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PDFsam Basic VS PDFelement Pro

Compare PDFsam Basic VS PDFelement Pro and see what are their differences

PDFsam Basic logo PDFsam Basic

A free and open source software to merge, split, rotate and extract pages from PDF files

PDFelement Pro logo PDFelement Pro

PDFelement Pro is a feature-rich and highly useful solution that enables you to modify, populate, convert, sign and annotate PDFs.
  • PDFsam Basic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-27
  • PDFelement Pro Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

PDFsam Basic features and specs

  • Cost
    PDFsam Basic is free to use, making it accessible for users who need basic PDF capabilities without financial investment.
  • Simplicity
    Offers a straightforward interface that is easy to navigate, even for users with minimal technical expertise.
  • Functionality
    Provides essential PDF operations like splitting, merging, rotating, and extracting pages, meeting the needs of most basic users.
  • Cross-Platform
    Available on multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad accessibility.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source application, PDFsam allows users to inspect and modify the source code, ensuring transparency and customization.

Possible disadvantages of PDFsam Basic

  • Advanced Features
    Lacks advanced PDF editing features found in paid software like text editing, form filling, or OCR.
  • Performance
    May not handle very large PDF files as efficiently as some paid alternatives, potentially leading to slower processing times.
  • User Support
    Limited user support options compared to professional paid versions, which may offer dedicated customer service.
  • Interface
    Although functional, the user interface can be seen as basic or outdated, lacking the polished look of some commercial software.

PDFelement Pro features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    PDFelement Pro features an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all experience levels to edit and manage PDF documents efficiently.
  • Comprehensive PDF Editing
    It offers a wide range of editing tools, such as text modification, image adjustments, and annotation features, enabling users to make extensive changes to PDF files.
  • OCR Technology
    The software includes OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities that allow users to convert scanned documents into editable and searchable text, enhancing document usability.
  • Batch Processing
    PDFelement Pro supports batch processing, which saves time by allowing users to apply changes or perform tasks on multiple documents simultaneously.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    It is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, providing flexibility for users to work on their PDFs across different devices.

Possible disadvantages of PDFelement Pro

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While it covers most basic and intermediate needs, some advanced features found in other premium PDF software are limited or missing in PDFelement Pro.
  • Cost
    The software requires a subscription or one-time payment, which might be a consideration for budget-conscious users looking for free alternatives.
  • Resource Intensive
    The application can be resource-intensive, needing considerable system memory and processing power, which might affect performance on older devices.
  • Occasional Bugs
    Some users have reported occasional bugs or glitches, such as unexpected crashes or minor issues during PDF editing, impacting workflow efficiency.
  • Customer Support
    Some users have expressed concerns about the responsiveness and effectiveness of customer support when dealing with technical issues or inquiries.

PDFsam Basic videos

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PDFelement Pro videos

PDFelement Pro by Wondershare Review

More videos:

  • Review - Wondershare PDFelement Pro Review (sponsored)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PDFsam Basic and PDFelement Pro)
PDF Tools
58 58%
42% 42
PDF Editor
73 73%
27% 27
Office & Productivity
32 32%
68% 68
PDF Creator
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

PDFsam Basic Reviews

We have no reviews of PDFsam Basic yet.
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PDFelement Pro Reviews

10 Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives You Should Try
Perhaps the best part of the PDFelement Pro 7โ€™s upgrade is leaving the previous versionโ€™s strengths well enough alone. This includes keeping the price reasonable and affordable. PDFelement Professional, still costs just $99 for a single license, while the basic version without some advanced business features is priced at $69. Both plans allow for a free trial version.
Source: launchspace.net

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PDFsam Basic seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 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.

PDFsam Basic mentions (6)

  • PDF-Merger
    It looks good and seems easy to use, however its function might already be covered by PDFSam Basic (also open-source). Source: over 3 years ago
  • concerned about work being stolen - plagiarism
    Free and open-source solution for pdf merging: https://pdfsam.org/pdfsam-basic/. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Service Manual Generac Guardian 24Kw G0072101
    Since PDFs are provided. You can build (merge) one using a tool such as PDFSam. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Need a cheap PDF Editor....Is Ashampoo legit?
    If I understand correctly, you want to merge PDFs basically. I think PDF Sam Basic (open-source too I think) and Sejda Desktop might work, depending on how many PDFs you need to edit every day. Source: over 4 years ago
  • LPT: If you need to edit PDF documents such as split, merge, extract, etc. and don't want to pay for expensive software, you should know about pdfsam.org, a free and open source application which allows you to edit PDF documents offline, and protects your privacy.
    Edit functions such as split, merge, extract, mix and rotate are all free. Yes, they have a premium version, but the free version is definitely way more than a glorified viewer: https://pdfsam.org/pdfsam-basic/. Source: over 4 years ago
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PDFelement Pro mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PDFelement Pro yet. Tracking of PDFelement Pro recommendations started around Apr 2022.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PDFsam Basic and PDFelement Pro, you can also consider the following products

Foxit PhantomPDF - Edit PDF files with our feature-rich PDF Editor. Download Foxit PDF Editor to convert, sign, scan / OCR & more. A speedy PDF Editor alternative to Adobe Acrobat.

PDF Assistant - PDF Assistant - simple in use application, that let you easily interact with any pdf file.

Wondershare PDFelement - All-in-one PDF editor

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.

Foxit Reader - Foxit Reader is a free and light-weight multi-platform PDF document viewer.

PdfHighlights - PdfHighlights extracts and exports all your PDF highlights and PDF annotations from all your PDF files into a single report.