AvePDF vs CoolUtils Online PDF Merger

AvePDF is a browser-based service for editing, converting, and managing PDF and other electronic documents. Its tools cover merging, splitting, compression, conversion, protection, redaction, signing, OCR, PDF/A conversion and validation, and scanning. The converter handles more than 100 formats, including raster and vector images, office and text formats, CAD, and SVG. Files can be uploaded from Google Drive, Dropbox, or a web address, with results saved to cloud storage. The Free plan costs nothing and includes 50+ document tools, 2 processing operations per 6 hours, files up to 128 MB, and up to 10 files per processing. Premium costs $45 a year, billed annually as one payment per user; it includes unlimited processing, files up to 512 MB, and up to 100 files per processing, as well as no ads, technical support, and early beta access. Free-service uploads may be retained to improve services, including to train models; Premium files are not retained. Premium subscribers also receive multiple levels of encryption.

CoolUtils Online PDF Merger combines multiple files into one PDF in a browser, without signup or software installation. The free tool accepts up to five files per pass, with a limit of 50 MB per file. The order of the upload slots determines the sequence in the merged document. JPG, PNG and GIF images are accepted as well, with each image becoming a PDF page. CoolUtils says uploads and downloads use encrypted SSL/TLS connections and are processed in isolated environments. The product page says documents are used for merging and are not stored afterward; CoolUtils also says uploaded files and converted results are automatically deleted from its servers within 24 hours. The listed platform availability includes Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows, though the primary platform is web. The online page does not list integrations, batch merging or page selection. CoolUtils recommends its desktop product for recurring or folder-level work and command-line automation.