Software Alternatives & Startups

PDFsam VS mat2

Compare PDFsam VS mat2 and see what are their differences

PDFsam

PDFsam Basic, a free, open source, multi-platform software designed to split, merge, extract pages, mix and rotate PDF files

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source Free
mat2

mat2 is a metadata removal tool, supporting a wide range of commonly used file formats.

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, PDFsam should be more popular than mat2. It has been mentioned 32 times since March 2021.

social mentions
32 vs 15
PDF Tools popularity
93% vs 7%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 48

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

PDFsam
mat2
Website pdfsam.org 0xacab.org
Pricing
Open source Free Official pricing
—
Platforms
Windows Linux Mac OSX
—
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

PDFsam 5 features
mat2 5 features
  • 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

  • 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.
  • Metadata Removal
    MAT2 effectively removes unwanted metadata from various file types, helping users protect their privacy by ensuring that potentially sensitive information is not inadvertently shared.
  • Support for Multiple Formats
    It supports a wide range of file formats such as images, documents, and audio files, making it versatile for different users' needs.
  • Open Source
    Since MAT2 is open-source software, it allows users to inspect the code, contribute to its development, and trust its operations without proprietary concerns.
  • Command-Line Interface
    For advanced users, MAT2 offers a robust command-line interface (CLI) that allows for efficient batch processing and integration into scripts and automated workflows.
  • Designed for Privacy
    MAT2 is specifically designed with privacy in mind, aiming to help users manage and protect their digital footprint efficiently.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve for Beginners
    The command-line nature of MAT2 might be intimidating for those unfamiliar with such environments, limiting accessibility for non-technical users.
  • Limited User Interface
    Unlike some other metadata tools, MAT2 may lack a graphical user interface, which can be a barrier for users who prefer or need GUI-based applications.
  • Not Foolproof
    While MAT2 is effective, it's possible that it might not support every single file format or metadata type, potentially leaving some metadata untouched.
  • Requires Regular Updates
    To ensure compatibility with new file formats and address security vulnerabilities, MAT2 needs regular updates, which can be a task for users to maintain.
  • Dependency on Python
    As a Python-based tool, MAT2 requires a Python environment to run, which might not be readily available or desirable for all users.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

PDFsam
mat2

Overall verdict

  • PDFsam is considered a good tool, especially for users who need a straightforward and cost-effective solution for managing PDFs. Its open-source background ensures transparency and community support, while its user-friendly interface appeals to those without advanced technical skills.

Why this product is good

  • PDFsam (PDF Split and Merge) is a popular tool for handling PDF documents due to its simplicity, open-source nature, and ability to perform a range of common PDF tasks like splitting, merging, rotating, and extracting pages. It offers both a free basic version and a more advanced version with additional features, making it accessible and flexible for different user needs.

Recommended for

    PDFsam is recommended for individuals and small businesses looking for an easy-to-use, cost-efficient PDF tool capable of handling everyday PDF manipulation tasks without the complexity or expense of more advanced software. It’s particularly suitable for users who require basic features and occasional PDF editing.

No analysis of mat2 yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

PDFsam 2 videos + Add
mat2 0 videos + Add

How to Use PDFsam

More videos

  • - PDFSamVisual Demo

No mat2 videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
PDFsam
mat2
93% 93%
7% 7%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using PDFsam and mat2. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

PDFsam no reviews yet
mat2 no reviews yet
  • 15 PDF editors quick review
    thinkmobiles.com · May 2020

    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...

We have no reviews of mat2 yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

PDFsam 32 mentions
mat2 15 mentions
  • 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 / over 2 years 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 / about 3 years ago
  • Free pdf editor?
    That might be fit for your purpose PDFSam. Source: over 3 years ago

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  • How do I remove exif in linux?
    You could also use the privacy tool MAT 2. It is also available as a webapp (hosted by Systemli), although this may not be the best solution depending on your use case. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How do I remove exif in linux?
    Metadata Cleaner which makes use of Mat2. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How to prevent bsdtar from saving file permissions, owner, and group, etc
    Otherwise you're maybe better off copying the files first and sanitising them before you create the tar. Maybe something like MAT can help here or you could write a script that performs some preset actions to remove or replace any... Source: almost 4 years ago

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Alternatives to PDFsam and mat2

When comparing PDFsam and mat2, you can also consider the following products.