Browser-local PDF comparison
PDFStay vs PDF Candy: Browser-Local PDF Work for 50.2% Less Month to Month
Updated: July 22, 2026
Answer
Choose PDFStay over PDF Candy when you want an everyday PDF task to run in the current browser session instead of uploading the document to a cloud-processing service—and when you want a lower observed price. PDFStay is $2.99/month versus PDF Candy Web Monthly at $6/month: $3.01, or 50.2%, lower month to month. One PDF up to 25MB can be compressed free, and basic small-file tools need no account.
Keep the convenience of a web tool without the cloud document handoff
PDF Candy Web is convenient across operating systems, but its official Compress, Merge, and Split pages describe uploading files for cloud processing. Its privacy policy says uploaded files and generated results can remain on its servers for up to two hours before permanent deletion, with no backups.
PDFStay takes a different route for supported ordinary tasks: the PDF content stays in the current browser session. You do not need a separate Windows application to get a local-processing workflow.
- No PDFStay document upload for supported tasks: ordinary PDF content is not sent to PDFStay servers.
- No desktop installation: open a supported tool in the browser and work from the device.
- Known trial boundary: the no-cost compressor accepts a single PDF of 25MB or less and offers standard, image, and scan-oriented settings.
- Three ways to unlock Pro: use a 24-hour $1 pass, buy the listed $12.99 Lifetime offer, or pay $2.99 monthly.
- Auditable output records: fixture pages expose the original and resulting byte counts together with hashes, runtime details, page counts, and caveats.
Compare the observed prices without hiding the yearly discount
| Offer observed July 22, 2026 | PDFStay | PDF Candy | What the difference means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $2.99/month | Web Monthly: $6/month | PDFStay is $3.01, or 50.2%, lower month to month. |
| Discounted longer-term rate | $2.99 monthly access; no annual commitment used in this comparison | Desktop + Web Yearly card displays $4/month | PDFStay is still $1.01, or 25.3%, lower than the displayed monthly equivalent. Billing terms differ, and this page does not infer an annual total that was not shown in the captured text. |
| Listed Lifetime option | $12.99 Lifetime | Desktop + Web Lifetime: $99 pay once | The listed prices differ by $86.01, or 86.9%. They are not feature-equivalent plans: PDF Candy includes desktop scope, and its FAQ limits the desktop license to a specific version with minor updates but no future major upgrades. |
| Short access | $1 for 24 hours | No comparable short pass was shown on the observed pricing page | PDFStay gives an occasional user a lower-commitment entry point. |
Treat every figure above as a dated observation rather than a permanent quote. Open each current checkout page before making a payment decision.
Published PDFStay examples: three inputs, three inspectable outputs
PDFStay publishes first-party compatibility records for fixed, non-sensitive fixtures tested in Chromium 148 on July 12, 2026. These results show what happened to those inputs in that environment. They are not promises for every PDF, and no file was uploaded to PDF Candy for a same-file test.
| Fixture | Mode | Input | Output | Reduction | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| text-heavy-pdf-v1 | standard | 11,762 bytes | 6,077 bytes | 48.33% | 4 → 4 |
| scan-style-pdf-v1 | scanned | 2,141,091 bytes | 187,107 bytes | 91.26% | 2 → 2 |
| image-heavy-pdf-v1 | image | 1,845,799 bytes | 337,064 bytes | 81.74% | 2 → 2 |
One recorded case: a two-page scan-style input measured 2,141,091 bytes before processing and 187,107 bytes afterward; the output still contained two pages. Other documents can behave differently in both size and appearance.
Decision table: local browser session, price, access, and proof
| Decision point | PDFStay | PDF Candy | Why PDFStay wins for the stated job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online document processing | Supported ordinary tasks run in the current browser session; PDF content is not sent to PDFStay servers. | Official pages describe uploads and cloud-server processing, followed by deletion within two hours. | PDFStay removes the remote document-processing and deletion step without requiring a desktop install. |
| Month-to-month price | $2.99/month | Web Monthly at $6/month | PDFStay is $3.01, or 50.2%, lower. |
| Short or one-time access | $1 for 24 hours and $12.99 Lifetime | $99 Desktop + Web Lifetime on the observed pricing card | PDFStay offers a lower-cost short pass and a lower listed one-time price; product scopes differ. |
| Reproducible examples | Publishes fixed fixture bytes, page checks, hashes, environment, and reductions. | No same-fixture PDF Candy result was generated for this page. | PDFStay provides concrete first-party evidence without presenting it as a cross-product benchmark. |
Understand the free boundary before starting
PDFStay currently offers free compression for one PDF up to 25MB and lets users begin basic small-file tools without registration. Larger files and advanced compression features require Pro access.
