Developer(s) LULU Software Limited Operating system Type PDF Software | Initial release 2010 Available in 8 languages | |
Stable release 8 / 23 September 2015; 17 months ago (2015-09-23) | ||
Soda PDF is a family of applications used to open, view, create, convert, edit, secure and share Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The software was developed by LULU Software, based in Montreal, Canada.
Contents
History
In 2010, shortly after the foundation of LULU Software, the first version of Soda PDF was launched as LULU Software’s flagship product line. Soda PDF was created and originated at LULU Software’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada.
In December 2011, LULU Software announced that they would be launching a new Soda PDF product line featuring 3D viewing technology, new customizable viewing options and enhanced editing capabilities. CNET reviewed Soda PDF Professional 2011 as being “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.”
In 2012, a new version called Soda 3D PDF Reader 2012 was released. This version was complimented for its “realistic” page-turning feature. The full featured Soda PDF 2012 was the next release, and its Pro version was rated as being impressive due to its “straightforward design,” with its navigation system enabling “accessing tools easier and more efficient.” It was also said to have “no trouble creating good-looking PDFs from source files saved in other file formats.” This simple and easy-to-use interface was carried over to future designs of the Soda PDF software.
Soda PDF 6
On November 13, 2013, the company released Soda PDF 6, the latest version of their Soda PDF product range. Version 6 of the software is a modular application, allowing users to add the options they want to their program, a feature unique to the market. It includes a free built-in PDF reader with a 3D reading view.
Features
Tech Republic remarked that one of the best functions of Soda PDF was how easy it was to change the file size of the PDFs when saving. While reviewing Soda PDF 5, they commented on the fact that reducing file sizes was a straightforward process with the optimize feature. The file size can be adjusted using a slider ranging from minimum to maximum quality. The output can be further tuned by tweaking image sampling based on whether images contain color, grayscale or monochrome elements. Tech Republic concluded that Soda PDF did an excellent job of balancing readability and crunching bits down to more manageable sizes. This feature was carried forward to Soda PDF version 6 as well.
Other Soda PDF 6 features are based on older versions such as Soda PDF 2012 and Soda PDF 5. The software also has the ability to read comic book files such as CBR and CBZ, and eBook files such as .epub.
In a 2016 review of Soda PDF 8 PC Mag highlighted the "powerful PDF creation and editing tools" and Soda PDF's integration with cloud storage, but considered the modular pricing model a drawback and called the OCR "spotty".
Soda View / 3D and Create
Soda View/3D is a free PDF application users can use to open, view, and create PDF files. The flipping animation tool of its patent-pending 3D feature enables users to go through pages of PDF files as they would in real life. CNET has praised the 3D Reader as being “clean and inviting,” as well as “fast and easy to use.”