The David that can actually defeat Goliath in the PDF Software Battle
June 10, 2021

The David that can actually defeat Goliath in the PDF Software Battle

Bruce Marshall, CPA, CIA, CMA, CFE, CFM, CRISC | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Power PDF Standard

Overall Satisfaction with Kofax Power PDF (formerly Nuance)

My perspective on Kofax Power PDF should resonate with quite a few users since I'm a "regular" business user of Adobe DC Pro (and have been for years). When it comes to using/spending my personal cash on software (and I occasionally really need to use PDF software on personal use), you have to think hard about signing on for subscription-based pricing for something that you only use occasionally. That's where Kofax Power PDF fits the bill. I'd say that the "business problems" that Kofax Power PDF can address pretty much equal what you can get with Adobe DC Pro (maybe sans the collective user-group stuff).
  • It's perfect for creating a PDF from a clipboard image. For example, if you want to create a piece of documentation -- and a "picture is worth a thousand words" (as they say), this does it spot-on (whether you're using Snag-It - or just the Windows snipping tool).
  • Editing a PDF is just as easy and intuitive as it is with Adobe DC Pro
  • I like having the ability to add comments / text boxes / call-out for explanation. It's very useful for training documentation, such as a screenshot (from a page of a software tool), then using the call-out or text box (with arrows) for making explanatory comments.
  • Because there are so many users who have "gone" to Kofax Power PDF from Adobe DC Pro ([I feel] because of Adobe's greedy pricing structure), I'd say Kofax Power PDF should simply try to have the exact same functionality as DC Pro, and you've hit a home run. By the way, it seems to me that Kofax Power PDF is already VERY close to that.
  • Cost savings (this is from a personal perspective -- as I use Kofax for my personal laptop)
  • Because of the cost savings, the ROI (Return on Investment) is off the charts.
  • I think it's a match for time savings (compared the Adobe DC Pro)
I was taken aback at how seamless the transition was (and you can read that as a "lack of a learning curve") when going from DC Pro to Kofax Power PDF. In fact, I've found that I can pretty much go between the two software tools effortlessly (and painlessly). We LOVE to play ping pong at Project CSI (since our boss/President is pretty much an open-class ping pong player), so I would say that Kofax Power PDF and DC Pro are like switching between the various styles of table tennis paddles that are on my desk. Sometimes it literally depends on the mood I'm in as to which paddle (oh ... we're talking about PDF software here) I use. :-)
As I've discussed extensively in this review, most readers/users are likely to have had some exposure to Adobe Acrobat. I've had extensive exposure to (and use of) Adobe DC Pro, and thus have a qualified opinion/view on how the two compare. Where Kofax Power PDF has hit the home run is in the ability to beat the pants off Adobe with pricing ALL THE WHILE bringing a great, functional PDF software to the market and into the hands of users.
I've had zero problems and have not needed "support." Is that a reason to give it a 10? In my opinion, yes it is. I'd had to have software that [I feel] is so non-intuitive and problematic that you have to be on the phone with the help desk for hours on end.

Do you think Tungsten Power PDF delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Tungsten Power PDF's feature set?

Yes

Did Tungsten Power PDF live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Tungsten Power PDF go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Tungsten Power PDF again?

Yes

Being able to add text is very important, but I would say the most valuable feature is being able to add explanatory comments / images.
One of the things I've done extensively in my profession (CPA / Internal Audit) is to document internal control functionality. There's no better documentation than a picture of a "live" transaction. BUT, just capturing that picture is only the first. You REALLY need to explain what it is you're seeing, as well as to identify the elements that are important. That's where the use of arrows, text boxes, call-out boxes are invaluable.
Admittedly, I haven't tried to use Kofax Power PDF for conversion. By "conversion," I mean converting a PDF document to Word or Excel.
In my line of work, I have had numerous occasions where converting a multi-page, tabular PDF to Excel was a life-saver. I found that there is software that does the conversion in spades.
Again, I haven't used Kofax Power PDF for converting PDF to Excel (and I'll say here that Adobe does a poor job at converting), but that has to be an area for improvement.