Smallpdf vs. Tungsten Power PDF

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Smallpdf
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Made in Switzerland, Smallpdf is a company that offers a suite of document management tools for everyone-for work, for home, for life. Founded in Switzerland in 2013, Smallpdf provides what they describe as a simple, secure, and reliable answer to the world's PDF challenges. Smallpdf boasts serving over a billion users in 24 different languages since 2013, and in every country in the world.
$0
Tungsten Power PDF
Score 9.4 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Tungsten Power PDF (formerly Kofax) is a solution to manage PDFs for businesses and individuals available with a one-time purchase with no subscription fees. It has a built-in eSignature integration with SignDoc and DocuSign for a complete end-to-end document…
$129
one-time fee per license
Pricing
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
Editions & Modules
Smallpdf Basic
$0.00
Smallpdf Pro
$12.00
per month
Smallpdf Pro
$108.00
per year
Power PDF Standard
$129
one-time fee per license
Power PDF for Mac
$129
one-time fee per license
Power PDF Advanced
$179
one-time fee per license
Power PDF Business
Get a Quote
per year per seat
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscounts are available for bulk purchasesDesktop licenses are buy once, own forever. No subscription fees. Business server licenses are term-based or perpetual with optional maintenance & support contract. Volume and upgrade discounts available.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
Considered Both Products
Smallpdf
Chose Smallpdf
We actually never used other products like this. When we found SmallPDF it met our needs instantaneously. The only thing I can compare it to is Adobe and the features they provide, however, SmallPDF is more cost-effective for our team. It allows us to do most of the same …
Chose Smallpdf
I have not really used anything exactly like this tool because this was the first one I found and it worked great, and also the cost was not high.
Chose Smallpdf
Smallpdf is a basic PDF editor platform. Overall, it is best for beginners and those who only need a PDF editor to make simple edits and changes. Would also recommend it to those with a smaller budget. If you prefer an advanced, all-in-one PDF editor and also use other Adobe …
Chose Smallpdf
Almost all software's are based on a similar platform. We use them in turn according to our comfort level and ease of use.
Chose Smallpdf
As per my understanding, Smallpdf stacks up against the above tool because it is easy to use, the targeted goal only for pdf, handy, and one more thing is that small pdf has created the application for android and iOS. I really found Smallpdf helpful when using it on the fly. …
Chose Smallpdf
Adobe is not so quick. It takes a lot of effort to do a job in it. but small PDFs do the same job as in the second. Even adobe acrobat does not have as many features as Smallpdf. Smallpdf is like an ocean because you don't know ocean depth so a small pdf has so many features.
Chose Smallpdf
Smallpdf has a wonderful free version and is extremely simple to use. Adobe Acrobat can be a bit jumpy and heaven forbid you click on the wrong icon and it will ask you to sign in over and over again. Smallpdf isn't always the prettiest to use, but it is the best to get the job …
Chose Smallpdf
I think that Smallpdf stacks up against its competitors in terms of easiness of use. The tool is very user-friendly, every feature is communicated in an efficient way and very simple to user so the user doesn't have to be particularly good at using software. Its features are …
Chose Smallpdf
This is a more ethical decision. Adobe tends to lock you into their products and then charge you to end your contract. Smallpdf allows us to remain flexible and do our work at a lower cost.
Chose Smallpdf
Smallpdf has had a great impact on our business since we moved to this software from Adobe which is more expensive, so we managed to save a lot of money for using it.
Chose Smallpdf
While extremely useful and feature rich, PDF xChange does not have the ability to work with multiple files at the same time as efficiently as Smallpdf. It is also a traditional desktop software which means being constrained to one specific PC.
Chose Smallpdf
PDFfiller has other functions that make it a bit more complicated to use, it is also slower than Smallpdf when it comes to any type of conversion. I even had to close the page when I tried to use PDFfiller because it remains frozen and does not It advances, so much so, that I …
Chose Smallpdf
Smallpdf is accessible online as a web-based .pdf solution not like many software that must be installed on a computer.
