PDF compression benchmark
Browser results measured on 25 October 2026 in Chromium 153.0.8010.12; server results on 25 October 2026 with the live tool on our server in India.
Three sample PDFs that anyone can download, run through PDF Sevak at every setting. Compress PDF now works in your browser by default, so the file is never uploaded; our server remains an optional fallback. For each result you can see the size before and after, how long it took, a visual-similarity score, and the output file itself, so you can judge readability yourself and repeat the test with any other tool.
The sample files
All three are synthetic and marked “SAMPLE — not a real document”, so they are safe to upload anywhere for comparison.
- Scanned certificate (1 page, colour, 300 dpi) · 3.96 MB
- Bank statement (12 pages, text) · 69 KB
- Phone photos of documents (4 pages, 12 MP) · 11.87 MB
Scanned certificate (1 page, colour, 300 dpi)
| Tool and setting | Result | Smaller by | Time | Similarity | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Recommended level Default | 166 KB | 96% | 0.9s | 0.695 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Maximum level | 49 KB | 99% | 0.9s | 0.654 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Target: under 300 KB | 253 KB | 94% | 1.4s | 0.706 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Target: under 100 KB | 74 KB | 98% | 1.4s | 0.665 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Recommended level | 170 KB | 96% | 0.5s | 0.691 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Maximum level | 66 KB | 98% | 0.6s | 0.553 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Target: under 300 KB | 170 KB | 96% | 0.4s | 0.691 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Target: under 100 KB | 88 KB | 98% | 1.8s | 0.667 | Open |
| PDF24 · Default settings Measured by hand on 25 October 2026 | 203 KB | 95% | — | — | — |
Bank statement (12 pages, text)
| Tool and setting | Result | Smaller by | Time | Similarity | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Recommended level Default | 45 KB | 34% | 0.9s | 1 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Maximum level | 42 KB | 40% | 0.9s | 1 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Recommended level | 39 KB | 44% | 0.6s | 0.993 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Maximum level | 36 KB | 48% | 0.5s | 0.992 | Open |
| PDF24 · Default settings Measured by hand on 25 October 2026 | 33 KB | 52% | — | — | — |
Phone photos of documents (4 pages, 12 MP)
| Tool and setting | Result | Smaller by | Time | Similarity | File |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Recommended level Default | 838 KB | 93% | 1.4s | 0.873 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Maximum level | 293 KB | 98% | 1.4s | 0.804 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Target: under 2 MB | 1.87 MB | 84% | 4s | 0.903 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, in your browser · Target: under 1 MB | 838 KB | 93% | 3s | 0.873 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Recommended level | 911 KB | 93% | 3.4s | 0.79 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Maximum level | 300 KB | 98% | 1.5s | 0.633 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Target: under 2 MB | 911 KB | 93% | 3.4s | 0.79 | Open |
| PDF Sevak, on our server · Target: under 1 MB | 911 KB | 93% | 3.6s | 0.79 | Open |
| PDF24 · Default settings Measured by hand on 25 October 2026 | 1023 KB | 92% | — | — | — |
How we measure
- Each sample is sent to the live Compress PDF tool, exactly as a visitor would use it, once per setting.
- “Time” is the full round trip: upload, compression and download, measured on the server itself.
- “Similarity” compares page 1 of the original and of the result, rendered in greyscale at 100 dpi, using SSIM (1.00 means identical). Scans score lower partly because compression smooths paper grain and scanner noise, so open the result files to judge readability yourself.
- Browser results are measured in Chromium (the engine of Chrome and Edge) on our test computer; times on phones will be longer, sizes are the same.
- Other tools are measured by hand with the same files and their default settings, and the date is shown. PDF24 has no preset levels; its defaults are 144 DPI and 75% image quality.
You can repeat any of this: download a sample, compress it with PDF Sevak or any other tool, and compare. If you get a different result, tell us.