Why choose specialized PDF tools rather than an all-in-one tool

A bit of context

To work on your digital documents, you have the choice between all-in-one software, on which all the functionalities are gathered in one place, or specialized tools, which concentrate on a single function at a time.

While these two solutions can suit you as much as the other, each has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's try to see more clearly and define which one can best suit your needs.

What is the difference between an all-in-one tool and specialized tools?

An all-in-one PDF software is a program, installed on your computer or available on the internet, where all the PDF features are grouped in one “big” tool.
Generally, once your PDF is open, you will have a wide range of buttons and options at your disposal, each offering a specific functionality for editing your document. You will therefore be able to make several modifications, of different types (for example moving a page, then changing its orientation), without having to download an intermediate document.

A toolbox with specific tools (like Visual PDF) can also be installed on your computer, or accessible online on a web browser. Its particularity lies in the fact that we will have multiple tools at our disposal, instead of a "big" tool. Each tool will be designed to perform a particular task. If you know what you want to do on your PDF document, you just have to choose the corresponding tool, without having to search for the functionality among the multitude of buttons that you would have on an all-in-one software.

All-in-one PDF software: complete and fast

When we talk about all-in-one software to work on your PDFs, we immediately think of Adobe Acrobat. And for good reason: it was the Adobe company that created the PDF format!
However, there are many others, each with these specificities, its weak points, its strong points, its prices…

Speaking of prices, these solutions are mostly paid. And sometimes very expensive, especially when they are aimed at professionals.

Despite this, these solutions have a major advantage: they are very complete and allow you to perform many tasks on your PDF files, which sometimes justifies their price. However, they will be less intuitive than specific tools, because of the multitude of functionalities gathered in a single interface. A training period will therefore be necessary before mastering the tool, especially for the less technolphiles among us.

This type of software will therefore be rather recommended for professionals who master the computer tool and who have advanced PDF needs. Although the specific tools will achieve a similar result, the time required for this will likely be longer.

Specific PDF tool: easy and straightforward

The choice of specific PDF tool solutions is also vast. Some offer features that others don't, some are more affordable, some are more intuitive, and so on.

Yes, some are indeed cheaper, because not all of these solutions are free, or at least not entirely. But they will be accessible at generally much more reasonable prices than all-in-one software, and generally directly online.

Because the tools are separated and focus on a single functionality at a time, each tool can have an interface adapted to the need to make use easier, faster. No need to clutter the interface with multitudes of buttons, which could degrade the user experience. The steps necessary to achieve what you want to do on our PDFs are simple and do not require perfect computer skills.

It is therefore these 3 strengths that explain the increased interest and importance of specialized PDF tools in recent years:

• their tools are easy to use, even for the most novice
• when you want to perform only one manipulation, these tools are much faster than all-in-one tools, because there is no need to look for this specific functionality
• they are generally more affordable

These tools, like Visual PDF, emphasize intuitiveness and user experience, resulting in shorter working times and less frustration.

In fact, even users of all-in-one PDF software can find what they're looking for here. On the one hand because it is rare to have to manipulate a document in several different ways. On the other hand, because they will still be able to do what they used to do on all-in-one software, thanks to more intuitive tools.

Make up your own mind

In any case, it is you and you alone who will be able to know what suits you best. The best solution is to test different tools, preferably thanks to free offers (or trial periods).

On Visual PDF, you can use all our tools for free, without creating an account, without limits. So don't wait any longer to try!