Businesses keep making a switch to the online environment, completing a great variety of tasks through digital means: stay in touch with customers, organize client records, send faxes, submit resumes, exchange documentation with suppliers, and many more. And it does not even matter whether you are running a medium-size or big business, using the right document format will provide multiple perks for your organization. There are two major rivals on today’s market, with Word facing off against PDF in a tough clash of titans. Even though both formats are extremely popular, one may suit your business better than the other, so this PDF vs Word DOC comparison review is intended to help you make the top choice.
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PDF vs Word DOC: Main Differences
Both PDF and Word DOC work well for managing business files, but each format has its strengths and weaknesses you should take into account. Consider their differences carefully.
Editing features & capability
Editing capability is one of the main differences between Word DOC and PDF. DOC is highly editable and can be easily modified via Microsoft Word. Hence, it proves to be more useful for documents designed for further revisions and updates. DOC also offers a wide range of tools for text formatting and supports a variety of objects – images, equations, autoshapes, hyperlinks, charts, and many more.
The use cycle of PDF format is a bit shorter since such files are considered as read-only. However, it’s still possible to edit them by downloading specialized software, which offers different tools mainly for drawing, replacing/resizing images, commenting, annotating, adding visual elements, and form filling. You can also take advantage of an online PDF to Word converter to enhance your edit capabilities and then save the file as PDF if needed.
Security level
Both Word DOC and PDF come with a number of security tools: watermarks, printing and copying limitations, password protection, and digital/electronic signatures. Nevertheless, DOCs prove to be more vulnerable to data breaches and falsification due to their editable nature. Since businesses often share sensitive information in documents, advanced security measures are simply imperative to ensure an adequate level of safety for all parties, so both Word and PDF files should be well-protected.
Device compatibility & display of information
DOC takes precedence when it comes to device compatibility since Microsoft Word is available on both Mac and Windows PCs, and your recipients will manage to open the document without installing any additional software. But even though Word files can be easily viewed on a desktop, they struggle to keep their original format and require compatible processing software to be opened on smartphones and tablets. However, you can always use Google Docs to share files retaining their genuine view.
PDFs, in turn, display content in an extremely consistent way no matter which OS or device you use to open them. That’s why businesses often opt for PDF for smooth document sharing and printing, while job seekers pick it as the best resume file format. However, document viewing is impossible without compatible PDF reader software, and far from all people have it installed on their PCs/phones.
Ease of image management
Images and graphics can be added to all PDF and DOC files, but these formats are used for different purposes. So, MS Word takes precedence when it comes to handling visual elements as the document is designed for editing and is packed with a bunch of helpful tools to make the content look appealing. This format will suit your business well if your files are intended to be frequently modified and shared within your team, these may include presentations, reports, and proposals.
PDF files will be a better choice for electronic distribution and printing due to their poor editing capability. At the same time, the images will display correctly on any device and preserve their initial quality, which will give you a lot of benefits if you need to distribute documents widely (flyers, reports, brochures, etc.). If you have a ready-made file in PDF format and want to edit its visual elements easier, use an online PDF converter to Word to handle the process with no hassle.
How to Convert a PDF to Word & Visa Versa
Whether you are looking for a quick and easy way on how to open a PDF in Word, convert DOC to PDF, or edit your files using an enhanced set of tools, an online converter will be the best choice for you. Such services are always at your fingertips and work well on any device, allowing stress-free file management on the go. This is how a PDF converter to Word works:
- Upload your file to the platform.
- Wait a few seconds to get your PDF converted.
- Download the file.
Such tools also work the other way around, allowing you to convert Word to PDF just as easily and quickly.
PDF vs Word DOC: Final Thoughts on Which Is Better
Both PDF and Word DOC formats offer multiple benefits for users and serve well for storing documents. But it’s only up to you to decide which one will suit your business needs better. PDFs are great in maintaining original layout and image quality, boast a higher security level, and may also be compressed to adapt for mobile devices. Word documents are notable for their ease of editing using powerful built-in tools and may be viewed with no additional software on Windows and Mac PCs. Neither format is “better” for business, since each of them serves well for specific purposes – PDF for electronic distribution, and DOC for editing.
