Hi Guys,

Happy 2018 Guys, what are your new year resolutions this year, type them down in the comments. Mine is to spend less time typing pdf file contents to docs. Hence, here we are testing and talking about this app “PDF Converter Ultimate” by Cometdocs.com.

What is PDF Converting?

What is PDF?

Most of you might already know this, but for the rest, PDF is a file format used to store documents such that they can be viewed the same way that the printed documents will look. PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It is used to digitize and store documents more efficiently which also makes it easier to share and maintain.

Read more at sodapdf.com/compress-pdf/

Why do we need a PDF Converter?

As we know, a PDF is a read-only format and cannot be edited. So, in the old days whenever someone needed to edit even a single word in a PDF file, they had to type the whole document and make the edit and then save it as a PDF again.

PDF Converter Ultimate recognizes the content written in a PDF file through OCR and converts it to any other desired format such as MS Word, and any other file format as needed, where the user can make whatever changes required.

What is OCR?

OCR stands for Optical Character Reading. This is the technique used by converters to scan the textual content from any pdf and then save them in another file format. But sometimes, there are graphics ( images, tables, logos ) etc. in a pdf file, which may sometimes make the conversion a bit janky. Because of this OCRs can never be true 100% accurate.

You can see the conversions below and decide for yourself though.

Awesome Features of PDF Converter Ultimate

Multi-Platform Availability

This app is available not only for Android and iOS but also as a Web-based App. So I won’t need to find any alternatives to PDF Converter Ultimate while using any device.

Converts to any file type

It gives options to convert a PDF File to the following formats –

• Text (Notepad, WordPad)
• Word (MS Word, Google Docs)
• Excel (MS Excel, Google Sheets)
• PowerPoint (MS Powerpoint, Google Slides)
• Image
• AutoCAD
• and even more.

Support for all Online Storage Systems

One of the best and most distinguishing features of this app is that it supports converting files directly from an online storage space. And it supports almost all the popular Online Storages like –

• iCloud
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• OneDrive
• Box
• and even GMail.

Fast and Accurate

It’s relatively faster and delivers more accuracy than any of the other converters I have ever used. I am not that accurate of a judge, but I would say it converts with about 95% accuracy. There are sample conversions provided below.

Many people believe that converters should convert the whole file 100% accurately and make it editable, but sometimes graphics like tables or images etc. don’t convert very well, and the formatting of the text is lost as well, but that’s not the fault of the converter, it’s how the converters work. I have explained the working above in “What is OCR?“

Where can I get PDF Converter Ultimate?

PDF Converter Ultimate is available to download for –

• iOS – Apple Store

and Android (Google Play Store) and web-app (Cometdocs.com) as well.

The App is available for Free but the conversions can be bought as a one-time in-app purchase. One can either choose to buy single file format conversion packs for cheaper individual packs. E.g. PDF to Word or PDF to Excel etc. or one can buy the All Conversions Pack to unlock all conversions.

Note that it’s just a one-time payment for a lifetime worth of conversions with no limits on file size, so the prices are quite cheap for such a good service like this.

How to use it?

• Get the App

Download the app from the above link. Links for the latest version for all platforms are listed above.

• Get Conversion Pack

Open and buy the Conversion Pack best suited to your needs. I personally use the All Conversions Pack.

• Select PDF File

Depending on where your PDF file is, you can either open the PDF Converter Ultimate app and connect it to iCloud, or Google Drive or any other online storage you like to use.
OR you can open your pdf file from any app and then use Share > Copy to PDF Converter to open it in the app.

• Select Conversion Format

Once the pdf file is opened in the PDF Converter Ultimate, you can tap the upper left button of Convert > File Format. Choose the file format you want to convert your pdf to, if unsure, choose Word.

• Enjoy

Now, the pdf file will automatically be uploaded to the CometDocs’ server, where it will be converted, and the converted file will be downloaded back on the device. This is done to provide the highest conversion speeds even on low-end devices. So the actual time depends on how fast your internet connection is.

It might take time if you upload a 100-page pdf, but a couple of pages of pdf are converted almost instantaneously.

Suggestions for the App Developers

I would like to suggest a few simple and optimal changes which I feel will be beneficial for the app and the users as well.

As much as I appreciate the minimalism, the name is too Generic, a google search never leads to this particular app unless I search CometDocs. So add another word to the App Title, “Cometdocs PDF Converter Ultimate” or “CometDocs PDF Ultima” if you prefer shorter names, even “Comet PDF Converter” is a good and more memorable & searchable one.

A general user or office worker (without technological background) when using this app, (s)he might expect the app to deliver 100% accurate conversions, even a single mistake can result in low stars and bad reviews on the app store. To avoid this, the app can follow one of the 2 strategies.

1. Describe or Advertise/Market the app as 80% accurate, this may sound like a bad idea, but when the user uses the app, expecting a lower quality and if the quality of conversion delivered is even better than the expectations, the App is definitely gonna get more and better reviews than right now.
   Even if the quality is really 80% accurate, even then the user won’t leave a bad review, everyone approves and appreciates honesty.
2. Provide free trial conversions in all formats for the user to get an idea of how the app is gonna be before buying it.
   I know that the service can be used for free on the site, But a lot of users are not gonna search for that. If they downloaded an app, they need a trial there as well.

These are just the ideas I thought might help the app. I am no expert, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

Final Verdict

I have just talked about the technical and practical features of this app yet. But I truly adored the minimalistic approach and UI. Any app with a simple and clutter-less UI is great because then I can also teach older people like my dad to use it.

Overall, I liked the app a lot, and it can enjoy better ratings on the App Store, in future.

What do you think, guys, how’s the app, if it’s good, go rate it well in the App Store, if it’s not that good, explain why in the comments below and suggest what shall be changed or improved in the app according to you.

That’s all folks.

Author – Swapnil Jha
Hardware Provider – Me (iPad 2 with iOS 9.3.5 and iPhone 5 with iOS 9.0.2)
Image Source – Featured Image (blogspot.com) and screenshots from iPhone 5 (with iOS 9.0.2)
Post requested by – CometDocs (CometDocs.com)