ProPDF vs PDF24: Two Free PDF Toolkits Side by Side
ProPDF vs PDF24 compares two free services, so price does not settle it. According to PDF24, all its tools are free of charge, and this is achieved through some advertising on its web pages. ProPDF is free as well and shows no ads.
The differences lie in where files are processed, whether you can install an app, and which tools each side offers. PDF24 says its online tools process files on special PDF24 servers, and it offers PDF24 Creator, desktop software for Windows. ProPDF runs 13 of its 21 tools in your browser, sends the other eight to a server in Paris, and has no desktop app.
The PDF24 facts come from its own pages, read in September 2026, and are quoted as PDF24's statements. Its tool list can change, so look at PDF24's site for the current version.
| Feature | ProPDF | PDF24 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no subscription | Free of charge, per PDF24 |
| Limits on free use | No account, no daily quota; the chat allows 50 messages per conversation, answers included | "Without any restrictions", per PDF24 |
| Ads | None; audience-measurement cookies only if you accept them | "Some advertising on the web pages", per PDF24 |
| Where files are processed | 13 tools in your browser, 8 on a server in Paris, files deleted after processing; the chat keeps the text and the conversation in your tab, not on the server | Online tools: "on special PDF24 servers", per PDF24 |
| Installation | None, it runs in the browser | None for the online tools, per PDF24 |
| Desktop app | No | PDF24 Creator, desktop software for Windows |
| Without internet | Needs a connection | PDF24 Creator provides the tools "as an offline version" |
| OCR for scans | No | "PDF OCR" creates searchable PDF files |
| Signature | Visual signature only | "Sign PDF" listed |
| Tools with no ProPDF equivalent | Not offered | Webpage to PDF and PDF Overlay |
What PDF24 Offers
- All PDF24 tools are free of charge, according to PDF24
- PDF24 Creator, a Windows desktop app, provides the tools as an offline version
- PDF OCR recognizes text in scans and creates searchable PDF files
- The online tools need no software installation, per PDF24
- Tools with no ProPDF counterpart, such as Webpage to PDF and PDF Overlay
PDF24: Limits and Conditions
- Funded by some advertising on its web pages, according to PDF24
- Its online tools process files on PDF24 servers, per PDF24
- PDF24 Creator is presented as desktop software for Windows
Reasons to pick PDF24
- You work on Windows and want an installed app with an offline version of the tools, which PDF24 Creator provides according to PDF24.
- You handle scans and need OCR to make their text searchable.
- You need Webpage to PDF or PDF Overlay.
- You are fine with advertising on the pages you use.
Reasons to pick ProPDF
- You would rather keep common jobs such as merging, splitting, rotating or signing on your own device: those tools do not send the file anywhere.
- You want pages without ads, and analytics cookies only if you accept them.
- You want server tasks such as compression or Word conversion handled in the Paris region, with each file deleted when the task ends.
- You want to ask questions about a digital PDF or get a summary, free, from a Claude model through Amazon Bedrock.
Online tools or an installed app
PDF24 offers both. According to PDF24, its online tools work in the web browser with nothing to install and process files on its servers, while PDF24 Creator, Windows software, gives its tools as an offline version.
ProPDF is only a website. It needs an internet connection, because each page loads when you open it and eight tools depend on the server. On the other hand, 13 tools process the file on your device, and the other eight send it over HTTPS to a server in Paris that deletes it when the task ends. The chat keeps the document text and the conversation in your tab and sends them with each question; the server keeps neither once it has answered.
Scans and text recognition
PDF24 lists PDF OCR, a tool that recognizes text via OCR and creates searchable PDF files. ProPDF has no OCR, so the tools that work on text (Edit PDF, Chat with PDF and the Text mode of Compare) need a PDF whose text you can already select; PDF to Word keeps scanned pages as images.
Tools that do not need to read the text, such as Merge, Split, Rotate PDF, Page numbers and Compress, also work on scanned PDFs.
Which One to Choose
Both are free, so choose by the way you work. PDF24 suits you if you want an installed Windows app with an offline version, OCR for scans, or tools such as Webpage to PDF, and you accept advertising on its pages. ProPDF suits you if you want an ad-free website where 13 tools keep the file on your device, the other eight process it on a server in Paris, and a free chat answers questions about a digital PDF.