Quick Links
If you need to share PDF files online, compressing them is a must. Smaller PDFs are quicker to upload and download, easier to email, and take up less storage space. Luckily, plenty of free web-based tools can shrink your PDFs in seconds—no installation required.
iLovePDF is a popular online PDF compression tool that’s very easy to use. To compress a PDF, drag and drop your file onto the page, wait for it to upload, and then hit the Compress PDF button. iLovePDF handles the rest, much like howthese PDF-saving Chrome extensionsmake it easy to save web pages as PDFs.
When I tried to compress multiple files simultaneously, I learned that iLovePDF limits you to processing three files per task. However, if you’re a Premium user, you’re able to compress up to ten PDFs simultaneously, a handy feature for dealing with multiple documents.
Even with a Premium subscription, you’re still capped at ten files per compression task when using the web app. If you need to compress larger batches of PDFs, you’ll have to turn to iLovePDF’s desktop application to get the job done.
It offers three compression levels:
Beyond compression, iLovePDF provides a suite of other PDF tools, from converting various formats to PDF to changing PDFs into editable Office documents.
Adobe’s online PDF compressor is another reliable option, especially if you’re already invested in the Adobe ecosystem. While it’s limited to processing one file at a time for free, it makes up for this with a clean, user-friendly interface that previews your estimated file size before compressing.
When you upload a PDF, Adobe’s tool predicts the compressed file size for each of its three quality settings:
This feature comes in handy sincemost browsers have built-in PDF readersthese days.
One thing to keep in mind is that Adobe’s servers handle your files during the compression process. Adobe states that these files are securely deleted after processing unless you’re signed in and choose to save them to your Adobe account.
If you need to compress multiple PDFs at once, you’ll have to step up to Adobe Acrobat Pro. While not free, Acrobat Pro offers batch compression and other powerful PDF editing features that make it worth the price for heavy users.
PDF2Go is a versatile online PDF compression tool that offers an impressive array of options. By default, you can choose between “Basic Compression” for a balance of file size and quality or “Strong Compression” for smaller files at the cost of some visual fidelity.
But PDF2Go also provides preset options for specific use cases, such as “Normal” for screen-quality documents (perfect forletting ChatGPT read your PDFs) or “Compress for email” to ensure your PDFs are small enough to send via email without issues.
One unique feature is the ability to compress PDFs to a target file size of anywhere from 1MB to 1GB. This is handy when you need to meet specific size requirements. You can also opt to convert images to grayscale or remove them entirely for further compression.
Unfortunately, PDF2Go limits you to processing two files per task in its free version. To compress multiple PDFs at once, you’ll need a Premium subscription. Premium plans use a credit-based system, deducting one credit for every 30 seconds of processing time.
4PDF Compressor
PDF Compressor is a straightforward, no-nonsense tool for shrinking your PDFs. you may select files from your computer or drag and drop them into the designated area. One standout feature is the ability to compress up to 20 PDFs at once—the highest limit among the tools we’ve covered.
Interestingly, when I tested PDF Compressor by uploading 21 files, it processed them all without issue. This suggests that the 20-file limit may not be strictly enforced, giving you some wiggle room for larger batch compressions.
After compression, PDF Compressor presents you with a list of your processed files, each with a percentage indicating how much the file size was reduced. You can download these compressed PDFs individually or conveniently grab them all at once in a ZIP archive.
While PDF Compressor may not have the most extensive feature set, its simplicity and ability to handle larger batches of files make it a solid choice for quick, hassle-free PDF compression. It automatically deletes all uploaded files from its servers 1 hour after processing. If you frequently need to compress many PDFs at once, PDF Compressor is definitely worth bookmarking.
So, whether you’re dealing with just a couple of PDFs or a whole batch that needs compressing, these online tools have you covered. They’re fast, easy to use, and, best of all, completely free. Combine them with thesebasic PDF management skills, and you’ll be a PDF pro in no time.
