Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ghostscript VS PDFsam

Compare Ghostscript VS PDFsam and see what are their differences

Ghostscript logo Ghostscript

Documentation.

PDFsam logo PDFsam

PDFsam Basic, a free, open source, multi-platform software designed to split, merge, extract pages, mix and rotate PDF files
  • Ghostscript Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-29
  • PDFsam Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-27

Ghostscript

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-

PDFsam

Website
pdfsam.org
$ Details
free
Platforms
Windows Linux Mac OSX

Ghostscript features and specs

  • Open Source
    Ghostscript is released under an open-source license, which means it is available for free and can be modified to suit individual needs.
  • PDF and PS Compatibility
    It supports a wide range of PDF and PostScript documents, providing robust rendering capabilities for different file types.
  • Cross-platform
    Ghostscript runs on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing flexibility and accessibility across platforms.
  • Command-line Tool
    It operates as a command-line tool, enabling automation and integration into larger workflows and scripts for batch processing.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Ghostscript offers comprehensive documentation that supports users in understanding and utilizing its extensive features effectively.

Possible disadvantages of Ghostscript

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For users who are not familiar with command-line interfaces or the specifics of PDF and PostScript formats, it can be difficult to learn.
  • Limited GUI Support
    While powerful as a command-line tool, Ghostscript lacks an intuitive graphical user interface, which may limit its accessibility for non-technical users.
  • Performance
    Processing large or complex documents can be resource-intensive and may result in slower performance, depending on the system's capabilities.
  • Complex Configuration
    Ghostscript requires detailed configuration for certain operations, which can be challenging without sufficient technical expertise.
  • Dependency on External Libraries
    It may rely on additional libraries for certain functionalities, and ensuring compatibility can sometimes be problematic during updates or installation on different systems.

PDFsam features and specs

  • Cost
    PDFsam Basic is free and open-source, which makes it highly accessible for individual users and small businesses.
  • User Interface
    The interface is simple and straightforward, allowing users to easily navigate and use the essential features without a steep learning curve.
  • Functionality
    PDFsam includes essential features such as merging, splitting, rotating, and extracting PDF pages, which can cover most common PDF editing needs.
  • Cross-Platform
    PDFsam is available on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad compatibility and usability.
  • Community Support
    Being an open-source project, PDFsam has a community of users and developers who contribute to its improvement and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of PDFsam

  • Advanced Features
    The free version lacks advanced features like OCR, which are available in the paid versions such as PDFsam Enhanced.
  • Performance
    Some users report that the application can be slow when processing large documents or performing complex tasks.
  • Interface Design
    While functional, the user interface is not as modern or visually appealing compared to some other PDF software.
  • Commercial Use
    For businesses, the licenses for the advanced features in PDFsam Enhanced can be costly, especially for small enterprises.
  • Customer Support
    While there is a user community for support, professional customer support is limited to the paid versions, which might be a hurdle for those needing quick assistance.

Ghostscript videos

How to RIP Halftones FREE using Ghostscript - part 1

More videos:

  • Review - Print Color Separations With Ghostscript - SEPARATIONS WITHOUT A RIP
  • Review - Web Hacking Pro Tips #4 with Jason Haddix: Ghostscript

PDFsam videos

How to Use PDFsam

More videos:

  • Demo - PDFSamVisual Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ghostscript and PDFsam)
PDF Editor
12 12%
88% 88
PDF Tools
7 7%
93% 93
Office & Productivity
35 35%
65% 65
PDF Creator
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Ghostscript and PDFsam

Ghostscript Reviews

We have no reviews of Ghostscript yet.
Be the first one to post

PDFsam Reviews

15 PDF editors quick review
This is a simple open source Java pdf editor. The basic version allows you to edit the content and structure of pdf documents. Builds of this version are available for Windows, MacOS and Linux. PDFsam Enhanced version provides all the basic tools needed for the pdf editor. Special utilities for securing files and converting their contents are only available in the Pro version.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PDFsam seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 32 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Ghostscript mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Ghostscript yet. Tracking of Ghostscript recommendations started around Mar 2021.

PDFsam mentions (32)

  • JavaFX In Action with Pedro Duque Vieira, aka Duke, about Hero, PDFSam, FXThemes, FXComponents,...
    He shares insights into a few applications, like Hero (CAD application to calculate energy efficiency) and PDFSam (powerful and professional PDF editor). PDFSam had 100.000 downloads in April '24! - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Pdftool.org: modify pdfs offline in the browser
    I find pdfsam to be the perfect offline tool for me on Windows. https://pdfsam.org And it's open source as well: https://github.com/torakiki/pdfsam. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Free pdf editor?
    That might be fit for your purpose PDFSam. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • My 2023 Bingo Card
    Use pdfsam.org to split the pdf into individual sheets fyi. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What's the best tool to merge pdf files?
    PDFsam - merge, split, extract pages, rotate and mix your PDF files. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ghostscript and PDFsam, you can also consider the following products

ApowerPDF - ApowerPDF is a versatile PDF editor which also features as PDF converter, viewer, creator and more. It provides a perfect solution for all users.

PDF-XChange Editor - The smallest, fastest, most feature-rich PDF editor/viewer available

PDF Reader Pro - PDF Reader Pro is an all-in-one PDF office supporting to Read, Annotate, Edit, OCR, Convert, Create & Fill Form, Sign PDFs, TTS on Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows.

PDF24 PDF Creator - Create PDF and convert documents to PDF for free with the free PDF24 PDF Creator.

Bullzip PDF Printer - Free PDF Printer - Create PDF documents from Windows applications. Supports Citrix, Terminal Server, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Vista, 2008R2, 2008, 2003, and 2000. Works with 32 and 64 bit systems.

Adobe Acrobat DC - Make your job easier with Adobe Acrobat DC, the trusted PDF creator. Use Acrobat to convert, edit and sign PDF files at your desk or on the go.