Our take: Shrank our PDF by 98% without signing up and clearly shows the new size. Files are deleted within 2 hours. The free tier has hourly limits.
- ✓ No sign-up — tested
- ✓ PDF −98% — tested
- Deleted within 2 hours · multilingual
- ! Uploads · hourly free limit
- ? China access — not tested yet
Our test
Tested 28 Sep 2026 · Chrome desktop · synthetic 3-page test PDF with one embedded photo, 3.89 MB (same file for all four tools)
How we checked privacy: The PDF was uploaded to a PDF Candy processing server (s32.api.pdfcandy.com). Its security page says uploaded and created documents are deleted from its servers within 2 hours after processing.
Data sheet
Every row shows how we know it
| Free limit | Free · hourly limits (PRO has none) Tested |
|---|---|
| Sign-up | Not required Tested |
| Watermark | None Tested |
| Levels | Recommended · Maximum Tested |
| File processing | Uploaded to PDF Candy servers Tested |
| File retention | Deleted within 2 hours Official |
| Interface language | Many languages incl. Korean, Chinese Tested |
| Access from China | — Not tested |
When to use it
Shrinking a PDF and seeing the new size at a glance.
Before you use it
Files are uploaded. The free tier has hourly limits, so processing many files in a row may mean waiting.
How to use it
- Open PDF Candy’s Compress PDF page (no sign-up).
- Upload the PDF and choose Recommended or Maximum.
- Press COMPRESS and download from the result page.
Alternatives
Guide: How to merge PDFs: compare free tools and upload requirements
Last verified 28 Sep 2026 · Found something outdated? Tell us. · Official security page