Welcome to iHatePDF, A Smarter Way to Work with PDFs
Working with PDFs is one of those tasks that should be invisible. You need to merge two contracts. You need to compress a photo bundle to fit an email. You need to sign a form before close of business. Most people do not want a "PDF workflow", they want to be done with the PDF and back to whatever they were actually doing.
iHatePDF is built around that idea. Every tool is one click from the home page, single-purpose, fast, and free. No software install, no signup for single jobs, no watermark on output, no hidden tiers gating the things that should be obvious. This page is the orientation: what iHatePDF actually is, what each tool does, and the parts of the design that matter when you are picking a PDF tool for real work.
iHatePDF is a browser-based toolkit with 30+ tools for PDFs, images, and documents. Everything runs in the browser, files delete after your session, and single jobs are free without an account.
What iHatePDF actually is
A web app with more than 30 specialised tools for PDFs, images, and documents. Everything runs in the browser. Files upload to our processing server over HTTPS, get processed, return to you, and delete automatically at the end of the session. No persistent storage means no compliance worry for sensitive documents.
The toolset breaks into five categories: essentials (merge, split, compress, sign, scan), conversions (PDF to and from Word, JPG, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML), editing and organisation (protect, unlock, rotate, crop, delete pages, organise, redact, page numbers, watermark, OCR), image tools (compress, convert to JPG, remove background, watermark images), and AI tools (chat with your PDF, AI CV optimiser).
Everything is genuinely free for single jobs without an account. Free accounts unlock higher tier batch processing limits.
The Editly suite
Most PDF "editors" online are renamed converters. Editly is the actual editor. You can edit text directly inside the PDF (with automatic font detection), move text blocks freely, insert images, highlight sections, erase content, redact sensitive information, insert links, change paper textures, and clip text or images from one PDF to reuse anywhere else.
Where Adobe Acrobat needs an install and a subscription, and where Canva treats PDFs as design canvases, Editly is built specifically for the actual editing job. Fast, practical, and you keep the original file structure intact.
Every major tool covered
PDF essentials
Merge PDF combines PDFs, images, and Word documents into one file. Up to 15 files in the no-account tier (100 MB total), 20 files with a free account (150 MB total). Mixed inputs work directly, no separate conversion step.
Split PDF breaks a PDF into separate files by page range, or extracts specific pages. Without account: 100 MB per file. With account: 200 MB per file. Output is either a ZIP (multiple ranges) or a single PDF (one range).
Compress PDF shrinks file sizes for email and upload limits. Without account: up to 200 MB per file. With account: batch up to 4 files at once (300 MB total). Smart compression keeps visible quality intact while cutting file size 50-90 percent.
Sign PDF adds signatures, sends signing requests to multiple parties, and produces an audit trail. Legally accepted under ESIGN (US), eIDAS (EU), and equivalent regimes in most jurisdictions.
Scan PDF turns phone photos into clean searchable PDFs with multi-page support, auto-cropping, and OCR-ready output. No flatbed scanner needed.
Conversions
PDF to Word produces editable .docx with formatting preserved. Built-in OCR handles scanned PDFs automatically. Pair with Word to PDF for round trips that keep fonts and layout intact.
PDF to JPG converts each page into an image, or extracts only the embedded photos from the PDF. JPG to PDF works the other way, combining multiple images into a single PDF with portrait or landscape orientation, with or without margins.
PDF to PowerPoint extracts slides into editable .pptx for reuse. PowerPoint to PDF converts decks to non-editable PDF for sharing without exposing the source file.
PDF to Excel pulls tables out of PDF reports into proper spreadsheets. Excel to PDF handles the reverse for sharing financial models without giving editors access to formulas.
HTML to PDF takes a URL or an uploaded .html file and produces a print-ready PDF. Web Page to PDF is the simpler URL-only version.
Editing and organisation
Protect PDF adds AES password encryption, and Unlock PDF removes a password you legitimately have. Both work in seconds.
Rotate PDF, Crop PDF, Delete Pages, and Organize PDF handle the page-level cleanup that scans and downloads usually need before they are presentable.
Redact PDF permanently destroys sensitive content. Unlike fake redaction (just drawing black boxes over text, which can be undone), true redaction removes the underlying text from the PDF data stream entirely.
Page Numbers adds page numbers with custom positioning, format, and starting number. Skip first or last page support is built in. Watermark PDF applies text or image watermarks with rotation, opacity, and mosaic (full-page tile) mode for anti-copy protection.
