pdfdots as a PDF Candy alternative
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PDF Candy is a large, long-running PDF site. It is operated by Icecream Apps Ltd, a company based in Limassol, Cyprus, and its About page says it was founded in 2016. It now advertises more than 90 tools, from everyday jobs like merging and compressing to niche converters for ebook, CAD and image formats. You can use the tools without an account, the free plan is listed with no ads, and the paid plans are low-priced. If you mainly need a rare file format converted, PDF Candy is a strong option.
People still look for a PDF Candy alternative, and the reasons are usually practical. The free tier has hourly and page limits, but PDF Candy does not publish the exact numbers, so it is hard to know when you will hit one. Every web tool processes the file on their servers. Their online OCR gives you the recognized text as a separate TXT file, while some people want the text inside the PDF itself. Others want to collect signatures from other people instead of only signing themselves.
We built pdfdots around a different design. Most of our 37 tools run inside your own browser tab, so the document never leaves your device. Below we compare the two services side by side, describe where PDF Candy is the better pick, and show how to do the usual PDF Candy tasks in pdfdots. Competitor details come from PDF Candy's own public pages, checked in October 2026. Plans change, so please confirm current terms on their site.
pdfdots vs PDF Candy at a glance
| Feature | pdfdots | PDF Candy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan (3 tasks a day); Bronze $2.99/month, Silver $5.99/month, Gold $11.99/month | Free tier with limits; at the time of writing in October 2026, $6/month for Web Monthly, $4/month on the yearly Desktop + Web plan, or a $99 one-time lifetime license |
| Account | Free account required (Google or e-mail) | All tools usable without registration; usage is limited until you sign up or subscribe |
| Where files are processed | Most tools run in your browser; Office conversions, PDF/A, grayscale and HTML to PDF run on our server in Germany and are deleted right after | Processed on their servers in the EU and USA and kept for up to 2 hours before permanent deletion |
| Free limits | 3 tasks a day, files up to 10 MB, published openly | Hourly and page limits and no batch processing; exact numbers are not published. The free online editor accepts files up to 50 MB |
| Paid file size | 25 MB (Bronze), 100 MB (Silver), 250 MB (Gold) | Up to 500 MB per task on recurring paid plans |
| Number of tools | 37 tools | 90+ advertised (98 self-reported), including many niche converters and 3 AI tools |
| OCR | OCR PDF runs in the browser | Online OCR in 19 advertised languages that outputs a TXT file; OCR also in the Windows app |
| Signatures | Sign your own PDF in the browser; Studio can send for signature with ordered signers, reminders, audit trail and certificate page (simple electronic signature) | Type, draw or upload a signature and place it; no request-signature workflow described |
| Apps | PDF Dots mobile app for iPhone and Android with the same account and files | Offline desktop app for Windows only; web tools work in any browser |
How the two differ in practice
The biggest difference is where the work happens. On PDF Candy, every web tool follows the familiar pattern: you upload the file, their server processes it, you download the result. Their security page says transfers use HTTPS/TLS, files are protected with 256-bit AES in transit and at rest, and files are kept for up to 2 hours before permanent deletion. You can also ask for earlier deletion. That is a clear and reasonable policy.
On pdfdots, most tools never upload anything. Merge PDF, Split PDF, Compress PDF, Rotate PDF, Sign PDF, OCR PDF and many others run in your browser, and the result is built on your own device. Nothing needs to be deleted later because nothing was sent. The exceptions are tools that need office conversion software on a server: PDF to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, the reverse conversions, PDF/A, grayscale and HTML to PDF. Those files go to our server in Nuremberg, Germany, and are deleted as soon as the result is returned.
The second difference is scope. PDF Candy is broader. Its library includes converters for ebook, CAD and image formats that we do not offer, plus AI tools that summarize, translate and chat with a PDF. pdfdots has 37 tools focused on the jobs most people repeat every week, along with fillable templates such as an invoice, NDA and resume.
The third difference is how the free plan is defined. PDF Candy needs no account and sets limits per hour and per page, without publishing the numbers. pdfdots needs a free account and states its limits openly: 3 tasks a day, files up to 10 MB, 100 MB of saved storage, 3 sign requests a month and 1 saved signature. Each model suits a different kind of user.
When PDF Candy is the better choice
We would rather you use the right tool than ours. PDF Candy is a good fit in these cases:
- You need an unusual conversion, such as an ebook, CAD or less common image format, that pdfdots does not cover.
- You want a quick, one-off job on a shared computer without creating any account.
- You work offline on Windows and want a desktop app with 35+ tools, OCR and batch processing for most tools.
- You process very large files regularly: their recurring paid plans allow up to 500 MB per task, more than our largest plan.
- You prefer to pay once. At the time of writing in October 2026, PDF Candy offers a $99 lifetime license, which covers one specific version and its minor updates but not future major upgrades.
