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Thryve
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Thryve PDF vs PDF24 Tools

PDF24 Tools is a free, advertising-funded set of more than a hundred browser PDF tools from a German company, with a free Windows desktop app that does the same work offline. Files are uploaded to servers in the EU and usually deleted an hour later. There is no paid plan and no published limit on file size or tasks.

Written by the makers of Thryve PDF. PDF24 Tools’s details come from its own published pages, checked on 17 October 2026; see the sources below and PDF24 Tools’s site for the latest.

What PDF24 Tools does well

  • A very wide range of tools at no cost, including e-invoices, PDF/A, overlays and booklets
  • No account and no published file-size, page or task limits
  • A one-hour deletion promise and EU-based servers
  • A free Windows desktop app that works offline
  • Detailed compression settings: DPI, image quality, greyscale

What Thryve PDF adds

  • Nothing is uploaded at all, so there is no server, no hour and no jurisdiction to think about
  • No ads
  • Offline in the browser on any device, not only through a Windows program
  • Redaction that finds Aadhaar, PAN and card numbers for you
  • Text or image watermarks, and a typed signature as well as drawn or uploaded

Side by side

Checked on 17 October 2026Thryve PDFPDF24 Tools
Files processed on your own device, no upload
YesEvery tool runs in the browser tab
NoProcessed on servers in the EU
Uploaded files deleted afterwards
YesNever uploaded, so nothing to keep
YesUsually deleted one hour after upload
Account needed for free use
NoNo account for the free allowance
NoNo registration
Free limits
Yes10 exports per tool per 30 days; files up to 500 MB
YesNo published size, page or task limits
Paid plan
YesThryve Pro $9.99 once, every Thryve web app
Not listedNo paid plan
Ads on the free tier
NoNo ads
YesFunded by advertising on the pages
Merge, split and organise pages
YesMerge, Split, Organize, Remove and Extract pages
Yes
Compress PDF with quality levels
YesLight, Balanced and Max
YesDPI, image quality, greyscale, lossless
OCR: make a scanned PDF searchable
YesEnglish, on the device
YesMany languages, including Hindi
Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF and back
YesBoth directions, on the device
Yes
Sign PDF: draw, type or upload a signature
YesDraw, type or upload
PartlyDraw, upload or photograph; no typed signature listed
Redact: permanently remove text
YesPages flattened on export; finds Aadhaar, PAN, cards
YesPages rasterised on save
Compare two PDFs
Yes
Yes
Password protect and unlock
Yes
Yes
Watermark and page numbers
YesText or image watermark
PartlyText watermark only
Works in a phone browser
YesChrome and Safari on Android and iPhone
YesBrowser; can be added to the home screen
Works offline once the page has loaded
YesOnce a tool has loaded; OCR and Office fetch their engine on first use
PartlyFree PDF24 Creator desktop app, Windows only

Written by the makers of Thryve PDF. Every fact about PDF24 Tools comes from its own published pages, checked on 17 October 2026; “Not listed” means the vendor does not advertise it, not that it is missing. Sources are linked below. Prices are as shown from India on that date and may change.

Choose PDF24 Tools if

  • You need OCR in Hindi or another non-English language
  • You want a free desktop program for Windows with every tool in it
  • You need a tool Thryve does not have yet, such as PDF/A or booklets

Choose Thryve PDF if

  • The PDF must not leave your device, even for an hour
  • You use a phone, a Mac or a Chromebook rather than a Windows PC
  • You would rather pay once than see ads
Open Thryve PDF

Sources

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