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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 all-in-one PDF solution: 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 or ebooks, 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. Key Features include: â?¢ Open & Read any PDF file in 3D â?¢ Read eBooks (.epub) and Comic books files (.cbr & .cbz) â?¢ Create PDF files with a single click from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and over 300 other filetypes. â?¢ Merge files from different formats into one PDF â?¢ Convert PDF to Word accurately. Also convert PDFs to Excel, HTML, txt and image files formats â?¢ Add and Edit text easily in your PDFs like with a word processor â?¢ Move, add, delete, extract, rotate pages â?¢ Add comments on PDF files using the various annotation tools (notes, shapes, stamps, pencil) â?¢ Create professional looking PDF forms or use our templates â?¢ Secure your PDFs with passwords and manage user rights â?¢ Digitally sign PDF documents â?¢ Most accurate OCR technology on the market â?¢ Open, save and share PDF files directly from your favorite browser.
What's new in this version: Version 5.0.177 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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All versions:
3.4 starsout of 75 votes
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Current version:
2.3 starsout of 3 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-3 of 3
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"Customer Service is fast and responsive"
Version: Soda PDF 5 5.0.177
Pros
The customer service of Soda PDF is awesome. Had a problem with my license key and they solved it within a couple of hours. Excellent and quick customer service. Please keep it up.
Cons
None. Everything works.
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"Will NOT Launch"
Version: Soda PDF 5 5.0.177
Pros
Cheaper than Adobe Creative Suite. $70 vs. $900. Soda Wins.
Cons
FREQUENTLY fails to launch. When I first downloaded it several months ago it worked fine, then a new version came out and forced me to pay for the pleasure of using the upgrade (even though I was told I get free s*** for a whole year).
Summary
I'm reasonable, as soon as my software stops crashing I'll delete this negative review. I just do not feel I should have to pay for something that does not work.
Update: Soda PDF 5 has been working hard to resolve this issue and has provided me the technical support to fix my problem.
Updated on Jun 8, 2013
They will certainly try to get to the bottom of the problem. I'm trying to get my negative review removed. I guess no software is perfect but at least Soda PDF will try to resolve customer issues zealously. -
"TOO MUCH TROJAN *&%$ COMES WITH IT"
Version: Soda PDF 5 5.0.177
Pros
Zero, zero, zero
Cons
I consider cookies that don't delete malware. And that's the tip of the iceberg you get with this download. This download is a NIGHTMARE. As others have said, it invades your computer, takes over your browsers, changing your homepage, installing toolbars and other &^%$. When you click on Uninstall, it sends you to a page on their website that has a list of all the things to do, and there are at least 3 things with each browser, to remove it. Even then it's still not removed. I had my firewall block it.
It's a 50 MB download. It crashed on me, never even got it, and this stuff still loaded. There is no decline, only a check box for agreeing to the privacy policy regarding these extras, which I DID NOT CHECK, and it still loaded. It's taken me days to get rid of it.Summary
CNET should not be offering software like this.
Results 1-3 of 3
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