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CNET Editors' review
Businesses need affordable PDF solutions that don't require budgeted training time to learn. Soda PDF Professional 2011 with OCR offers itself as the "Smart & Simple" enterprise PDF solution. It proved to be capable, flexible, easy to use, and affordable enough for individuals and organizations that need more than what free tools offer yet can't afford the big-box bundles.
During the installation process, Soda PDF gave us the option to designate it as the default application for PDF files. The program opened with a Getting Started page inside a well-executed interface with attractive, businesslike graphics and an efficient layout. The toolbar contains all the necessary features for using PDFs, including Zoom, Find, Rotate, and View controls, and some extras, such as Bookmarks, highlighted form fields in searches, and a snapshot tool for capturing views of any part of a document. The main window features compact tabs along either edge that open sidebars with pushpins: Page Preview, Signatures, Links, and Bookmarks on the left, and Properties and Search on the right. We could also easily create and customize tabs by clicking Custom on the tabbed menu bar. This menu bar focuses functions in useful groupings: Create & Convert, Edit & Insert, and Secure & Sign. Each tab included a customized toolbar with item-specific controls; for instance, Secure & Sign let us access Digital Signature, Secure Permissions, and Password Security features. Part of the program's appeal is its OCR capability, which proved able to capture data from documents or a scanner.
While Soda PDF certainly lives up to its billing as a full-featured PDF client, it also holds up on the easy-to-use claims; any time we felt a need to start over, we merely clicked the Home tab to return to the essential functions. The program offers considerable help, too, including a multi-age User's Guide. We were impressed with Soda PDF Professional 2011. There seems to be little it can't do with PDFs, and we wonder why you'd pay more.
Editors' note: This is a review of the full version of Soda PDF Professional - 2011 1.2.82.364. The trial version is limited to 14 days.
Publisher's Description
From LULU Software:
Soda PDF is an exceptionally easy to use, powerful PDF solution. Soda PDF has been developed with the user in mind! PDF Document management simplified. You don't need to read a complicated and boring user manual; with Soda PDF you can open, create, edit, convert and secure PDF documents quickly with just a few mouse clicks! If you're a comic book fan, reviewing contracts or simply reading a lot of PDF documents, you will be amazed by our 3D viewing functionality. With our full-featured version of Soda PDF, working with peers, colleagues and or clients has never been easier! Increase your efficiency and productivity while using our improved editing features and our vast array of collaboration and annotation tools. With Soda PDF's advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, you will have the ability to accurately transform images and scanned documents into editable text. Create digitized versions of printed documents quickly and easily instead of spending hours retyping them from scratch. With tools that are more powerful than our competitors in a package that is easier to use, Soda PDF is the only Adobe alternative. It's time for a change; you are at the center of our solution, we simply listened.
Key Features: Intuitive, user-friendly interface. View any PDF file in 3D without transformation of the file. Create PDF files with a single click from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and over 300 other filetypes. The fastest and most accurate conversion from PDF to Word on the market. Also convert PDFs to Excel, HTML, txt and image files formats. Edit text easily in your PDFs like with a word processor. Add comments on PDF files using the annotation tools (notes, shapes, stamps, pencil). Create professional looking forms. Secure your PDFs with passwords and manage user rights. Most accurate OCR technology on the market. Open, save and share PDF files directly from your favorite browser.
What's new in this version: Version 5.0.141.9202 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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All versions:
3.4 starsout of 72 votes
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Current version:
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"Good PDF Software - Worth the Price"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 5.0.133.9133
Pros
This software turned out to be a nice surprise. I've tried some other Acrobat competitors and they were all pretty disappointing. Soda pdf has a lot of features and runs smoothly not to mention that it's a lot less expensive than acrobat.
Cons
It could be a little faster but it's not a big deal, its fast enough.
Summary
Soda pdf might not be the best pdf software in the world but I think it should be able to do anything that the average user (like me) needs it to. It's not expensive like some of the others but has the tools that most people will need. I don't see the point in paying more to get a bunch of features that you will never use.
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"Constantly crashes. Unusable."
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 2010
Pros
It was Free After Rebate.
