2026-09-08

Best Free PDF Split Tools: iLoveDevTools vs Smallpdf

Splitting a PDF at specific pages — breaking a scanned batch back into individual documents, or pulling a multi-chapter file apart — is simple in concept but most tools make you either guess at page ranges blindly or pay to split more than a couple of times a day.

Quick comparison

Tool Visual page selection Output format Runs fully in your browser Free daily limit
iLoveDevTools Yes, clickable thumbnails .zip of split files Yes None
Smallpdf Yes .zip of split files No (server upload) Limited free tasks/day

iLoveDevTools

Split PDF renders every page as a clickable thumbnail, so you mark split points by clicking directly on the page rather than typing page ranges from memory. The result downloads as a single .zip, processed entirely client-side with no daily task limit.

Smallpdf

A polished, well-designed tool with a similar visual page-selection flow. It's a strong product, but like most tools in its category it processes your file on Smallpdf's servers and limits how many free tasks you can run per day before asking for a subscription.

Verdict

If you split PDFs regularly and want to avoid both uploads and daily caps, iLoveDevTools removes both concerns. Smallpdf's interface is comparably good if you're fine with the upload step.

Try Split PDF · More guides · All tools