Chose Smallpdf
I used to convert my PDF files with LightPDF software. But It was slightly difficult for me to navigate on that software. The interface of that software was not very easy to understand. And compression result quality was also not satisfactory. So I selected Smallpdf for all my …
Chose Smallpdf
When comparing Smallpdf to Adobe Acrobat the first thing that comes to mind immediately is how much cheaper Smallpdf is compared to Adobe. The difference has been huge for our company and has allowed us to save money while keeping the same quality level for the products …
Chose Smallpdf
Smallpdf is a cheaper alternative. There is no additional software to purchase, so no need to pay to upgrade licensing every year. I think it is easier to use, although it doesn't have as many tools or options as Adobe. Depending on what you use it for, I think it is a great …
Chose Smallpdf
As it is a web-based software, it helps me avoid installing any software program for managing PDF related work. It has many more functions than my previous PDF program. It helps me in all kind of Office file conversions. I also found it very reasonable in terms of subscription …
Chose Smallpdf
Its easy setup and easy user interface makes it easy to operate for many of my colleagues. I don't need to train them much for this software. So I started using it in my organisation.
Chose Smallpdf
I've been using it for quite some time and I think that's why I'm fond of it since sometimes it has not behaved how I would like, however, and yet I must admit that Smallpdf is one of the best and fastest PDF file converters. It also surprises me that it is almost the only …
Chose Smallpdf
I prefer Smallpdf, due to the ease of use and good results I have had during the time, both when creating pdf files and also to reduce the weight of the files I created and all this in just a few seconds.
Tungsten Power PDF
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
PDF exchange is much better because it includes more professional features needed for engineers And professionals. It also has a lot of features that makes the interface much more easy to use such as the ability to copy the file directly into your clipboard from the PDF …
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
My CFO mandated Tungsten due to cost. I prefer Adobe, but no longer have access to it.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Reader
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Much easier to use. TBH I bought Nuance based on reviews and price point. A risk that proved worth taking.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
I have used Tungsten's Power PDF for several years now and cannot remember the other pdf programs I used to use.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Just as good if not better than the Adobe product line with less cost. We needed a PDF writer and editor. Tungsten Power PDF allowed us the same functionality at a fraction of the cost. We thought it was worth trying and it was definitely a great choice for our business …
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Adobe is overly expensive.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Similar functionality, easier to use, less expensive.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Low cost with similar function
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Ease of use, dependability, local access without the need for an online connection or subscription, and general familiarity of the software after years of use. Nitro is difficult to use, never works right, and jumbles files where it is hard to find what you are working on. …
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Tungsten Power PDF is easier to use and more user friendly than Adobe Acrobat. Most versions of Adobe Acrobat either do not have all of the features that Tungsten Power PDF has, or charge a fee/premium for licensing. Tungsten Power PDF integrates all of these features into …
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
ease of use, cost savings, intuitive interface
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
We have had instances where we've used the other two products. Adobe did not offer a one time payment at the time so we did not go with that one. Most users currently use Foxit. I would not say that Foxit nor Kofax really beat each other out, some prefer one or the other based …
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Adobe Acrobat and Nuance Power PDF, which is the core of Kofax Power PDF. Kofax Power PDF generally performs as well Acrobat, without the high price.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Acrobat, however the cost was prohibitive.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Kofax Power PDF is cheaper than Adobe Acrobat and has better functionality when it comes to editing PDF documents
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Adobe Acrobat Professional. I prefer the Kofax Power PDF Product, but as I advised above, because I use LEAP, I have to use Adobe Acrobat Professional
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
The worst part of the Adobe product is you have to pay monthly. I think, the second problem is their interface sucks. John Warnock would be turning in his grave.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
Web based programs have been used in the past but are very restrictive
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
I used PDFelement. It has an intuitive interface but I found Kofax to be more professional and productive.
