The free Soda PDF alternative, with batch work and forms included
Soda PDF's free online tools allow 2 files a day, and batch work, signature requests and forms are part of its paid plans. KovaPDF gives you every tool free, with no card and no plan needed.
- A free allowance that refills, with no card and no plan needed
- Batch work, forms and signature requests are free
- 24 tools work in your browser, so those files are never uploaded
KovaPDFSoda PDF- Price
- KovaPDFFree
- Soda PDFPro $89 the first year, then $129
- Free use
- KovaPDFLimited free allowance
- Soda PDF2 files a day
- Many files at once
- KovaPDFFree
- Soda PDFPaid plans
- Ask others to sign
- KovaPDFFree account
- Soda PDFPaid plans
- Files deleted
- KovaPDFWhen the job ends
- Soda PDFWithin 24 hours
- Offline Windows app
- KovaPDFFree
- Soda PDFWith a paid plan
Soda PDF's facts read from its own pages on 10 October 2026.
KovaPDF vs Soda PDF, feature by feature
Price, limits, tools, privacy and apps, checked against Soda PDF's own pricing and help pages on 10 October 2026.
| Feature | KovaPDFFree | Soda PDFFree plan |
|---|---|---|
| Price and limits | ||
| Price | KovaPDFYes: Free: every tool. Pro from $3.99 a month, billed yearly | Soda PDFPro $12.50 a month, or $89 for the first year |
| Renewal | KovaPDFFree: nothing renews. Pro: until you cancel | Soda PDFPartly: Yearly Pro renews at $129 |
| One-off licence | KovaPDFNo; free, or Pro by the month or year | Soda PDFNo: No, every plan is a subscription |
| Free use | KovaPDFPartly: Limited free allowance | Soda PDFPartly: 2 files a day |
| Account | KovaPDFYes: Not needed | Soda PDFYes: Not needed for the free tools |
| Many files at once | KovaPDFYes: Free, up to 10 files (50 signed in) | Soda PDFPartly: Batch on paid plans |
| Tools | ||
| Merge, split, compress | KovaPDFYes: Free | Soda PDFPartly: Free within the daily limit |
| PDF to Word, Excel, PowerPoint | KovaPDFYes: Free | Soda PDFOnline tools, limits apply |
| OCR (read scanned pages) | KovaPDFYes: Free, 9 languages | Soda PDFPartly: Free within the limit, more on paid plans |
| Ask others to sign | KovaPDFYes: Free account, within a limited allowance | Soda PDFPartly: Paid plans |
| Make a fillable form | KovaPDFYes: Free, fields found for you | Soda PDFPartly: Paid plans |
| Redact | KovaPDFYes: Free | Soda PDFNot stated on its pages |
| AI tools | KovaPDFPartly: Summary, limited; translate on a computer | Soda PDFPartly: Summary, chat and translate; more on paid plans |
| Bangla and Hindi font converters | KovaPDFYes: Bijoy and Kruti Dev to Unicode | Soda PDFNo: Not in its tool list |
| Privacy | ||
| Where files are processed | KovaPDFYes: 24 tools in your browser; the rest on our server | Soda PDFUploaded to its servers |
| When uploads are deleted | KovaPDFYes: When the job finishes | Soda PDFPartly: Within 24 hours |
| Signed documents | KovaPDFDeleted 30 days after the request ends | Soda PDFKept with the audit trail up to 10 years |
| Apps and languages | ||
| Windows app | KovaPDFYes: Free, 28 tools offline | Soda PDFPartly: Included with paid plans |
| Mac app | KovaPDFNo: No | Soda PDFNo: Not available |
| Phone | KovaPDFPartly: Installable web app and free scanner | Soda PDFPartly: Web app in the phone's browser |
| Site languages | KovaPDF27 | Soda PDF15 |
Prices and limits change. We read Soda PDF's pages on 10 October 2026; check their site before you pay for a plan.
Which one should you use?
Choose KovaPDF if…
- You want to raise your free limit without paying. On KovaPDF a free account raises the free allowance. Soda PDF's free tools stop at 2 files a day.
- You do not want a renewal to catch you out. Soda PDF's yearly Pro is $89 the first year and $129 after that. KovaPDF works free with no plan, and Pro can be cancelled any time.
