CutePDF v PrimoPDF

Which free PDF creator is better, CutePDF or PrimoPDF? Both offer paid premium versions (CutePDF Professional and NitroPDF Professional, respectively), but why wouldn’t anyone pay for a non-Adobe Acrobat?

CutePDF

CutePDF

The Good

1. Easy to install.
2. Gets the job done.

The Bad

1. Files are huge, sometimes even 3x bigger in file size than the original.

PrimoPDF

PrimoPDF

The Good

1. Small file size.

The Bad

1. The pop-up (I think to get me to go pro) comes up every time I try to print the document into a PDF. The box that indicates “Never ask again” doesn’t work.

The Verdict

PrimoPDF

Since my job has me uploading documents for web-based viewing, smaller file sizes are a plus for everyone involved. Even though some of the conversion results in greenscale and not greyscale look, the dramatically smaller sized PDFs of PrimoPDF works better for me.

CutePDF, although, doesn’t try to convince me to upgrade at every use, but these programs are free so I can’t complain too much.

2 Replies to “CutePDF v PrimoPDF”

  1. What version of PrimoPDF are you using?
    I’ve been using it for years and it’s never given me any kind of popup.

    I was curious about CutePDF and I would have liked a more featured comparison. The reduced file size of PrimoPDF is good, but it’s very limited in features. At least allow you to set graphics resolution to smaller if you want a smaller file size, or larger for sharper graphics, but that’s about it.

    What features does CutePDF have? Like what PDF specification version to create, etc.?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.