OCR PDF turns scanned PDFs into searchable text with multi-language support. Output can be either a searchable PDF (same look, hidden text layer) or a plain text file.
Image tools
Compress Image shrinks JPG, PNG, and WEBP files with quality control and optional resize. Most photos drop 50-90 percent in size with no visible loss.
Convert to JPG handles PNG, WEBP, HEIC, GIF, BMP, and TIFF input. Particularly useful for converting iPhone HEIC photos into the universal JPG format most apps actually open.
Remove Background uses AI subject detection to cut backgrounds away from photos, returning a transparent PNG. Compose mode lets you drop the subject onto a new background (colour, white, or any image) with drag, scale, and flip controls.
Watermark Image applies text watermarks to photos with custom colour, rotation, opacity, font size, and optional mosaic tile mode.
AI tools
Chat with PDF lets you upload a document and ask questions about it in plain language. Answers are grounded in the actual text of your PDF, not made up. Powered by Google Gemini. Files auto-delete within an hour.
AI CV Optimizer takes your CV (PDF or Word), optionally a job description, and returns a rewritten version with ATS-friendly structure, stronger action verbs, tailored keywords, and tighter phrasing. Your accomplishments and voice are preserved, only the wording is optimised.
Privacy and security
This is the part where most free PDF tools get a free pass. iHatePDF treats it seriously:
- HTTPS uploads, files encrypted in transit
- No persistent storage, deleted automatically at session end
- No training data, your files are never used to train AI models
- GDPR-compliant by design, not retrofitted
- No data sharing, never sold, never analysed, never opened by humans
For sensitive work like medical records, tax filings, and legal documents, this should be table stakes. Often it is not.
Workflow chaining
Most PDF tools online treat each job as an isolated transaction: upload, process, download. iHatePDF treats your output as the next tool's input. When you merge a PDF, you can send it straight into Compress, Sign, or Split without re-uploading. The file flows between tools in one session.
This is not a small feature. If you have ever fought the upload-download-reupload loop, you know the time it eats. For a full guide to combining files specifically, see our complete merge PDF tutorial.
Who uses iHatePDF
- Students combining lecture notes, scanned readings, and assignment drafts.
- Legal professionals bundling exhibits, redacting confidential information, adding e-signatures.
- Accountants consolidating year-end receipts and statements for clean audit folders.
- Photographers compressing client galleries and converting HEIC iPhone photos for delivery.
- HR teams sending signing requests with audit trails, compressing onboarding bundles for email.
- Freelancers signing contracts, optimising CVs, sending portfolios.
- Small businesses handling invoices, contracts, and client deliverables without a paid subscription.
What is coming next
The web app is the start. Native apps for iOS, Android, and Desktop are in development, bringing the same toolkit offline. The roadmap also includes deeper AI integrations (drafting cover letters, contract summarisation), more conversion formats, and team collaboration features.
Frequently asked questions
Is iHatePDF really free?
Yes. All core tools are free for single jobs without an account. There is no watermark, no daily cap, and no subscription. Free accounts unlock higher batch processing limits but are not required for normal use.
Do I need to create an account?
Not for single jobs. Free accounts exist for batch processing (running multiple files in one job at higher size limits), but the no-account tier is generous enough for most users and most tools.
Are my files private?
Yes. Files upload over HTTPS, process on our server, return to you, and delete automatically at the end of your session. Nothing is stored, shared, or used for AI training. GDPR-compliant by design.
What file size can I upload?
Limits vary by tool. Most editing tools accept 80 MB per file without an account, 100 MB with a free account. Merge and Compress have specific tier structures detailed on each tool's page.
What file types are supported?
PDFs natively, plus JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC images, Word (.doc, .docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx, .xls), and HTML files for relevant tools.
Will iHatePDF work on my phone?
Yes. Every tool runs in any modern browser on iPhone, Android, tablet, or desktop. No app to install. Native apps for iOS, Android, and Desktop are in development.
What makes iHatePDF different from iLovePDF or Adobe?
Three things: mixed inputs (images, Word, PowerPoint alongside PDFs), workflow chaining (output flows directly to the next tool with no re-upload), and genuinely free single jobs (no daily quotas, no watermarks).
Can I use iHatePDF for sensitive documents?
Yes. Files are HTTPS-encrypted in transit, never stored beyond the session, never opened by humans, and never used for AI training. The privacy model is designed for compliance with standards like GDPR.
30+ tools, free for single jobs, no watermark, no signup.
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