- You work with many files at once. Batch tools take 10 files without an account and 50 with a free one, and Merge takes up to 30.
- You need other people to sign. Request Signatures is free with an account, and the people signing do not need one.
- You would rather not upload private files. 24 tools, including Merge, Split, Protect and OCR to text, run in your browser.
Choose Soda PDF if…
- Your company installs software centrally. Soda PDF's Business plan has licence management, installer packages for IT teams and phone support.
- You need signed papers kept for years. Soda PDF keeps signed documents and their audit trail for up to 10 years. KovaPDF deletes them 30 days after a request ends, so you keep your own copy.
- You want to chat with a PDF, or work from the browser bar. Soda PDF has an AI chat for PDFs and a Chrome extension.
- You want files stored online. Paid plans come with 5 GB of cloud storage, or 10 GB on Business.
The tools you use, under the same names
Open the tool, drop your file in. No account, nothing to install.
Why people look for a Soda PDF alternative
Soda PDF has a long list of online tools and a full Windows program. The free side is small, though. The note under its free tools sets the limit at 2 files a day, each of 3 MB or less, although its merge help page speaks of a 100 MB total, so check the page for the tool you need. Batch work, sending documents for signature, forms and the Windows program come with a paid plan.
Pro costs $12.50 a month, or $89 for the first year. The yearly plan then renews at $129 unless you cancel before the renewal date. Team plans are sold per licence, and Business is $20 a month or $198 a year. There is no one-off licence: every plan is a subscription. Reviews of Soda PDF most often complain about renewals that people did not expect.
What you get on KovaPDF, free
- Free without an account. Every tool works without signing in, within a limited free allowance that refills over time. A free account raises it.
- Many files at once. Batch tools take 10 files without an account and 50 with one, and Merge PDF takes up to 30.
- Signatures from other people. Request Signatures sends each signer a private link, with a certificate of completion at the end.
- Forms. PDF Forms finds the blank lines and boxes on a page and turns them into real form fields.
- No card needed. Every tool works free, with no card and no trial. Pro is there if you want no limits, and you can cancel any time.
Is Soda PDF safe?
Yes. Soda PDF is made by Avanquest, a French software company. Files you upload to its online tools are deleted from its servers within 24 hours. Its privacy policy says its hosting providers' servers may be anywhere in the world, and that e-signature data is stored in Canada.
If you would rather a file was not uploaded at all, 24 KovaPDF tools work entirely in your browser: Merge, Split, Protect, PDF to JPG and reading text from scans with Image to Text among them. Tools that need our server delete your file as soon as the job is done.
Moving over takes a minute
There is nothing to install and no account to make. Open the KovaPDF tool with the same name as the Soda PDF tool you used, drop the file in and download the result. If you liked having a Windows program, the free desktop app works offline for 28 tools, with no plan needed.
Soda PDF alternative: common questions
Is Soda PDF free?
Partly. Its online tools have free use, limited to 2 files a day according to the note under each tool. Batch work, signature requests, forms and the Windows program need a paid plan.
Is Soda PDF safe?
Yes. It is made by Avanquest, a French software company, and deletes files uploaded to its online tools within 24 hours. If you would rather not upload a file at all, use a KovaPDF tool that runs in your browser, such as Merge, Split or Protect.
Is there a free alternative to Soda PDF?
Yes. KovaPDF has the same everyday tools (merge, split, compress, convert, edit, sign) and they are all free, within a limited allowance that refills over time. Batch work, forms and signature requests are free too.
How much does Soda PDF cost?
Pro is $12.50 a month, or $89 for the first year, renewing at $129 a year. Business is $20 a month or $198 a year. These are the prices its checkout showed on 10 October 2026.
Is Soda PDF any good?
It is a full set of tools with a Windows program, and its Business plan suits companies that install software centrally. The complaints in reviews are mostly about renewals people did not expect, not about the tools.
Does KovaPDF have a desktop app like Soda PDF?
Yes. The free Windows app has 28 tools that work offline, with no plan needed. Neither KovaPDF nor Soda PDF has a Mac app; both work in a Mac's browser.
KovaPDF next to other PDF services
Soda PDF is a trademark of its owner. KovaPDF is not connected with, or endorsed by, Soda PDF. The facts above come from Soda PDF's own public pages, read on 10 October 2026.