Chose Tungsten Power PDF
I have used (and still use) Adobe Acrobat (also named Acrobat DC) with customer computer. The use is fairly identical in function and use. Based on price model I prefer to pay a one time fee for Kofax Power PDF over monthly payment for Adobe.
Features
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
PDF Editors
Comparison of PDF Editors features of Product A and Product B
Smallpdf
-
Ratings
Tungsten Power PDF
7.8
Ratings
7% below category average
Edit Text and Images00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Merge or Split PDFs00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Add Annotations00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Text Recognition (OCR)00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Page Management00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Form Creation and Editing00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Secure PDFs00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Convert to Different Formats00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Comment and Review Tools00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Undo and Redo Actions00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Best Alternatives
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
Small Businesses
Square 9 Softworks
Square 9 Softworks
Score 9.1 out of 10
pdfFiller
pdfFiller
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
MSB Docs
MSB Docs
Score 9.4 out of 10
pdfFiller
pdfFiller
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Tungsten Capture
Tungsten Capture
Score 8.0 out of 10
Bluebeam
Bluebeam
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(0 ratings)
9.8
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.4
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
3.6
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.8
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
SmallpdfTungsten Power PDF
Likelihood to Recommend
I would suggest Smallpdf for simple needs in terms of PDFs management that can be [easily] resolved such as: size compression, deleting of pages and file conversions. This tool is very user-friendly and easy to use, it is available online so the user doesn't need to download any software. In case of heavy files compression, the tool isn't appropriate since it doesn't support heavy documents.
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Tungsten does not handle movement of pages well inside of document. Small documents with under 10 pages is fine, but 100+ page documents are extremely difficult to move pages or groups of pages around. We replace Adobe with Tungsten and in general the reception has been fine. It is a little clunky with clicking on links instead PDF's as you have you click the hand, and then to copy text you have to go back and click the arrow.
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Pros
  • One of the best things that Smallpdf does is pdf conversion both to and from pdf. It is especially great to transform pdf tables into Excel documents.
  • PDF splitting is really great since allows for cropping large files and just keep the information necessary; something that comes really handy when presenting information to your supervisors.
  • PDF merging also works wonders, it allows for mixing several different pdf documents into just one of them. It is extremely easy to set up.
  • This a really fast pdf reader, it feels really fast compared to other options that tend to feel clunky. Its workspace is super comfortable and well organized so finding a tool you need is always a simple task.
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  • Typewriter functionality is great, although can take some time to load. This allows you to fill in text wherever applicable without turning the rest of the pdf into editable text.
  • Fast load times
  • Has autogenerated text feature so anything in the pdf can become editable
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Cons
  • It has everything I'm not sure what I will say. E-sign, Share, convert. You can give an option in upload priorities features which I can see later.
  • Background remover thing also you can add in it. So I can remove the unnecessary thing from an image.
  • You can add a chatbot for help.
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  • I find that quickly editing text within a document or adding a line of text is clunky and can snowball into things popping out of place. I prefer to export text, and then work on it elsewhere.
  • Sometimes it seems that text recognition is trying too hard and throws me paper punches as "O"s and wrinkles as shapes, so I have to get rid of those artifacts.
  • The "Update Available" popup which is usually not an actual update announcement but rather an offer to sell me something is annoying.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
It was very easy to learn the software and find the features I needed, and I was able to use the help menu for any questions I had. Staff was easily able to start using with no additional training. It easily works with things created in Adobe - handling field forms just fine.
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Usability
Its usability in my work is very important. I have to share various documents with my clients very frequently and most of the documents I send them are in PDF format only. So I use this software very much to convert my Word and Excel files into PDF. And whenever I need to send large file to my clients, I convert them into PDFs and compress them with this tool and then I send those files to my clients.
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It is fast and easy to get the hang of. It really didn't take a lot of effort to learn how to use this program and I appreciated that it was pretty "plug and play" and there wasn't a long learning curve.
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
Other that a PDF partially disappearing if left up for a long period of time - no issues. (If you close it and reopen it, it is all there. We have some PDFs that are 400-600 pages long.)
