PDF to image converter: 5 free tools compared

Free PDF to image converters differ most in one respect: whether the file leaves your device. sakuttoAI and Mac Preview convert on the device, while Adobe Acrobat online, Smallpdf and iLovePDF upload the PDF to a server and publish their own deletion rules. A converter that keeps the file local suits contracts and ID scans, and the upload tools earn their place with PNG or TIFF output, image extraction or cloud saving.

Five free PDF to image converters compared in two tables

Only two of these tools convert on your own device, and the other three copy the file to a vendor server and delete it on a schedule of their own. Uploading means the conversion runs on that server, so the PDF exists there until the deletion rule applies. The first table lists upload and deletion for each tool.

Smallpdf and iLovePDF name a time limit, while Adobe ties deletion to whether you sign in. For the two local tools there is no deletion question, since nothing is sent. The second table shows the output formats and the extra each tool offers.

In the table, Adobe alone lists PNG and TIFF next to JPG. iLovePDF and Smallpdf pull embedded images out of a PDF, though Smallpdf limits that to Pro. The two local tools stay with whole-page conversion.

Keep private PDFs on your device with a no-upload converter

Contracts, ID scans and similar documents belong with sakuttoAI in the browser or with Mac Preview, because neither sends the PDF to anyone. The upload tools delete files after processing, yet they process the file on their servers first. For a document you would not email to a stranger, the local route removes the question.

Smallpdf, iLovePDF and Adobe each publish a deletion rule

Smallpdf removes files an hour after processing(as of October 2026), iLovePDF within two hours, and Adobe when you do not sign in to save them. Questions such as whether iLovePDF or Smallpdf is safe come down to those published rules.

Smallpdf also protects files in transit with TLS encryption. At iLovePDF, you can delete files yourself from the download screen instead of waiting the two hours.

Adobe says files are handled by Adobe servers and deleted if you do not sign in to save them. A reader who wants the file removed can skip the sign-in and the save step. None of the three vendors offers more than its own wording, so no verdict is given here beyond those rules.

sakuttoAI and Mac Preview convert without uploading

Neither route sends a byte to a server: one runs in the Mac's own app, the other inside the browser tab. On a Mac, Preview exports a PDF or image as another file type without a browser. Open the PDF, use the Export command, and pick the type from the Format pop-up menu.

The sakuttoAI PDF to JPG converter draws each page as a JPEG inside your browser and does not send the PDF to a server. It renders pages at 1x, 2x or 4x size, offers low, standard and high quality levels, and saves every page together as a ZIP. Steps are covered in PDF to JPG Converter: Choose 72, 150 or 300 DPI, and many files at once in Batch PDF to JPG: DPI and Quality Settings Guide.

Choose an upload tool by format or cloud saving

When the PDF is fine to upload, the file type you need and the place the pictures should end up pick the tool. Adobe covers PNG and TIFF, and Smallpdf covers three cloud drives. Each claim below comes from the vendor's own page.

Adobe Acrobat online exports PNG and TIFF as well as JPG

A PDF to PNG job needs no second tool here, because the same page offers three output types. Adobe Acrobat online lets you choose JPG, PNG or TIFF before converting. Adobe adds that the same steps work on a phone or tablet, so a phone user gets the same choice of formats.

Smallpdf saves straight to Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive

A converted file can land in a cloud folder directly, which saves the download and the second upload. Smallpdf integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive, so the new JPG files sync there from Smallpdf. Smallpdf says it needs no installation or account creation to start, which suits a one-off job on a shared computer.

Extract images from a PDF instead of converting whole pages

Photos embedded in a document come out as separate files only through an extraction option, and iLovePDF and Smallpdf are the two upload tools that offer one. Converting pages gives one picture per page, text and layout included. Extraction gives back just the pictures that were placed in the PDF, such as the photos in a brochure.

The iLovePDF converter offers two options, Page to JPG and Extract images, and the second saves every embedded image as a JPG. Smallpdf extracts images only on Pro, and its free plan converts full pages.

Smallpdf offers a free 7-day Pro trial(as of October 2026) for someone who needs to extract once. Because sakuttoAI converts whole pages only, a brochure's photos call for iLovePDF or the Smallpdf trial.

Summary: keep private PDFs local, upload only for extras

A tool that sends the file away has to offer something the on-device options lack: PNG or TIFF output, embedded-image extraction or cloud saving. In every other case, local conversion covers the job without any file leaving the device. The choice follows the reader's situation:

• Contracts, ID scans and other private PDFs: sakuttoAI in the browser or Preview on a Mac.
• A PDF that may be uploaded and must come out as PNG or TIFF: Adobe Acrobat online.
• Photos embedded in a PDF: iLovePDF, or Smallpdf on a Pro plan or its trial.
• Finished JPG files that should land in Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive: Smallpdf.