Nova Forms compresses, merges and splits PDFs in your browser, on your own device. Your file is not sent to a server, so an Aadhaar card, a marksheet or a bank paper stays with you. Here is how it compares with iLovePDF and Smallpdf.
Pick Nova Forms if a form asks for a PDF under a KB limit, or the file is private: an Aadhaar card, marksheets, bank papers.
Pick iLovePDF if you need tools Nova Forms does not have, such as OCR or e-signing.
What we say about iLovePDF comes from its own pages (see Sources), read on 12 October 2026.
| Topic | Nova Forms | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | On your device. Nothing is uploaded. | On their servers. iLovePDF says it deletes files automatically within two hours. Smallpdf says it removes them after one hour.123 |
| Limits on the free plan | No daily limit and no watermark. A PDF opens up to 25 pages at a time. | Smallpdf's free plan has a daily limit on tasks, and its Pro plan removes it.3 |
| Desktop app | Nothing to install. It opens in your browser, on a phone or a computer. | iLovePDF also has a desktop app that works on your own computer.1 |
| Other tools | Compress, merge, split, image to PDF and PDF to JPG, plus photo and signature resizing for forms. | iLovePDF lists tools such as merge, compress and OCR, and an eSign feature.12 |
| Best for (our view) | Private papers, and a PDF that must fit a KB limit. | OCR and e-signing. |
Open Compress PDF, Merge PDF, Split PDF, Image to PDF or PDF to JPG. They are all in Nova Forms, and the Menu switches between them.
Choose a PDF from your device. If it has a password, Nova Forms asks for it and opens the file on your device.
If your form has a limit, choose Under 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB or 2 MB, or type your own number of KB.
Look at the new size next to the old one, then tap Save file and upload it to your form.
Choose Under 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB or 2 MB, or type your own. If the limit cannot be met, you are told and shown the smallest size possible.
Join PDF files and photos into one PDF, in the order you choose, and keep it under a KB limit.
Cut a PDF into separate files, every page or where you tap, each one under the KB limit of a form.
Put photos of your papers into one PDF, with a Document look that makes paper white and writing dark.
Turn every page of a PDF into a JPG picture, each one under a KB limit.
If your PDF has a password, Nova Forms asks for it and opens the file on your device. The PDF you save has no password.
Resize a photo or a signature to the exact pixels and KB an exam or job form asks for.
The PDF is read and made in your browser. It is not sent to a server.
What we say about Nova Forms comes from the app itself. What we say about iLovePDF comes from its own pages, listed here and read on 12 October 2026. Plans, prices and features change, so check iLovePDF's own website before you decide. Where iLovePDF is the better choice, we say so. The “Best for” row and the notes on the better choice are our own view.
Sources
iLovePDF is a trademark of its owner. Nova Clip and its apps are not made by, affiliated with or endorsed by the owner of iLovePDF. The name is used only to say what we compare with.