Cons
It's unusable. Every time I try to use it for an extended period it crashes. It wlll split small multipage pdfs but anything over ten pages it will crash. It will crash if you try to put in a text box. It will crash if you try to open a new window. I have uninstalled and reinstalled three times to no avail. This is a brand new clean hard drive with no registry issues; I had decided to try an Adobe knock-off so I could save the steep price of Adobe. I finally had to reinstall my old copy of Adobe 8 and everything works fine. I won the previous version of Adobe (Adobe X Pro) on an ebay auction last night; it cost $130, which is considerably more than Soda but still a screaming price on Adobe, and it'll be worth every penny.
Summary
Soda PDF is not usable for me; it crashes every time I try to use it unless I'm just viewing pdfs, which Acrobat Reader does for a free download.
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"good but doesn't allow contrast/brightness adjustments"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 5.0.89.8805
Pros
I would buy this if it weren't for the problem below.
Cons
In my opinion scanning software is not any good if you cant adjust brightness and contrast. If you try to scan something with very light print you will not be able to read it.
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"Easy to use and well priced"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 5.0.89.8805
Pros
Well priced and has all the features I need for my business. It's also quite user friendly and it didn't take too long to get the hang of it. It seems to be very capable of handling my day to day needs.
Cons
The license is good for installation on one computer. I use a couple of computers regularly and it would have been nice to be able to install it on both.
Summary
I was looking for a PDF software that could do the job I needed it to but wasn't going to cost a small fortune. I downloaded the free trial of Soda PDF and was quite satisfied with the job it did so I bought it when the trial ended. I am a freelance graphic designer and use PDFs mostly for sending proofs to clients and for my documentation (invoices, POs, contracts, etc) and I find that Soda PDF has been quite able and reliable.
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"I would definitely recommend this software"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 5.0.89.8805
Pros
Nice look, easy to learn features.
OCR feature is saving me many hours of work.
Fair price. Better value compared to other software I have tried.Cons
I wish it came with more templates like Word. The ones included are useful, but it is missing some basic business templates.
Summary
Overall I am very happy with Soda PDF. I work with PDFs every day and have tried my fair share of PDF programs over the years. I use it mainly to create business documents such as invoices, contracts etc. in PDF, and unlike some of the other software, I have never had an issue with Soda PDF. The OCR feature is extremely useful; if you are like me and you need to modify text in scanned documents on a regular basis, this is one of the better options out there. Only thing missing like mentioned above is more templates included in the software. I ended up creating my own forms, which is ok, but it took more time that way.
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"PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 1.2.123.1095
Pros
when it worked it worked pretty good, better than all the other products I tried.......BUT over-all this has been a terrble experience.
Cons
After purchasing this, I have had called for support 3-4 times. There is something wrong with getting this program to open after you install it.
I still cant tell if the product is legit or used as a bait and switch SCAM for a much more expensive product!Summary
Each time I called they requested remote access, and each time they have tried to convince me that something was wrong wth my computer and to buy their support package of $300+ for two years. And let me tell you they try VERY HARD to try to get you to by their tech support package.
After the first call to tech support I called webroot, they said my computer was fine. Apparently, this is something a lot of companies do to SCAM customers.
The second time I called I realized what the tech was up to. I warned them not to try to sell me anything. I just want to be able to use the product. They ended up telling me to uninstall and reinstall. That seemed to do the trick. However, after a couple of weeks I tried to use it again but it would not open, so I called tech support.
So I called today, and got the same run around. Lying to me about what is wrong with my laptop, went into some files and oohh and ahh, I was very firm in telling them to stop that! Finally, I suggested just giving me a refund. He asked me to wait, came back tried to further convince me that there was something wrong with my laptop. He finally relented and suggested sent me a new download, which downloads completely different from the orginal link...with a new activation code.
Here is something that is really SNEAKY of them. After the call I realized I had left the remote connectin going. Then webroot detected 3 trojans! I know they did it because I had just ran webroot before I went to bed.....and this was the only thing I have used my laptop for today!!
