Nitro Pro Review (Detailed Comparison with 9 Converters)!

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Nitro Pro is an office PDF software that caters to all levels of business. Its primary focus is workplace productivity for all things PDF. Be it creating, editing, or securely distributing PDF documents, Nitro PDF has got you and your organization covered. We will be diving deep in this Nitro Pro review to bring out the best, and worst, that this acclaimed application has on offer.

Nitro Pro Overview

What is Nitro Pro?

Nitro Pro is a premium and sophisticated productivity software centered on PDF documents. Modern-day offices are turning to PDFs as their primary digital document format. This is because PDFs help retain the quality of data and information on top of being the most secure way of distributing sensitive documents.

Nitro looks to take advantage of this by providing us with a platform that is not only user-friendly but also efficient in performance.

The software allows us to view, edit, create, annotate and secure PDF documents. Nitro Pro also permits its users to share these files among one another and collaborate live with colleagues and coworkers on the fly. Other than providing online PDF customization, there is perhaps not a single thing that Nitro Pro can’t do as a PDF software. It is one of the very few complete PDF software packages out there.

Landing Page

Clean and perceptive layout design

Nitro Pro Details

Website: https://www.gonitro.com/
Discussions: https://www.gonitro.com/blog/ (Blog), https://community.gonitro.com/ (Forum)
Supported Languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch.

Overview of Features

  • Create, Edit and Customize PDF documents.
  • Convert PDFs to and from any popular office file format.
  • Batch processing of conversions.
  • Merge and split files with ease.
  • Auto de-skew crooked scanned documents.
  • Create, Import and Export Forms.
  • Protects your PDF documents with watermarking, Bates numbering, adding passwords to pages and eSigning.

Company Details

Nitro is, first and foremost, a document productivity company. Inaugurated in 2005, the organization was the first to provide a direct alternative to Adobe Acrobat, the company that pioneered PDFs. Since then they have won multiple accolades in the field on a global scale. Today, they provide their services to big names like Pfizer, Toyota, and IBM among many others.

Home Page: https://www.gonitro.com/

Address:

1) Nitro HQ San Francisco: 150 Spear Street, STE1500, San Francisco, CA 945105.
2) Nitro Dublin: 21 Charlemont PI, St. Kevin’s, Dublin, Ireland.
3) Nitro Melbourne: Level 4, 246 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.

Nitro Pro Review & Comparison

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Ratings Breakdown

Our Verdict After Testing

Nitro Pro is easily one of the top office PDF software we have tested. The professional outlook carries forward from the website to the download window and finally on to the installed product itself.

Install

A modern software for the modern workplace

The layout and appearance of the software is designed in such a way that it very heavily mimics that of any Windows 10 window. This is a welcome sight for any Windows user, not only for the sense of familiarity but also for the ease of navigation. The fact that Nitro does not provide its services for the Apple Mac is also indicated by this design choice.

Now on to functionality. It has everything. We have been able to design and create PDF documents from scratch. Heavily edit and customize existing documents and forms in any way possible. And finally, convert some of the heaviest PDFs we have in our arsenal to other formats.

We accomplished all of this with ease and without having to consult online support. Except for two particular instances, which would be on how to add certain elements to our Forms and the other being how to add a signature. Staying on that particular train of thought, we have to commend the quality of the How-To videos and pages that Nitro has on offer.

It is also worth mentioning that Nitro Pro’s ability to handle scanned PDFs is pretty great as well. It was able to de-skew some crooked scanned documents (not a 100% success rate though) and the OCR was able to detect and recognize text on most of these scanned files.

The only gripe that we might possibly have is its ability to do so much, too much. Initially, or as a new user, it can feel overwhelming and the small size of text and buttons make the top ribbon feel cluttered.

Pros

+ Packed full of features: Create, edit, convert and secure. Anything you can think of doing to your PDFs document, Nitro Pro has got you covered.
+ Very Fast: The runtime of even the heaviest of processes (OCR detection or conversion of hundred-page documents) only takes a matter of seconds.
+ Easy to use: The software has a familiar layout to Windows 10 that many users will find helpful. The interface and button placements are also intuitive.
+ Great OCR: Fast and is able to detect text from even the most difficult of scanned documents.
+ Great pricing scheme: You only have to pay once for the whole package (no monthly or yearly subscription), full features, and no hidden charges!

Cons

No Mac support: Apple Mac users will, unfortunately, miss out on this phenomenal software.

Comparison to Similar Products

User Experience

Our experience with Nitro Pro has been nothing short of great. Providing us with a harmony of a friendly user interface and a large list of functions, Nitro Pro definitively takes the top spot in this criteria.

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From start to finish, Nitro Pro looks crisp and clean from a visual perspective. The color scheme is not that vibrant, as we might see in Soda PDF, but has enough contrast to let us navigate with our eyes very easily.

