Short answer
iLovePDF's free plan compresses up to 2 PDFs per task, 200 MB per task, with limited daily processing — and every file is uploaded to its servers. If your PDF is confidential, compress it in your browser instead. Both shrink scanned and photo-heavy PDFs by re-compressing the images inside them.
iLovePDF is one of the most popular free PDF compressors, and for good reason: it is fast, simple and squeezes image-heavy PDFs hard. But its free tier has limits, and it works by uploading your document. Here is what the free plan actually allows, how it compares with a browser-based compressor that never uploads anything, and when each one is the right choice. (iLovePDF figures are from its pricing page, checked October 2026 — plans change, so confirm before you rely on them.)
iLovePDF free plan limits for Compress PDF
Files per task
Up to 2 PDFs at a time on the free (Basic) plan.
File size
Up to 200 MB per task.
Number of tasks
iLovePDF describes the free plan as "limited document processing" without publishing a fixed number; limits also depend on whether you are signed in.
Premium
US$7/month billed monthly, or US$4/month billed yearly (US$48/year), removes the limits. iLovePDF also sells a desktop app for batch processing on Mac and Windows.
Account
Basic compression works without registering.
iLovePDF vs our browser PDF compressor
Where your PDF goes
iLovePDF's web tool uploads the file to its servers, compresses it there and gives you a download link. Our compressor loads the PDF into your browser with the open-source pdf-lib library and never sends it anywhere — the deciding factor for contracts, medical records, payslips and anything under NDA.
How much smaller it gets
Both re-compress the images inside a PDF, which is what makes scans and photo-heavy files much smaller. Ours re-encodes embedded images as JPEG at the quality you choose (90% down to 30%) using the open-source qpdf engine, rewrites the PDF structure, and keeps whichever version is smallest, so the file never grows. It keeps each image's original pixel dimensions; iLovePDF may also lower image resolution, which can squeeze very large scans further.
Limits
Our compressor has no per-task or daily limits; the practical ceiling is your device's memory.
Batch
iLovePDF free handles 2 files per task. Ours compresses one PDF at a time.
Price
Both have a free option. Ours has no paid tier at all.
Which one should you use?
Use iLovePDF if…
the PDF is not sensitive, you want to compress two files in one go, or a very large scan still needs to get smaller after trying our lowest image quality.
Use the browser compressor if…
the document is confidential, you have hit iLovePDF's free limits, or you want to choose the image quality yourself. Everything happens on your device, so it is safe for contracts, payslips and medical records.
FAQ
Is iLovePDF safe for confidential PDFs?
iLovePDF states that uploaded files are deleted within 2 hours (or immediately with its "Delete it now" button), but the file still leaves your device and sits on a third-party server while it is processed. If your organisation forbids uploading client or patient documents, a tool that runs locally is the safer choice.
Why did my PDF barely shrink?
Text-only PDFs and PDFs whose images are already heavily compressed have little left to remove. For scans, choose a lower image quality (50% or 30%) — that is where most of the saving comes from.
How can I check that nothing is uploaded?
Load the compressor page, disconnect from the internet, then compress a file — it still works because everything runs in the tab.
Compress a confidential PDF without uploading it
Runs in your browser with pdf-lib and qpdf. No upload, no account, no daily limit.