# Foxit PDF Services API vs iLoveAPI

> Foxit PDF Services scores 48.3 (D) to iLoveAPI's 42 (E) for pdf conversion. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-iloveapi
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-iloveapi.md (~2,200 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-iloveapi.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-iloveapi.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Foxit PDF Services API scores 48.3 (D) on agent readiness against iLoveAPI's 42 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. iLoveAPI leads on agent ergonomics and maintenance & community. Both do pdf conversion.

- Foxit PDF Services API: grade D, 48.3/100, rank #818 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/foxit-pdf-services.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/foxit-pdf-services.json
- iLoveAPI: grade E, 42/100, rank #897 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/iloveapi.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/iloveapi.json
- Best PDF manipulation and conversion APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/pdf-tools/index.md
- All 24 pdf comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pdf-tools/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Foxit PDF Services API (D)

Good for: An agent that needs conversion, page operations, protection, redaction, forms and OCR at a flat per-request price with free failures.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 47 against 26
- Schema & documentation, 62 against 37
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 30
- Transparency & trust, 63 against 52

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: OAuth client credentials carry no scopes, so every application credential can convert, delete and download

### iLoveAPI (E)

Good for: An agent that needs common PDF and image operations with a monthly free allowance and a choice of processing region.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 61 against 49
- Maintenance & community, 62 against 38

Watch for: No OpenAPI file, llms.txt or Markdown docs. The reference is one HTML page


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Foxit PDF Services API | iLoveAPI | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 47 | 26 | Foxit PDF Services API +21 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 37 | Foxit PDF Services API +25 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 49 | 61 | iLoveAPI +12 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 40 | 41 | iLoveAPI +1 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 30 | Foxit PDF Services API +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 38 | 62 | iLoveAPI +24 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 52 | Foxit PDF Services API +11 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **48.3 · D** | **42 · E** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Foxit PDF Services API | iLoveAPI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Foxit Software Incorporated | iLovePDF S.L. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://na1.fusion.foxit.com/pdf-services` | `https://api.ilovepdf.com/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP, stdio | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the Foxit API Service Agreement. The MCP server is MIT per its package.json, with no licence file in the repository | Proprietary service under the iLovePDF API terms. The client libraries are MIT |
| Tools exposed | 42 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | no |
| MCP registry | `io.github.foxitsoftware/foxit-pdf-api-mcp-server` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-07-13 | 2026-09-03 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-06-30 | 2017-02-14 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 12 stars, 47 npm/wk | 9.6k npm/wk |

## Verdicts

**Foxit PDF Services API.** One credit per successful request, with failed calls, uploads, polling and downloads free, and a 500-credit yearly free plan. Access has no scopes, and the official MCP server reads and writes any local path. The status page has no component for the API, and no changelog was found.

**iLoveAPI.** Per-tool credit costs are public, 2,500 free credits arrive each month on a sign-up that asks for no card, and five official libraries are MIT. No OpenAPI file, status page or published rate-limit numbers were found, and the governing terms date from 14 February 2017.

## Before you call either

### Foxit PDF Services API

1. Exchange the client ID and secret at `https://na1.fusion.foxit.com/oauth/token` and cache the Bearer token. `expires_in` is about 24 hours and there is no refresh token
2. Upload first with `POST /pdf-services/api/documents/upload`, start the operation, poll `GET /pdf-services/api/tasks/{task-id}` until `COMPLETED`, then download `resultDocumentId`
3. Read the body of a 429. It means either the rate limit (15 a minute in sandbox, 100 in production) or `QUOTA_EXCEEDED` when credits run out
4. Keep uploads under 100 MB, and delete documents with `DELETE /pdf-services/api/documents/{document-id}` when done. Deletion is permanent
5. With the MCP server, pass only paths the task needs. `upload_document` reads any `file://` path and `download_document` writes to any absolute path

### iLoveAPI

1. Run four calls per job. `GET /v1/start/{tool}/{region}` returns a `server` and a `task`, then send upload, process and download to that server
2. Sign a JWT with the project secret key and send it as `Authorization: Bearer`. Tokens expire after one hour
3. Download results promptly. The reference says files are deleted one to two hours after processing, depending on tier
4. Back off exponentially on 429 and read the rate-limit headers on each response. No limit numbers are published
5. Add `debug=true` to any request to have the server echo the parameters without processing or spending credits

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Foxit PDF Services API or iLoveAPI?

Foxit PDF Services API scores 48.3 (D) on agent readiness against iLoveAPI's 42 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. iLoveAPI leads on agent ergonomics and maintenance & community.

### Do Foxit PDF Services API and iLoveAPI need an API key?

Foxit PDF Services API uses an OAuth sign-in. iLoveAPI needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Foxit PDF Services API and iLoveAPI without installing anything?

Yes. Foxit PDF Services API has a hosted endpoint at https://na1.fusion.foxit.com/pdf-services and iLoveAPI at https://api.ilovepdf.com/v1.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-iloveapi.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-iloveapi.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "foxit-pdf-services", "b": "iloveapi"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare foxit-pdf-services iloveapi`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/foxit-pdf-services.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/iloveapi.json

## Other comparisons with Foxit PDF Services API or iLoveAPI

- [CloudConvert API vs Foxit PDF Services API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudconvert-vs-foxit-pdf-services.md)
- [CloudConvert API vs iLoveAPI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudconvert-vs-iloveapi.md)
- [Foxit PDF Services API vs Nutrient DWS Processor API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-nutrient-dws-processor.md)
- [Foxit PDF Services API vs PDF.co API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foxit-pdf-services-vs-pdf-co.md)
- [iLoveAPI vs Nutrient DWS Processor API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/iloveapi-vs-nutrient-dws-processor.md)
- [iLoveAPI vs PDF.co API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/iloveapi-vs-pdf-co.md)