ILikePdf vs PDF24: The Best Free Alternative
PDF24 offers both a desktop app and web tools, but the web version uploads files to their servers. ILikePdf processes everything in your browser with zero upload.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ILikePdf | PDF24 (Web) | PDF24 (Desktop) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | Free | Free |
| File upload to server | None — 100% local | Uploads to server | Local (desktop) |
| Number of tools | 48 | 30+ | 30+ |
| Works offline | Yes | No | Yes (app) |
| Watermark on output | None | None | None |
| Sign-up required | No | No | No |
| File size limit | Device memory (~500MB) | 100MB | Device memory |
| Platform | Browser (any OS) | Browser | Windows only |
| Mobile support | Yes | Yes | No |
| AI Chat with PDF | Yes (Gemini) | No | No |
| Digital Signature | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OCR | Yes (Tesseract.js) | Yes | Yes |
| P2P File Sharing | Yes | No | No |
| Privacy Risk Scanner | Yes | No | No |
Why choose ILikePdf over PDF24?
Zero upload privacy. PDF24's web tools upload your files to their servers for processing. ILikePdf does everything locally in your browser. For confidential documents, this is a critical difference.
Cross-platform. PDF24's desktop app is Windows-only. ILikePdf works on any device with a modern browser — Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPad, Android.
More tools. ILikePdf offers 48 tools including unique ones like AI Chat with PDF, P2P Share, Privacy Risk Scanner, and Digital Signature.
No install needed. No download, no installer, no updates. Just open the page and start working.
When PDF24 might be better
PDF24's desktop app processes files locally (like ILikePdf) and offers some advanced features like PDF archiving and virtual PDF printer. If you need a virtual printer driver or work extensively on Windows, PDF24 is a solid choice.
Migrating from PDF24 to ILikePdf
Switching is straightforward because both tools cover the same core operations. Use ILikePdf's merge, split, and compress pages the same way you used PDF24's — the main difference is that nothing is uploaded. For the tools PDF24 lacks, like AI chat, privacy scanning, and P2P sharing, you get capabilities that did not exist in your previous workflow.
One thing to keep: if you rely on PDF24's virtual PDF printer on Windows, that is desktop-specific and has no browser equivalent. For everything else, the browser workflow is faster — no installer, no updates, and it works on Mac, Linux, Chromebook, and mobile.
Frequently Asked Questions
PDF24 offers a free desktop app and free web tools, but the web tools upload files to their servers and the desktop app is Windows-only. ILikePdf is free, browser-based, and works on every platform.
The PDF24 web tools process files on their servers. ILikePdf processes everything locally in your browser, so your documents never leave your device.
The virtual printer is a Windows desktop feature with no browser equivalent. You can replicate the output by using ILikePdf's create, convert, and combine tools instead.
Yes — and on Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPad, and Android. Any device with a modern browser can run every tool.