Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PDFsam VS PDFtk

Compare PDFsam VS PDFtk and see what are their differences

PDFsam logo PDFsam

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

PDFtk logo PDFtk

PDFtk is a simple tool for doing everyday things with PDF documents.
  • PDFsam Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-27
  • PDFtk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-28

PDFsam

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

PDFtk

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-

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.

PDFtk features and specs

  • Versatility
    PDFtk provides a wide range of capabilities for manipulating PDF files, such as merging, splitting, encrypting, and decrypting, which make it highly versatile for various PDF tasks.
  • Command-line Interface
    PDFtk has a command-line interface, which allows for automated, scriptable PDF processing, ideal for integration into other systems and workflows.
  • Cross-Platform
    PDFtk is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it accessible for users across different platforms.
  • Cost
    It's available as a free and open-source tool, making it an economical choice for individuals and businesses looking to manage PDFs without incurring extra costs.
  • Simplicity
    PDFtk is straightforward to use for common PDF tasks, with clear functionality that doesn't require extensive learning or setup.

Possible disadvantages of PDFtk

  • Limited GUI
    While PDFtk offers powerful command-line tools, its graphical user interface is limited, which might be a disadvantage for users who prefer or need a visual interface.
  • Lack of Advanced Editing Features
    PDFtk lacks advanced editing capabilities found in some other PDF tools, such as text editing, annotation, and form creation, which may limit its usefulness for users needing these features.
  • Support and Documentation
    As an open-source tool, support may be limited compared to commercial solutions, and some users might find the available documentation insufficient for complex tasks.
  • Performance
    For very large PDF files or extensive batch operations, users might experience performance limitations compared to more robust, enterprise-level solutions.

Analysis of PDFsam

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. Itโ€™s particularly suitable for users who require basic features and occasional PDF editing.

PDFsam videos

How to Use PDFsam

More videos:

  • Demo - PDFSamVisual Demo

PDFtk videos

PDFTK Builder - RedUSERS

More videos:

  • Review - Demo of PDFTK Builder.avi

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PDFsam and PDFtk)
PDF Tools
91 91%
9% 9
PDF Creator
93 93%
7% 7
PDF Editor
90 90%
10% 10
HTML To PDF
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 and PDFtk

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.

PDFtk Reviews

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

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.

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 / over 1 year 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 2 years ago
  • Free pdf editor?
    That might be fit for your purpose PDFSam. Source: over 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

PDFtk mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Pdfinfo - Pdfinfo is a PDF document information and metadata extractor tool.

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

AutoMetadata - AutoMetadata is a tool for exploring and manipulating metadata, document properties, and viewer preferences in multiple PDF documents.

PDFShift - Convert any HTML documents to high-fidelity PDF using a single POST request

PDFTK Builder - PDFTK Builder is a free graphical interface to for PDFTK, making it much easier to use.