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Performance
1.- Because it is easy to use and each function is duly indicated so you can not go wrong. 2.- Its service is fast, it takes only a few seconds to transform the files and in less than a minute it is downloaded and you can occupy it without problem. 4.-This IS online so you do not install anything, which is very useful because you can also use it from a tablet or your mobile
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Pages nearly always load at the expected rapid speed. Some documents that print quickly from Adobe Reader print much more slowly from Power PDF. I have never generated a report - that's a feature I didn't know existed until now and do not know what it's for
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Support Rating
Everything is so simple and works so well, you shouldn't need support, but on the one occasion in several years that I needed it, support was quick and courteous.
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I haven't had much interaction with support for this product as it is relatively easy for me to use and intuitive. When Kofax acquired the program it rewrote some of the features and I think I reached out for help at one point but tech support provided a quick answer. I did have a very positive experience with the sales staff who helped me get a discount on the current version because I'm a long-time user.
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In-Person Training
No answers on this topic
I got an overview of the product from my predecessor who was about to retire from the job I now hold. He did not go into very many of the features and probably only knew about the ones he used most frequently.
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Online Training
No answers on this topic
We watched the training videos and tested out the features and functionality side by side. Some features are not used on a regular basis is it is convenient to go back and review training on that particular functionality when needed.
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
It was simple and we were using the program the same day. It was as easy as downloading the program and getting in there and playing around. We felt comfortable with it within the first few hours of use.
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Alternatives Considered
As per my understanding, Smallpdf stacks up against the above tool because it is easy to use, the targeted goal only for pdf, handy, and one more thing is that small pdf has created the application for android and iOS. I really found Smallpdf helpful when using it on the fly. Small pdf not only provides for the PDF it also provides the different functions for the other files like excel, HTML, doc, ppt, and many more.
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I initially selected Tungsten Power PDF because it was more affordable; however, I soon discovered the features and stability of the Tungsten product was comparable to working directly within the Adobe environment. I feel very confident now, that I would select Tungsten Power PDF ABOVE any of the Adobe products and not just because of the price point!
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
Not really familiar since I'm the only person who uses it. But in the past it has been my understanding that Power PDF was offered only on a single-license basis, so it's been expensive for me to use it at home and at work because I had to pay for it on my own. In my current position management supports it so I at least only have to pay for it once.
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Return on Investment
  • From an initial cost perspective, we've gone from a collection of free and freemium software products that we used in combination to do what we wanted, to paying Smallpdf's per-user license fee.
  • We estimate that creating the same final product with our old method took about 30 minutes per 1-100 page file. We are now down to approximately 10 minutes, if the input material does not require much manipulation.
  • Around 50% of tasks used to require advice from a highly-technical user to fix unexpected errors. With Smallpdf we estimate we are now down to less than 20%.
  • For things that Smallpdf cannot do we find ourselves falling back to old methods which can sometimes create wasted time when we only realize that Smallpdf is not up to the task in the middle of the job.
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  • I save hundreds every month by not sending documents to outside editors.
  • On a monthly basis, I have received files that would be very limited in use, but the PDF software allows me to work with them, saving hours of human power otherwise wasted.
  • The software is worth the money, but it can be more competitively priced.
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ScreenShots

Smallpdf Screenshots

Screenshot of Desktop AppScreenshot of Homepage

Tungsten Power PDF Screenshots

Screenshot of the PDF Create Assistant, which can be used to create multiple PDFs at the same time from a variety of source formats. Create individual PDFs, or combine into one PDF package.Screenshot of PDF Profiles that can be created to apply commonly desired settings to new PDF documents created in Power PDF.Screenshot of the application's color, changed from purple to blue, light gray or dark gray.Screenshot of some lightweight document automation that can also be achieved with the Watched Folder and Sequence features.Screenshot of where packages can be signed with pre built templates using Kofax Sign Doc or other integrating e-signersScreenshot of PDFs that can be navigated with a thumbnail view