LightPDF vs PDF Candy
We give LightPDF a 2.8 GPA and PDF Candy a 2.4, out of 4.0. LightPDF grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LightPDF
Online PDF editor and converter with AI tools paid for in credits
PDF Candy
90-plus online PDF tools and a Windows app, free within limits
How we grade them
| 2.8GPALightPDFGood | 2.4GPAPDF CandyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$15.99 a year, or $39.99 once, for web, desktop and phone with 1,000 AI credits a month. That's the cheapest paid plan among PDF editors by a distance, and the lifetime deal spread over three years is cheaper still. Monthly is $5.99. | B$4 a month on a yearly plan for web and desktop, among the cheapest paid PDF tools. The $99 lifetime license, spread over three years, is cheap too, but it covers the current desktop version only, not future major ones. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's a free plan, but it's web only, with limited access to selected features and files up to 10MB. The 3-day trial covers the yearly plan. | CFree on web and desktop with no account and no ads, but with page and hourly limits, smaller files and no batch processing. Fine for the odd job. |
| Features | CEdits PDFs, even the text in scans, converts, OCRs and signs, and the AI translates whole files, chats with them and pulls invoice data into Excel. Clever stuff. But no form builder or redaction is on record. | CConverts to and from Office and e-book formats, edits, merges, splits, compresses and protects, with AI summaries and chat. A big toolbox. But no OCR, form builder or signing is on record, so it's lighter as an editor. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. It's a web app plus apps you install and open, with nothing to set up first. | BNo store rating on record. No account needed: pick a tool in the browser and go. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, which covers everything. But no integrations or API are on record, and one account works on one device at a time. | CThe web, plus a desktop app for Windows only. No phone apps and no integrations on record. |
| Best for | AI translation and data extraction on a budget | lots of PDF tools for a small one-time fee |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LightPDF and PDF Candy. How we grade
Price against what you get
LightPDF starts at $5.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PDF Candy starts at $4 a month and scores 2.3.
LightPDF scores higher, and starts $1.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other PDF editors on the chart, 4 score higher than LightPDF for less, and 1 scores higher than PDF Candy for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- LightPDF starts at $5.99 per month. PDF Candy starts at $4 per month, billed yearly.
- Only LightPDF lists macOS, iOS and Android apps.
At a glance
| LightPDF | PDF Candy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5.99 per month | $4 per month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Free plan on the web only: limited access to selected features, files up to 10MB and cloud storage for 5 files for a year. | Free on web and desktop with no account or ads: page and hourly limits, smaller files, no batch processing and a cap on desktop operations. |
| Free trial | 3-day free trial of the yearly plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Wangxu Technology Co., Ltd. | PDF Candy (Icecream Apps) |
| Price read from | lightpdf.com | pdfcandy.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
LightPDF
- People who translate or summarize PDFs with AI on a small budget
- Office staff who turn invoices and bank statements into spreadsheets
- Buyers who want a low one-time price across web, desktop and mobile
PDF Candy
- People who convert or merge PDFs now and then without signing up
- Windows users who want an offline PDF tool for a one-time fee
- Students and teachers, who can get a year of online Pro free
Worth knowing
LightPDF
- AI tools spend credits: 1,000 a month on subscriptions, expiring monthly, or 40,000 in total on Lifetime; more can be bought.
- One Premium account signs in on every platform but works on only one device at a time.
- Cancelling a subscription means filing a support ticket; refunds are offered within 3 days on Monthly, 7 on Yearly and 30 on Lifetime.
- The free plan is web only, with files up to 10MB.
PDF Candy
- The free plan limits pages, hourly use and file size, with no batch processing.
- The desktop app is for Windows only, and the Web Monthly plan does not include it.
- The lifetime license covers the current desktop version and its minor updates, not future major versions.
- Refunds within 30 days are given if errors keep happening and support cannot fix them.
Key features
LightPDF
- Edit, sign and organize
- Edit, annotate, sign and organize PDFs, and edit the text in images and scanned PDFs while keeping the font and background.
- Convert and OCR
- Converts PDFs to and from other formats and recognizes text in scans, with batch processing on paid plans.
- Chat and translate
- Chat with documents and trace citations, and translate whole PDFs, images and scans into 20+ languages while keeping the layout.
- Data extraction
- Pulls structured data from invoices, receipts, purchase orders and bank statements into Excel, at 2 credits a page.
- AI generation
- Generates PDFs, slide decks, mind maps and summaries from documents, and removes watermarks, logos and handwriting.
PDF Candy
- Convert to and from PDF
- Converts PDFs to and from Office files, images and e-book formats such as MOBI, and between many other formats.
- Edit and organize
- Edit PDFs and their metadata, merge, split, compress, rotate and reorder pages, and add or remove passwords.
- AI tools
- Summarize a PDF, translate it or chat with it from the web tools.
- Offline Windows app
- PDF Candy Desktop brings 35 tools to Windows for editing, converting and organizing files without an internet connection.
- Short file retention
- Uploaded files and results are kept for no longer than 2 hours, and the free plan needs no account.
Plans
LightPDF
Free Plan$0
Web only, files up to 10MB, limited features and cloud storage for 5 files.
Monthly Plan$5.99
per month
Web, mobile and desktop with no file size limit, batch processing, unlimited cloud storage and 1,000 AI credits a month.
Yearly Plan$15.99
per year
The same as Monthly, billed once a year, with 1,000 AI credits a month and a 3-day free trial.
Lifetime Plan$39.99
one-time purchase
Marked as a limited offer: Premium on every platform paid once, with 40,000 AI credits that last until used.
PDF Candy
Free$0
Most tools on web and desktop with page, hourly, file-size and operation limits.
Desktop + Web Yearly$4
per month, billed yearly
Shown as 75% off a crossed-out $18 a month: web and desktop with no hourly limits, 500MB files, priority processing, plus Video and Image Candy.
Web Monthly$6
per month
PDF Candy Web only, with no hourly limits, 500MB files and priority processing.
Desktop + Web Lifetime$99
one-time purchase
Pay once for PDF Candy Web and a permanent desktop license for the current version, with its minor updates but not major upgrades.
Ways to pay less
LightPDF
- Annual discount
Yearly plan costs far less than monthly
LightPDF's pricing page lists the Yearly Plan at $15.99 a year against the Monthly Plan at $5.99 a month.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plan for $39.99
A one-time $39.99 payment buys Premium on web, mobile and desktop with 40,000 AI credits, shown as a limited offer.
PDF Candy
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license for $99
A one-time payment of $99 buys PDF Candy Web and a permanent PDF Candy Desktop license for the current version.
- Education
A free year of online Pro for education
Students and teachers can get a year of PDF Candy's online Pro subscription at no cost.
