PDF answers
Short, direct answers to the questions people ask most about working with PDFs — and how a free, browser-based toolkit compares with iLovePDF, Smallpdf and Acrobat online.
What is the best free alternative to iLovePDF?
Be My PDF is a free iLovePDF alternative that runs every tool inside your browser, so files are never uploaded and there is no daily task limit.
iLovePDF uploads your document to its servers and caps free usage before asking for a Premium subscription. Be My PDF performs merging, splitting, compression, conversion and OCR locally with WebAssembly, which means no upload wait, no queue, no account and no watermark on the result.
Browse all tools →How do I merge PDF files for free without uploading them?
Open Be My PDF's Merge tool, drag your PDFs in, drag them into the order you want and click Merge — the combined file is built in your browser and downloads instantly.
Because the merge happens on your own device, confidential contracts, medical records and financial statements never touch a server. There is no page limit and no file-count limit.
Merge PDFs now →How do I convert a PDF to Word and keep the formatting?
Use Be My PDF's PDF to Word tool: it extracts the text layer with structure preserved and writes a real .docx you can edit in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice.
Text-based PDFs convert with headings, paragraphs and line order intact. Scanned pages need OCR first, which recognises the characters in the image before the DOCX is produced.
Convert PDF to Word →How can I compress a PDF without losing quality?
Be My PDF's Compress tool rewrites the document's object streams and re-encodes images, typically cutting 40–70% of the file size while keeping text perfectly sharp.
Text in a PDF is vector data, so it never degrades. Size comes mostly from embedded images, which are downsampled to a sensible screen resolution — ideal for email attachments and upload limits.
Compress a PDF →Is it safe to edit PDFs online?
It is safe on Be My PDF because nothing is uploaded: the file is read into your browser's memory, modified there and handed back as a download.
Most online PDF services transfer your document to a server and delete it after a retention window. Client-side processing removes that risk entirely, which matters for GDPR, HIPAA-adjacent and legal workflows.
Read the privacy policy →How do I remove a watermark from a PDF or Word file?
Be My PDF's Remove Watermark tool strips repeated text and image watermark objects from PDF and DOCX files in one pass.
Use it only on documents you own or have permission to modify. Watermarks that are flattened into a scanned page image cannot be removed cleanly by any tool.
Remove a watermark →Can I OCR a scanned PDF for free?
Yes — Be My PDF runs OCR in the browser to turn scanned pages into selectable, searchable text at no cost and with no sign-up.
OCR quality depends on scan resolution: 300 DPI or higher gives the most accurate recognition. Straighten skewed pages before running OCR for the best results.
OCR a PDF →Does Be My PDF work on mobile?
Yes. Every Be My PDF tool is responsive and works in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox on Android and iOS with the same features as desktop.
No app install is needed. Very large files are limited by the amount of memory the mobile browser makes available, so split huge documents first if a phone runs out of memory.
Open the toolkit →Be My PDF vs iLovePDF at a glance
| Feature | Be My PDF | Typical online PDF site |
|---|---|---|
| Where files are processed | In your browser | Uploaded to a server |
| Daily task limit | None | Usually 2–3 free tasks |
| Account required | No | Often, for larger files |
| Watermark on output | Never | Sometimes on free tiers |
| Price | Free | Freemium subscription |