Software Alternatives & Startups
Register | Login

PDFsam VS PDFsam Basic

Compare PDFsam VS PDFsam Basic 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
To be Vibe Voted
Alternatives Is it good?
PDFsam Basic

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

Rating
0 reviews
Promote on VibeVoted
Alternatives Is it good?
KeptPDF
Redact, edit, OCR, and sign PDFs entirely in your browser. The file never leaves your device. Free, no account needed. sponsored

Which is more popular?

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

social mentions
32 vs 6
PDF Tools popularity
84% vs 16%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 95

Base details

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

PDFsam
PDFsam Basic
Website pdfsam.org pdfsam.org
Pricing
Open source Free Official pricing
—
Platforms
Windows Linux Mac OSX
—
Listed in
PDF Tools PDF Creator PDF Editor PDF Reader +1
PDF Tools PDF Editor PDF Creator eSignature +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

PDFsam 5 features
PDFsam Basic 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.
  • 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

  • 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.

Analysis

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

PDFsam
PDFsam Basic

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 PDFsam Basic yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

PDFsam 2 videos + Add
PDFsam Basic 0 videos + Add

How to Use PDFsam

More videos

  • - PDFSamVisual Demo

No PDFsam Basic 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
PDFsam Basic
84% 84%
PDF Tools
16% 16%
90% 90%
PDF Editor
10% 10%
84% 84%
PDF Creator
16% 16%
100% 100%
PDF Converter
0% 0%

User comments

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

Log in or Post with

Reviews and articles

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

PDFsam no reviews yet
PDFsam Basic 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 PDFsam Basic 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
PDFsam Basic 6 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 / over 3 years ago
  • Free pdf editor?
    That might be fit for your purpose PDFSam. Source: over 3 years ago

View more

  • 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: about 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: over 4 years ago

View more

Alternatives to PDFsam and PDFsam Basic

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

Loading...