An iLovePDF alternative for the batch, the scan, the Arabic page and the confidential file.
iLovePDF is the tool most people in the UAE reach for first, and for one file it is the right call. This page is for the moment it stops being one: a folder of invoices, a scanned page that came back blank, a bilingual contract, or a document you would rather not upload to a free website.
When iLovePDF is the right answer
One PDF, exported from a system rather than scanned, that you need as a spreadsheet in the next thirty seconds: iLovePDF will do it, free, without an account, and the result will be a faithful copy of the page. If the page was already a clean grid, that copy is exactly what you wanted. For merging, splitting, compressing and converting to Word it is not an alternative to anything; it is the tool.
It is also, by its own published policy, more careful with files than its free-tool reputation suggests. Its privacy page says it deletes the files of your content within two hours of processing, that as a general rule it processes personal data within the European Economic Area, that it does not access or analyse the content of your files except as necessary to provide the service, and that it does not use your content to train or improve its AI systems. If your concern was a free site keeping your documents indefinitely, that is not what iLovePDF says it does.
| iLovePDF | Saff | |
|---|---|---|
| Files at a time | Per task, within limits on files and pages that depend on the account type (its terms) | A batch, uploaded together |
| What comes back | The page layout as a spreadsheet | Only the columns you named |
| Different supplier layouts | A different grid per file | The same columns every time |
| Scanned PDFs | Detects scanned pages and offers OCR to extract the text | Read as an image; unclear values flagged |
| Phone photos of documents | Not stated on the PDF to Excel page | JPG, PNG and WEBP read the same way |
| Arabic and bilingual documents | Not stated on the PDF to Excel page | Supported, right-to-left included |
| Check before you trust it | You download the file | Original page beside every flagged value |
| What happens to your file | Deleted within two hours of being processed (its privacy page) | Not kept by default; kept only in storage you connect |
| Where it is processed | European Economic Area, as a general rule (its privacy page) | UAE region, or installed on your own machines |
| Price | Free with limits; Premium and Business plans | AED 0.50 per document; 15 a month free; no subscription |
What iLovePDF says about your files, in its own words
From its privacy page, dated 19 February 2026 and read on 13 September 2026: "ILOVEPDF will delete the files of your Content within TWO (2) HOURS of being processed on ILOVEPDF's servers." And: "As a general rule, and except the user has selected otherwise, we process your personal data within the European Economic Area." On the content of the files: it confirms it will not access, analyze, review or index their content except as necessary to provide the service, and it states in capitals that it does not use your content to train, improve or develop its own or any third party's AI systems.
That is a clear policy and it deserves to be quoted rather than hinted at. The question it leaves you with is not whether iLovePDF is honest; it is whether two hours on a server in Europe is acceptable for the document you are holding. For a supplier price list, plainly yes. For a bank statement, a payroll file or a signed contract, that is a decision, and the fact that people search "is ilovepdf safe for sensitive documents" suggests many make it uneasily.
Where Saff is different
Saff does not convert the page. It fills a table you defined. You name the columns, supplier, invoice number, date, VAT, total, and every file in the batch, whatever its layout, produces one row in that shape. That is the difference between ninety spreadsheets and one, and it is the reason the batch is the product rather than a feature.
Because the values were read into named columns, Saff can tell you which ones it was unsure of and show you the page they came from, side by side, before anything reaches Excel. And the file itself is used for the extraction and then removed, unless your workspace connects its own storage; the extracted values stay in your workspace, encrypted. If even that is too much, the same product is installed inside your company.
What Saff will not do that iLovePDF does
Merge, split, compress, rotate, sign or convert to Word. Convert one file in ten seconds without an account. Give you a faithful copy of the page. If any of those is the job, iLovePDF is the better tool and this page will not argue otherwise.
Is iLovePDF safe for sensitive documents?
By its own policy, files are deleted within two hours of processing, handled within the EEA as a rule, not analysed beyond providing the service, and not used for training. Whether two hours on a third party's server is acceptable depends on the document. Saff does not keep the original after extraction, and can run inside your company if it must.
Is there a self-hosted or offline alternative to iLovePDF?
For PDF to Excel specifically, Saff can be installed on your own machines with setup, training and support from us. It is not a free download; it is the hosted product, inside your walls.
Can I convert multiple PDFs at once as an iLovePDF alternative?
Yes. Upload the batch, and every file is read against the same columns; one sheet comes back with one row per document. iLovePDF's limits on files and pages per task depend on the account type.
Does Saff handle scanned PDFs like iLovePDF's OCR?
Both read scanned pages. iLovePDF's OCR gives you the text as a spreadsheet of the page; Saff reads the scan into the columns you named and flags any value it was not sure about, with the scan beside it.
Try it on the batch iLovePDF turned into ninety sheets
Fifteen documents a month are free. Name your columns, upload the folder, and see it come back as one.