If you are wondering why I still have it, well, like I said the product seems pretty cool when it is working, better than the other dozen I tried. And I already had so much time into it, I just wanted it to work. But after all this if it does the same thing, I will get my money back!!
one other thing, they try to tell you it will take 5 hours of "intense cleaning/diagnosis," to figure out why the progam is not working. My feeling is the truth is more like this; people like me get the radom dummy/faulty product, they get your money for the 5 hour "intense cleaning/diagnosis," call you back after 5 hours and give you the good product. -
"Rubbish, Crashes after 3 page and is Super Slow"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 3.0.14
Pros
Free trial period
Cons
This program is crap. I used it for the trial period and unfortunately bought it, then started using it more and found its full of bugs. Dont waste your money. Then they have the gump to ask you to pay for an upgrade 3 weeks after i purchased it. Who charges for an upgrade these days! It crashes continually, slows your computer down and also has issues with text. Also wont print out text if its been added after so you end up with half information gone!
Summary
Cant believe that you can sell a program like this and get away with it.
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"OK, slow to use or reactivate"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 3.0.14
Pros
Reasonably price pdf software. Seems to work fairly well.
Cons
Very slow to open. It can take a full minute to start the program. On a computer with an Intel i7 2.8ghz processor and 6 gigs of ram that's ridiculously slow. First activation works well but if you buy a new computer or reinstall your operating system you have to contact them for another activation key. They need to either have an online deactivation and activation and maybe an in application deactivation. You cannot even use the software in a trial mode if this happens. What happens then if your install goes bad, same thing? Even if you run a repair?
Summary
If you can get it for free or a special price it would possibly be worth it but I'd think twice about paying full price. I'm going to keep an eye out for a sale on my old software!
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"DON'T DOWNLOAD! TROJAN IN DOWNLOAD PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 3.0.14
Pros
none. never loaded
Cons
none. never loaded
Summary
Never got to try this software. The installation software loaded some Trojan search engine, slowed my computer down and took and hour to find and unload.
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"Fine if you convert standard pages"
Version: Soda PDF 5 Pro + OCR 3.0.14
Pros
convenient conversion, nice 3D view for previewing as a book
Cons
Does not convert correctly when pages have custom sizes, Customer support does not leave you with a great first impression.
Summary
I purchased Soda PDF because I need to convert word docs to pdf and sometimes edit them. I've had friends convert my files for me in Acrobat,which converts the custom pages with absolutely no problem, but finding the time to do that can get difficult. I installed Soda PDF with no problems and it opened up quickly. I selected "create from any file" and found the file I needed to convert. Simple and easy.
This was where it went horribly wrong. My custom page size converted from 5.06 x 7.81 to letter size, leaving a large amount of white space around my text. When I tried to adjust the page to the correct size, it cut half my text off. Since this was obviously something beyond my ability to figure out, I contacted customer service. The nightmare got worse.
I didn't have to wait long, which was great, but the person I got to speak with mumbled and I didn't catch his name. Without so much as a hello, he asked for some registration number or some such. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I asked him where I would find it. He gave a very snippy reply that I would find it on an invoice or something (couldn't understand him). I told him I bought it at a store, and he asked for my email, which I gave, and then he said he couldn't find me and "are you sure you're calling the right place." Of course he couldn't find me, I bought the product at a STORE, and I'm staring at the box that says "SODA PDF." He started to talk back to me, saying there was no need to get angry and what was my problem. My problem? I said I was about to throw the program out the window and he wasn't helping. So he proceeded to mumble to me something about not getting anywhere in life and I asked to speak to a supervisor. He said he wasn't available, I said go find him. He put me on hold and returned a moment later pretending to be the supervisor. I called him on it and he hung up on me.
Now at this point I could end here and give this product a no-star for such unprofessional behavior. I called for support, not to be belittled because I couldn't find a number I didn't have and I wasn't in their "system." But, I decided to call back, if only to hunt down the elusive supervisor and give him a piece of my mind.
I instead was connected to a VERY helpful young man who tried everything he could think of to figure out my problem. My two-star rating is because, while even he could not figure out what was going on with my conversion, he took every measure to bring this issue up with developers to find a solution. And because of that, I will consider not returning this product to the store because maybe the developers will figure it out, and in the meantime, Soda PDF still works for standard pages, which I deal a lot with anyway. I'll think it over for a couple of days. In the meantime, I'm off to use someone's Acrobat.
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