- You want AI features such as Summarize, Chat with PDF or Translate, or you open and save files directly in Google Drive or Dropbox.
- You need to change existing text inside a PDF. Their online editor can edit or delete existing text and adjust its font size, color and alignment.
Doing your usual PDF Candy tasks in pdfdots
Most people use a small set of tools over and over, and these are all in pdfdots. Merge PDF combines files in the order you choose. Compress PDF shrinks a document for e-mail or an upload form without sending it anywhere. Split PDF, Extract Pages and Remove Pages handle page work, and Organize PDF lets you reorder pages visually. PDF to JPG and JPG to PDF run in the browser, which is handy for scanned receipts and photos of documents.
For text recognition, OCR PDF runs in your browser, so a scanned contract or medical letter is not uploaded for processing. If you need to change a document, Edit PDF works on it in the browser, and Redact PDF helps you hide sensitive content before you share a file. PDF to Word and Word to PDF use our server in Germany, as explained above.
Signing is where pdfdots goes further than a self-sign tool. Sign PDF places your own signature in the browser. In the Studio you can also send a document for signature to other people, in a set order, with reminders, an audit trail and a certificate page. Each signer gets an e-mail invitation with a private link, reminders go out automatically, and everyone gets an e-mail when the document is complete. This is a simple electronic signature, not a qualified e-signature, so check what your contract or country requires.
Privacy: where your files go
PDF Candy is open about its handling. Its privacy policy says uploaded files are kept for up to 2 hours, then permanently deleted, with no backups. Its security page says servers are in the EU and USA on ISO 27001-certified provider infrastructure, and that the service complies with GDPR. The privacy policy also names third-party providers for analytics, payments, e-mail marketing and support, and it allows targeted advertising and ads in newsletters. None of this is unusual for a large free web service, but it is worth reading if you handle sensitive documents.
With pdfdots, the simplest answer is that most files go nowhere. For the server tools, the file goes to our server in Germany and is deleted right after the result is returned. If you choose to keep results in My files, they are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM on servers in Germany. We show no ads and we do not sell data.
Pricing and free limits, side by side
At the time of writing in October 2026, PDF Candy lists Web Monthly at $6 a month, and a yearly Desktop + Web plan advertised at $4 a month, shown as 75% off a struck-through $18 a month. The yearly plan also lists their Video Candy Web and Image Candy Web tools. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled, with an e-mail reminder before renewal. No free trial of paid plans is advertised, and refunds depend on conditions set out in their refund policy.
pdfdots plans are billed through Creem. Bronze costs $2.99 a month or $23.99 a year for 20 tasks a day, 25 MB files and 1 GB of storage. Silver costs $5.99 a month or $47.99 a year with no daily task limit, 100 MB files and 10 GB of storage. Gold costs $11.99 a month or $95.99 a year with 250 MB files, 50 GB of storage and unlimited sign requests. The free plan stays limited to 3 tasks a day. For occasional use, either free tier may be enough; if you need very large files or offline Windows work, PDF Candy's paid plans are good value.
Tools to try instead
Frequently asked questions
Is pdfdots free like PDF Candy?
Both have a free tier with limits. pdfdots gives you all 37 tools with 3 tasks a day and files up to 10 MB, and the limits are published. PDF Candy's free tier needs no account but has hourly and page limits whose exact numbers are not published. Our paid plans start at $2.99 a month.
Does pdfdots upload my files like PDF Candy does?
Most pdfdots tools do not upload anything; they run in your browser. Office conversions, PDF/A, grayscale and HTML to PDF are the exceptions. Those files go to our server in Germany and are deleted right after the result is returned. PDF Candy processes files on its servers and keeps them for up to 2 hours.
Why does pdfdots need an account when PDF Candy does not?
The free account is how we apply the 3 daily tasks and give you private, encrypted storage in My files, without showing ads. You can sign in with Google or e-mail, and the same account works in the PDF Dots mobile app.
Can pdfdots make a scanned PDF searchable?
pdfdots has an OCR PDF tool that runs in your browser, so the scan is not uploaded for recognition. PDF Candy's online OCR advertises 19 languages and gives you the text as a separate TXT file.
Can I collect signatures from other people?
Yes. In the pdfdots Studio you can send a document for signature with ordered signers, reminders, an audit trail and a certificate page. Each signer gets an e-mail invitation with a private link, and reminders are sent automatically. PDF Candy's Sign PDF lets you type, draw or upload your own signature but does not describe a request-signature workflow.
Does pdfdots have a desktop or mobile app?
pdfdots works in any modern browser and has the PDF Dots mobile app for iPhone and Android, using the same account and My files. PDF Candy offers an offline desktop app for Windows only, and its web tools work in browsers on mobile devices.