Nitro PDF Pro vs Soda PDF
We give Nitro PDF Pro a 2.2 GPA and Soda PDF a 2.6, out of 4.0. Soda PDF grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nitro PDF Pro
Desktop PDF editor for Windows and Mac with AI tools, billed yearly
Soda PDF
Windows PDF editor with an online version, sold by subscription
How we grade them
| 2.2GPANitro PDF ProFair | 2.6GPASoda PDFGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStandard is $15 a user a month, billed as $180 a year, with no monthly option. That's the dearest end of PDF editors. Classic is $270 once for three years on Windows, which spread over its term is middling, but it's the core tools only. | CNo confirmed price: Soda's prices only show at checkout, and its marketing pages show changing promotions, such as $49.95 for Pro against $110. With nothing confirmed it's a C, and there's no perpetual license to spread out. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with no credit card needed. Enough to see if it fits, then you pay. | CThe online quick tools are free for 2 files a day or 3MB a file. Editing, OCR, forms and AI can be tried but not saved or downloaded, so you can't really finish anything for free. |
| Features | CCreates, converts, edits and OCRs PDFs, with AI that summarizes, translates and pulls tables into Excel, plus Office add-ins. But sending for signature is Nitro Sign, a separate product, and no form builder or redaction is on record. | BEdits text and pages, converts to Office and PDF/A, OCRs, builds forms, sends for e-signature, batch-processes and translates. It covers the whole job. The AI chat is capped by plan, at 10 questions on Standard. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. It's a desktop editor you install and start using, with an Office-style ribbon on Windows that'll feel familiar to anyone who lives in Word. | BNo store rating on record. It's an editor you install, or open in a browser, with nothing to set up first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, iPhone and the web, with Word, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox and Box. No Android app, which keeps it off the top grade. | BWindows and the web, with Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint and Evernote. Mac, Linux and phones get the browser version only. |
| Best for | Windows offices that want an Office-style PDF editor | rolling out a PDF editor across Windows PCs |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Nitro PDF Pro and Soda PDF. How we grade
Where they differ
- Soda PDF has a free plan. Nitro PDF Pro does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Nitro PDF Pro lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Nitro PDF Pro also covers documents.
- Soda PDF also covers forms.
At a glance
| Nitro PDF Pro | Soda PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per user / month, billed annually | Not published |
| Free plan | None | Online quick tools are free up to 2 files a day or 3MB a file; editing, OCR, forms, AI and translation can be tried but not saved or downloaded. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Nitro Software, Inc. | Avanquest Software |
| Price read from | gonitro.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Nitro PDF Pro
- Windows offices that want an Office-style PDF editor
- Businesses that manage PDF licenses for many staff from one console
- Buyers who would rather pay once for three years on Windows
Soda PDF
- Windows offices that deploy a PDF editor across many PCs
- Teams of 3 to 19 that want a per-license discount
- People who need a quick free conversion now and then
Worth knowing
Nitro PDF Pro
- The Standard subscription is billed yearly, $180 per user; the pricing page shows no month-to-month option.
- Nitro PDF Classic runs on Windows only and covers a three-year term rather than a permanent license.
- Sending documents for e-signature is Nitro Sign, a separate product from $10 per user a month billed annually.
- There is no Android app; SSO and Azure Information Protection need Nitro PDF Plus, priced through sales.
Soda PDF
- Prices appear only at checkout, which could not be read; marketing pages show changing promotional prices, such as $49.95 for Pro against $110.
- The desktop app is for Windows only; Mac, Linux and phone users work in the browser.
- Soda PDF is sold only by subscription; there is no perpetual license.
- AI chat is capped by plan, at 10 questions on Standard, 50 on Pro and 200 on Business.
Key features
Nitro PDF Pro
- Create and convert
- Builds PDFs from scratch and converts to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and image files, and turns web pages into PDFs with working links.
- Edit and organize
- Edit text and pages, reorder, delete and rotate pages, and combine and split files, with an Office-style ribbon on Windows.
- Nitro AI
- Every PDF plan includes a document assistant that searches, summarizes and translates, plus tools that extract form fields and tables into Excel.
- Review and share
- Share PDFs for viewing and comments from desktop, mobile or a browser, and track activity on documents sent out for review.
- Office add-ins
- Create, protect and send PDFs from inside Microsoft 365 apps on Windows.
- Admin portal and analytics
- Every plan includes a web admin console to provision users and reassign licenses, and Nitro Analytics to track usage.
Soda PDF
- Edit and convert
- Edit text and pages, insert and extract pages, and export PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, HTML, PDF/A or images.
- OCR
- Recognizes text in scans and images so it can be searched, and edited on the Business plan.
- Forms and e-signatures
- Build forms with formatted fields and combo boxes, fill and sign them, and send and track signature requests.
- AI tools and translation
- Online chat with a PDF and an AI summarizer, plus translation of up to 1,200 pages a year on Pro and 1,800 on Business.
- Batch processing
- Create, convert, crop, watermark, add headers and footers and apply passwords to many documents at once.
- Business deployment
- The Business plan installs through MSI, Group Policy, SCCM, Terminal Server or Citrix, with self-serve license management and phone support.
Plans
Nitro PDF Pro
Nitro PDF Standard$15
per user / month, billed annually
Billed as $180 a year: create, convert, edit, annotate and share PDFs, Nitro AI tools, the admin portal, integrations and round-the-clock support.
Nitro PDF Classic$270
one-time, per license, for 3 years of use
Core PDF tools for Windows only: create, edit, export, combine and split, and password protection, paid once for a three-year term.
Nitro PDF PlusCustom
Sold through sales: Standard plus SSO, domain control, Azure Information Protection, usage analytics and a success manager where eligible.
Soda PDF
Pricing could not be confirmed. See sodapdf.com.
Ways to pay less
Nitro PDF Pro
- Other savings
Volume discounts through sales
Nitro's pricing page says volume discounts are available on Nitro PDF Standard and Plus for larger teams, quoted by its sales team.
Soda PDF
- Other savings
10% off per license for teams
Soda PDF Team, for 3 to 19 licenses, has the same features as Pro with a 10% discount on each license.
