comparison
PDF24 watermark vs our browser tool
PDF24 is the hardest free competitor to beat: no registration, no published file-size, page or task limit, servers in Germany and files deleted after one hour, all funded by advertising. Its web watermark tool is text only, with font, colour, transparency, nine positions, an angle and a fill-page pattern. Our free browser tool adds image and logo watermarks and a simpler interface, but it caps use at 6 jobs a day. If you want unlimited text marks with no signup, PDF24 wins.
How we compared
We compared PDF24's online watermark tool with our own browser tool on the criteria that decide whether a free tool is genuinely usable: what you must do first, what the free tier allows, what the watermark can do, where your file goes, what it costs and who each option suits. Every PDF24 figure below comes from its own tool page or its Trustpilot profile, with the source under the table.
- Friction before value: registration, advertising and upgrade prompts.
- Free-tier limits: file size, pages and tasks per hour or per day.
- Watermark capabilities: text, images, placement and page selection.
- Privacy and retention: where the file is processed and when it is deleted.
- Price: whether a paid tier exists at all.
PDF24 vs our browser tool
PDF24 publishes its free tier honestly, which is why this comparison is on firm ground. Where it states no limit, we quote that rather than guessing one.
| PDF24 | Our browser tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | No registration required; no subscription traps, as stated on its tool page | No account to try it |
| Free limits | None published: no file-size, page or task cap | 6 watermark jobs a day, 100 MB and 300 pages per file |
| Watermark types | Text only on the web tool | Text or image, including logos |
| Position and style | Nine anchor positions plus fill page, with font, colour, transparency, angle and spacing | Diagonal, behind the text, footer, tiled and image styles, with opacity and page range |
| Page selection | Page selection available on the free tool | First, last, a range, or odd and even pages |
| Batch | Multiple files can be chosen in one go | One file at a time |
| Price | Free and ad-supported; no paid tier exists | Free |
| Retention | Deleted from the server after one hour; servers located in Germany | Upload deleted after one hour |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.4 out of 5 from 115 reviews | A new tool with no review history yet |
PDF24 figures from https://tools.pdf24.org/en/add-watermark and https://www.trustpilot.com/review/tools.pdf24.org; our limits from our own tool page. Accessed 6 October 2026; figures change, verify at the source.
Where PDF24 is the better choice
PDF24 does not merely match us on price, it beats us on it. Anyone who watermarks heavily and only ever uses plain text should probably use PDF24, and saying so costs us nothing.
- Truly unlimited: no published file-size, page or task cap, so a large batch never hits a wall.
- No signup at all, and no paid tier nudging you towards an upgrade.
- German hosting with a one-hour deletion stated on the tool page.
- A free desktop application, published as free for private and commercial use, for work that must stay offline.
- A full library of other PDF tools in the same place, with batch selection on the watermark tool itself.
What PDF24's web tool does not do
The web watermark tool is text only. Font, size, colour, transparency, angle and position are all adjustable, and the fill-page option repeats the wording across the sheet, but there is no image or logo upload on the tool page we checked. A company mark therefore needs a different tool or PDF24's desktop application.
Reviewers on Trustpilot praise it as genuinely free while calling the interface dated, and the site funds itself with advertising, so the free price is paid for in attention rather than money. Neither of those is a reason to avoid it; both are reasons to know about them before you start.
What we do, and what we do not
We watermark PDFs in the browser. No account is needed to try it, files are limited to 100 MB and 300 pages, the free tier allows 6 watermark jobs a day, and your upload is deleted automatically after one hour.
We do not match PDF24 on price: it publishes no limits where we publish several. What we offer instead is image and logo watermarks in the free tier, separate styles for diagonal, behind-the-text, footer and tiled marks, page ranges, and a single-purpose interface with no advertising in the way. We have no desktop application and no other PDF tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is PDF24's watermark tool really free?
Yes, and it is the most generous free tier we track. PDF24's own page says free of charge, no hidden costs, 100% free thanks to advertising, with no registration, no subscription traps and no published file-size, page or task limits. There is no paid tier to upgrade to.
Can PDF24 add an image or logo watermark?
Not on the web watermark tool we checked, which exposes text options only: font, size, colour, transparency, position, angle and spacing. For a logo you need its desktop application or a tool that accepts image uploads, which ours does in the free tier.
Is PDF24 safe for sensitive PDFs?
PDF24 states SSL-secured transfer, servers located in Germany and automatic deletion after one hour, which is a stronger published position than most free tools. If a document must not leave your machine at all, use a client-side desktop application instead, because any web tool uploads the file first.
Which is better, PDF24 or this tool?
For unlimited free text marks with no signup, PDF24. For logos and image watermarks, page ranges and a focused interface without advertising, this tool. The honest split is that PDF24 wins on price and we win on image marks, so the answer depends on what you are putting on the page.