobile apps and a large user base.
PDFGrover is a newer, focused alternative. This page explains what each does well so you can pick what fits your workflow. For the most current details about either product — pricing, feature limits, privacy policy, app availability — check each site directly; details change over time and this page won't be updated in real time.
Quick take
Consider iLovePDF if you want:
- A mature, established product with a long track record
- Native desktop and mobile apps alongside the web version
- Paid-tier features (check their pricing page for current offerings)
- An ecosystem with API access for automation (check their developer page)
Consider PDFGrover if you want:
- Free access to all tools without signup
- A lightweight, web-first experience
- A focused toolkit (38 tools currently) without upsells
- Simple, ad-light UI
Both tools can handle common PDF tasks — merge, split, compress, convert, edit, sign. The choice usually comes down to workflow preference and whether you need app/API features.
At-a-glance differences
For authoritative, current details on either product, visit the respective site. The table below captures the general positioning of each at the time of writing.
| PDFGrover | iLovePDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Account required for basic use | No | Free tier usable without signup; full features require account |
| Paid tier | No paid tier | Paid tier available (see their pricing) |
| Watermark on output | No | Check their current policy per tool |
| Desktop apps | No (web only) | Yes (Mac, Windows) |
| Mobile apps | No | Yes (iOS, Android) |
| Public API | No | Available on appropriate tier (see their docs) |
| Tool count (approx) | 38 | Similar, check their tools page |
How each approaches privacy
Both services publish privacy policies. Read them before using either tool with sensitive documents — retention periods, jurisdiction, and what gets logged vary.
PDFGrover's approach: Most tools (merge, split, rotate, add-page-numbers, add-watermark, jpg-to-pdf, among others) process files entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device. A subset of tools that require heavier processing (Word-to-PDF, Excel-to-PDF, OCR, certain conversions) run on our server because the underlying processing can't run in a browser. For those tools, files are processed and deleted as part of the response. Our privacy page lists which tools are browser-side vs server-side.
iLovePDF's approach: See their privacy policy for their server processing model, retention policy, and security commitments.
When iLovePDF is the better pick
- You need a native desktop or mobile app. iLovePDF ships apps for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. If you frequently work on flights or without reliable internet, their offline apps are a real advantage.
- You need API access. Programmatic PDF processing for internal tooling or product integrations is something iLovePDF supports on their API tier. PDFGrover is consumer-facing only and has no API today.
- You need enterprise-tier features. Team workspaces, SSO, audit logs, and signed vendor/security paperwork are available in their business plans. PDFGrover doesn't offer a business tier yet.
- You've built a workflow around them. If iLovePDF is in muscle memory and working for you, switching costs are real. Stay put unless a specific unmet need pushes you elsewhere.
When PDFGrover is the better pick
- You want free tools without signup prompts. All our tools are free, no account required, and no tier-gated feature set.
- You're processing documents with sensitive content. For tools that run in your browser, the file physically never leaves your device — no upload, no server copy. This is an architectural guarantee, not a retention policy. See the privacy page for the list of browser-side tools.
- You prefer a lean interface. No popup ads, no interstitials between steps, no auto-playing video.
- You don't need desktop apps or API. Most PDF work happens alongside other web tabs anyway (Gmail, Drive, Slack) — web-first is natural for the majority of users.
How to decide
Pick the tool that covers your actual workflow:
- Do you need a native desktop or mobile app, or is web fine? Native → iLovePDF. Web → either.
- Do you need API access? Yes → iLovePDF. No → either.
- Are you willing to sign up or pay for features? Yes → iLovePDF's paid tier has more depth. No → PDFGrover is free forever with no tier gating.
- Is in-browser-only processing important to you for specific files? Yes → PDFGrover's browser-side tools fit that requirement by architecture.
Frequently asked
Is PDFGrover actually free? Yes. No paid tier, no signup, no feature gating. No data sale or tracking beyond standard privacy-respecting analytics — details on our privacy page.
Can I use PDFGrover for commercial work? Yes. No license restrictions on output files.
Does PDFGrover have a desktop or mobile app? Not at this time. The web version is the only client. Some tools work offline once the page has loaded because they run entirely in your browser.
What if PDFGrover doesn't have the tool I need? We're adding tools regularly. If there's something specific you need, let us know. If you can't wait, iLovePDF likely has it.
How do I verify what iLovePDF or PDFGrover actually does with my files? Read each service's privacy policy carefully. For browser-side tools in particular, you can verify empirically: open your browser's DevTools Network tab while using the tool — a true browser-side tool makes no upload request for the file itself.
The bottom line
Both tools do PDF work capably. iLovePDF is the established choice with a wider product surface area (desktop apps, API, business tiers). PDFGrover is the free, focused, web-first alternative without signup or tier gating.
For most individuals and small teams doing day-to-day PDF work in a browser, PDFGrover covers the common cases without asking for your email. Give it a try →