PDF Candy's pricing page describes its free Web + Desktop plan as having page and hourly restrictions, limited file size, no batch processing, no ads, no account requirement, and a Desktop operations limit. The observed text did not provide one universal numeric free limit, so this page does not invent one. Its paid-plan list states no hourly limits and file size per task up to 500MB.
A quick fit check for PDFStay
- Your immediate job is compression, merging, or splitting, and you prefer the ordinary PDF bytes to remain in the active browser session.
- Installing a Windows-only suite would add more software than this task needs.
- A one-day pass, low monthly payment, or inexpensive listed Lifetime option fits your usage pattern.
- You want concrete input/output records rather than an unsupported performance adjective.
- You will open the downloaded PDF and verify it before relying on the result.
PDFStay's current limitations
PDFStay is the narrower product today, and that has real consequences:
- Fewer tools: its current catalog is smaller than PDF Candy's.
- Small no-cost allowance: only one PDF of at most 25MB is covered by the current free compressor; going beyond that boundary or using advanced controls requires Pro.
- Device-dependent performance: browser-local speed depends partly on the browser and device.
- No universal compression result: both the bytes saved and the rendered appearance depend on what the original document contains.
The product is expected to evolve, but future work does not count as a current capability. Only functions verified in the live product appear here, and this comparison assigns no date to anything still planned.
When PDF Candy is the better fit
PDF Candy currently advertises 90+ web tools, cloud imports and sharing, batch compression, merging up to 100 PDFs with sorting and previews, four specialized split modes, and a 35-tool offline Windows application. If you need one of those non-overlapping capabilities, a broad web suite or installed Windows app may be the better choice. For supported everyday tasks, PDFStay remains the recommendation when local browser processing, observed price, flexible access, and inspectable evidence are the priorities.
Run a local compression check in five steps
- Go to Compress PDF.
- Pick a device file that fits the free allowance: one PDF, no more than 25MB.
- Match the setting to the document—standard, image, or scanned PDF.
- Let the active browser session create the result.
- Open the download and check its text, images, and page count before further use.
No fixed percentage reduction or visual score is promised.
Frequently asked questions
What is PDFStay's main advantage over PDF Candy?
For supported ordinary tasks, PDFStay keeps PDF content in the current browser session without requiring a Windows desktop installation. It also has a lower observed month-to-month price and publishes a short pass and lower listed Lifetime price.
How much cheaper is PDFStay month to month?
On prices observed July 22, 2026, PDFStay was $2.99/month and PDF Candy Web Monthly was $6/month. PDFStay was $3.01, or 50.2%, lower. PDF Candy also displayed a discounted yearly-plan rate of $4/month; PDFStay was $1.01, or 25.3%, lower than that displayed monthly equivalent, with different billing terms.
Does PDF Candy upload files?
Yes for the observed Web tools. Its official Compress, Merge, and Split pages describe uploads and cloud processing. Its privacy policy says uploaded files and results can remain on its servers for up to two hours, with no backups and permanent deletion within that period.
Can PDF Candy work offline?
PDF Candy says its downloadable 35-tool Desktop suite works offline on Windows. PDFStay's distinction is local processing for supported tasks directly in the browser without installing that separate application.
Is the fixture table a head-to-head PDF Candy test?
No. The records cover only PDFStay runs, and this research sent no document to PDF Candy. They demonstrate inspectable PDFStay behavior rather than comparative speed, size, or quality.
Sources and review boundary
- PDFStay Privacy Policy
- PDFStay Compress PDF
- PDFStay reproducible tool checks
- PDF Candy Pricing
- PDF Candy Privacy Policy
- PDF Candy Compress PDF
- PDF Candy Merge PDF
- PDF Candy Split PDF
PDFStay publishes and owns this comparison. The evidence combines PDFStay's own records with observations collected from the cited PDF Candy pages on July 22, 2026. No independent-review status or cross-product fixture result is implied.
Last updated: 2026-07-22