Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PDFTK Builder VS PDF Arranger

Compare PDFTK Builder VS PDF Arranger and see what are their differences

PDFTK Builder logo PDFTK Builder

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

PDF Arranger logo PDF Arranger

Small python-gtk application, which helps the user to merge or split pdf documents and rotate, crop...
  • PDFTK Builder Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • PDF Arranger Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01

PDFTK Builder features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    PDFTK Builder is available at no cost and its source code is open, allowing users to modify and enhance the software as per their needs without any licensing restrictions.
  • Simple Interface
    The software features a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users with minimal technical expertise.
  • Lightweight
    PDFTK Builder is a lightweight application that does not require significant system resources, ensuring it can run smoothly on older or less powerful machines.
  • Versatility
    It offers a variety of functionalities including merging, splitting, rotating, and adding passwords to PDF files, making it a versatile tool for managing PDFs.
  • Platform Compatibility
    Since it operates on the popular PDFTK base, it is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Possible disadvantages of PDFTK Builder

  • Limited Advanced Features
    PDFTK Builder lacks some advanced features such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and detailed editing capabilities found in more comprehensive PDF software.
  • Basic User Interface
    While simple, its user interface might appear too basic and outdated for some users accustomed to more modern and visually appealing software.
  • Dependence on PDFTK
    PDFTK Builder relies heavily on the underlying PDFTK library, meaning any limitations or shortcomings of PDFTK will also affect its performance.
  • No Collaborative Features
    The software does not support collaborative features such as real-time editing or comments, which might be essential for team-based projects.
  • Limited Support
    As a free and open-source tool, PDFTK Builder might not offer comprehensive or timely support compared to proprietary software solutions.

PDF Arranger features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    PDF Arranger offers a straightforward and intuitive interface that allows users to easily manipulate PDF documents without requiring a steep learning curve.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, PDF Arranger is free to use and can be modified by users to better fit their needs. It also has a growing community that contributes to its development and support.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    PDF Arranger is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows and Linux, providing flexibility for users on different platforms.
  • Basic PDF Editing Features
    The software allows users to perform essential PDF editing tasks, such as merging, splitting, rotating, cropping, and rearranging pages within PDF documents.
  • Lightweight
    PDF Arranger is lightweight and does not require significant system resources, making it ideal for use on older or less powerful computers.

Possible disadvantages of PDF Arranger

  • Limited Advanced Features
    PDF Arranger lacks some of the more advanced features found in paid PDF tools, such as OCR, advanced editing, and form creation.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    The software relies on external dependencies like PyMuPDF (fitz) for PDF operations, which may require additional setup and can be cumbersome for non-technical users.
  • Limited Support
    Being an open-source project, PDF Arranger may not offer the same level of professional support and documentation as commercial PDF editors.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Users have reported occasional stability issues and bugs, which can affect the reliability of the software during intensive tasks or larger projects.
  • No Mobile Version
    PDF Arranger currently does not have a mobile application, limiting its usability to desktop and laptop environments only.

Analysis of PDFTK Builder

Overall verdict

  • PDFTK Builder is generally considered a good tool for PDF manipulation due to its simplicity, effectiveness, and range of features.

Why this product is good

  • It provides users with a straightforward interface to perform essential tasks like merging, splitting, and password-protecting PDF files. Users appreciate its ease of use and reliability for basic PDF operations.

Recommended for

    PDFTK Builder is recommended for users who need a lightweight, free tool to perform basic PDF operations without any complex features or steep learning curves. It's ideal for individuals and small businesses looking for a quick and efficient way to manage PDFs.

PDFTK Builder videos

Demo of PDFTK Builder.avi

PDF Arranger videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PDFTK Builder and PDF Arranger)
PDF Tools
43 43%
57% 57
PDF Editor
42 42%
58% 58
PDF Creator
44 44%
56% 56
Office & Productivity
39 39%
61% 61

User comments

Share your experience with using PDFTK Builder and PDF Arranger. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PDF Arranger seems to be a lot more popular than PDFTK Builder. While we know about 27 links to PDF Arranger, we've tracked only 1 mention of PDFTK Builder. 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.

PDFTK Builder mentions (1)

  • How to add a first page to an existing document?
    Such as a book cover ? Then perhaps it's better to export both as PDFs and use a tool such as PDFTK to join the PDF of the cover with the PDF of your document. Source: about 4 years ago

PDF Arranger mentions (27)

  • Pdftool.org: modify pdfs offline in the browser
    On Linux I like to use: https://github.com/pdfarranger/pdfarranger for such tasks. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • A note of appreciation for paperless ngx
    I see some questions in the comments about document splitting and if you are using PDF for the export in scanning, this adds an extra step but may be valuable in the long run. For Linux users at least, there is "pdfarranger" which most distros have. You can install that, load the PDF and re-arrange pages, remove pages, etc. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Software to convert many JPG's into a PDF or similar.
    I like PDF Arranger for converting JPEGs to PDFs (open source on Windows) https://github.com/pdfarranger/pdfarranger. Source: about 2 years ago
  • PDF Arranger KDE Alternative?
    I have always only been using PDF Arranger for manipulating PDF files (merging different files, arranging, adding, deleting pages) and I'm wondering if there really is no KDE equivalent for that application. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Recommendations Please! Affordable Adobe alt for small non-profit
    For merging, check out PDF Arranger. If you need to turn those emails or anything else into pdf, you can use any pdf print driver, and then put it all together with pdf arranger. For the stamps, LibreOffice Draw should do the trick. It won't be an automatic one click type of thing like I'm guessing it is in Adobe, but it's free. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing PDFTK Builder and PDF Arranger, you can also consider the following products

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

PDF Joiner - This online tool allows you to join several PDF documents into a single file, free of charge.

PDFill - Open, View, Edit, Save and Print PDF Documents without Adobe Acrobat

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

PDFChef Merge PDF - PDFChef Merge PDF is an online tool that allows you to merge multiple PDf files into one quickly and securely.

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.