Adobe Acrobat online or Lmaotools, which to choose for a PDF
Published · Updated 4 min read
Adobe Acrobat online and Lmaotools both let you compress, protect or assemble a PDF from a browser. The difference lies in what each lets you do for free, in the place it leaves to your file, and in everything Lmaotools adds beyond the PDF.
Compress a PDF
Adobe offers three compression levels, for files up to 2 GB. The result downloads after signing in to an Adobe account, free but compulsory. Lmaotools also offers three levels, low, medium and high, with a quality slider from 10 to 100. The compressed file downloads straight away, with no account. The high level suits attaching a document to an email, the low level keeping text sharp on screen and in print.
Compress a photo
Adobe's tool is designed for PDFs. When you give it a photo, it points to Acrobat Pro and a 7-day trial. Lmaotools compresses an image directly: you set the quality, and a lower value gives a lighter file at the price of a little sharpness. It can also resize it, crop it, change its format and remove its background.
Remove the password of a PDF
At Adobe, this operation requires an Acrobat Pro subscription or its trial. On Lmaotools it is free, provided you know the password. The document comes out identical, with the same text and the same number of pages, and opens without a code.
Put images together in a PDF
Adobe points to Acrobat Pro here too. Lmaotools assembles your images in the order you add them. You choose the page format (the image's, A4 or US Letter), the orientation and the margins.
Number the pages
Adobe asks you to sign in before showing the settings. Its help describes six positions, five formats, the choice of font, a page range and a starting page. Lmaotools places the number at the top or bottom of the page, left, center or right, with four presentations (1, Page 1, Page 1 / N, Page 1 of N), a first number of your choice and a page range.
Where your file goes
Adobe says the file is processed on its servers, then deleted unless you sign in to save it. On Lmaotools, the tools work directly in your browser: the file stays on your device, with no wait for an upload or a download to a server. A guide explains how to check it yourself.
Why a 100 MB limit
On Lmaotools, everything happens in your browser, on your device. Each tool is proven on files of all kinds before being offered, and the size accepted is set so that the result is reliable, not to show a big number: up to 100 MB per file, depending on the tool. This limit is today's. It widens tool by tool, as the tests show it holds up under load, eventually following the power of your browser and your device. A tool that works every time is worth more than a tool with no limit that sometimes fails.
The price
The cheapest plan shown by Adobe in France is Acrobat Standard, at €18.14 a month with an annual commitment. Lmaotools tools are free, and they also cover images, video, audio and text, well beyond the PDF.
Which service for which need
To lighten a PDF, open it without a password, number its pages or put images in it, without creating an account, Lmaotools is enough and stays free. Adobe also offers tools that Lmaotools does not offer, such as signing a document or converting Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to PDF. When the document is sensitive, processing in the browser, with nothing sent, avoids entrusting the file to a server.
Summary
| What Lmaotools offers | Lmaotools | Adobe Acrobat online |
|---|---|---|
| Compress a PDF | ✓ | ✓ (sign-in to download) |
| Remove the password of a PDF | ✓ | Pro |
| Protect a PDF with a password | ✓ | ✓ |
| Merge, split, extract or delete pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Number the pages | ✓ | ✓ (sign-in) |
| Images to PDF | ✓ | Pro |
| PDF to images | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add or remove a watermark | ✓ | - |
| Compress, resize, crop an image | ✓ | Pro |
| Convert an image's format, remove the background | ✓ | - |
| Compress, cut, merge a video, create a GIF | ✓ | - |
| Compress, convert, cut audio, transcribe it to text | ✓ | - |
| Compare, sort, replace text, SRT subtitles | ✓ | - |
| JSON, Base64, hash, regular expressions | ✓ | - |
| QR code, password, colors, dates, units | ✓ | - |
| No account | ✓ | Sign-in to download |
| Processed in the browser, nothing sent | ✓ | - |
| Price | Free | From €18.14 a month |
Frequently asked questions
- Can you use Adobe Acrobat online without an account?
- Adobe says most of its tools allow one free operation without signing in, but some, such as downloading a compressed PDF, require a free Adobe account. Lmaotools never asks for one.
- Is Lmaotools really free?
- Yes. The tools are free, with no account, no subscription and no limit on the number of operations.
- Are my files sent to a server?
- Adobe says it processes files on its servers. On Lmaotools, the processing happens in your browser, and this guide shows how to check it yourself.
- What file size does Lmaotools accept?
- Up to 100 MB per file depending on the tool. This size is set to keep results reliable, and it widens tool by tool.
- How do you remove the password of a PDF for free?
- With Lmaotools, if you know the password, the unprotected copy downloads without an account. The guide Open a protected PDF whose password you know details the supported cases.