PDF24 is a genuinely generous free toolkit, and it is the fairest comparison on this list — because PDF24 already offers a local option. Its online tools at tools.pdf24.org upload your file to PDF24's servers; its Windows desktop application, PDF24 Creator, processes files locally and offline. FilePilot sits between the two: local processing like the desktop app, with nothing to install.
People generally reach PDF24 for its breadth and its price. The reason to look further is usually one of two things. Either you want local processing but cannot or do not want to install desktop software — a locked-down work machine, a Mac or Linux box where PDF24 Creator is not an option, or simply a one-off job that does not justify an installer. Or you started with the online tools and then realised the file is being uploaded after all.
PDF24 is explicit about this in its own FAQ: files sent to the online tools are processed on a server and deleted within a stated period, and it points users who want local processing to the desktop Creator instead. So the choice PDF24 offers is "convenient but uploaded" or "local but installed". FilePilot removes that trade-off — the processing runs in the browser tab, so it is local like the Creator and needs no installation like the online tools.
| Aspect | PDF24 | FilePilot |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | Online tools: PDF24's servers. Creator: your PC | Always in your browser, on your device |
| Installation required for local processing | Yes — PDF24 Creator | No |
| Operating systems | Creator is Windows-only | Any OS with a modern browser |
| File leaves your device | Online tools: yes. Creator: no | No |
| Account required | No | No |
| Works offline | Creator only | Yes, once loaded |
| Tool breadth | Very broad | Broad — 90+ PDF and image tools |
| Image tools | Limited | Extensive, including AI background removal |
| Cost | Free | Free |
Yes. PDF24's own FAQ states that files sent to its online tools are processed on a server and automatically deleted within a stated period, and it directs users who want local processing to the PDF24 Creator desktop application instead. FilePilot processes in the browser, so nothing is uploaded either way.
Both process locally. The difference is installation and platform: PDF24 Creator is Windows software you install, while FilePilot is a web page that works on macOS, Linux, ChromeOS and phones as well. Creator can do things only installed software can — notably its virtual PDF printer — and can use more memory for very large files.
Yes, entirely free with no account, no watermarks and no task limits. Neither tool charges for everyday PDF operations.
Either FilePilot or PDF24 Creator, since both keep the file on your machine. Avoid the online tools of any service, including PDF24's, if the document must not be transmitted. FilePilot is the option that needs no installation.
Yes, and this is where the toolkits differ most. Alongside the PDF tools there are image tools for compressing, resizing, cropping, converting, stripping EXIF and GPS metadata, and AI background removal — all processed locally in the same way.