The landing page helpfully features all the major functions that one might need in their workplace. Choosing any option will take you to a new window that will have a major function tab, which directly corresponds to your choice, open for your convenience.

If you get stuck on anything, Nitro Pro’s Help tab is ready to assist you. This tab is the most crowded among all the PDF software we have tested which reflects Nitro’s enthusiasm and focus towards customer service.

Help Tab

Nitro has got you completely covered

Explore More: Able2Extract Professional 15 Review 2022 (with 15% Discount)

User Interface

Nitro Pro scores top points in this category as well. It is not only for the layout and design of the interface but also for the ease of navigation we have experienced while going through the many options that this software has to offer.

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Opened PDF

Even during our early days of testing, there probably wasn’t a single time that we felt lost or overwhelmed by the sheer amount of functions that Nitro had on offer. This is primarily thanks to all the major tabs being intuitively named and containing exactly what we were looking for.

Like all the major players in this category, Nitro’s Home tab contains all the critical and common functions on display. This made navigation, in many cases, completely unnecessary.

Explore More: Foxit PhantomPDF Review (Detailed Review & Comparison)!

Document Customizability

We will give Nitro Pro an above-average score in this category. While the software does have a wide variety of PDF customization options, it is the depth of some of these options that we found lacking by just a smidge compared to the other heavy hitters.

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We are completely satisfied with the text and image editing options of Nitro Pro. It provides enough options to customize your document’s text to any style and form. Image customization is also pretty in-depth. Color correction, resize and rotation is all there among other options.

If we had to nitpick we would bring the lack of the gridline option to light. This can make fine-tuning the placement of objects a slight hassle. But it is roughly remedied by the presence of alignment buttons and an auto-snap feature.

The OCR is pretty decent as well. It was able to detect and recognize most of the scanned documents we threw at it and made it ready to be edited. But editing OCRed documents was not always the smoothest experience. The font style detection can feel wonky at times and sometimes the software would leave a shadow of the original text behind after editing.

Great OCR Capabilities

Decent OCR Options

The PDF conversion capabilities of Nitro Pro are also on par with the top contenders in our list. While it does not boast the deepest conversion options, it is good enough to get the work done. A demo is given later in the article.

Explore More: Soda PDF Review (We Compared It with 9 Converters)!

Security

Document security is a must-have for all organizations, big or small, and Nitro Pro is packed with enough of it to suit all of your organization’s needs. It easily takes the top spot on our list in this category.

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The security and confidentiality options are separated into two aptly named major tabs: Erase and Protect.

Security Options

Nitro Pro provides very broad and deep security options to its users

Erase works with in-document content protection. Namely Whiteouts and Redaction. Nitro Pro allows you to smartly mark your document and then Redact them all at once. You can also Search and Redact certain keywords and phrases with a click of a button. The ability to edit and remove metadata is also available under the Remove Metadata option.

On the other hand, Protect also offers the same redaction options (making it easy to find) on top of presenting us with in-page Password and Certificate Security. If you are already registered, and you should, to Nitro Sign then you will also be able to Manage Profiles and collaborate with others on your team. You can all Live Review, Share and request Signatures on the fly.

Explore More: Wondershare PDFElement Review (Detailed Comparison)!

Online Support

Nitro Pro’s extensive online support through blogs, forums and of course Nitro Sign, helps it rack up a lot of points in this category. We will go as far as to say that this software has the best online presence among all the ones we have tested.

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The User Guide and Knowledge Base buttons found under the Help tab will take you directly to their online database of guides (both text and video). It contains anything from how to create forms to find the right button you are thinking of.

Furthermore, with Nitro Sign you can have your own online profile with Nitro allowing you to:

  • Access their cloud storage to save your documents.
  • Directly share your documents with others.
  • Request and provide Signatures.
  • Access basic editing tools.
  • Store PDF templates and drafts.
Cloud Support

Create your own Nitro Sign profile with cloud support and other online features

Full online support Nitro Sign

Basic PDF features are also available online

Explore More: SmallPDF Review: A complete online PDF package (Compared with 9 Popular Converters)

Feature Showcase: Converting a PDF Document to Excel

In this age of digitization, an office document software’s ability to convert different formats of files is not only necessary but also expected.

Keeping up to this expectation, albeit not exceeding it, is the PDF converter of Nitro Pro. It has the standard “press and play” file conversion design with some customizations added to the process.

Let’s look at how Nitro Pro converts a PDF document:

Step 1: Opening desired file

Unlike many of its counterparts, Nitro Pro doesn’t have a dedicated convert button on its landing page. So we just have to begin our conversion process in the old-school way. Two ways to be precise:

1) Clicking on the Open button on the left panel of the landing page.

Open

2) Navigating the File tab on the top-left corner of the window if you already have a PDF open.

Open 2 File

Step 2: Converting the file(s)

Convert Panel

The Convert tab

This one is pretty simple. You can find the To Excel button right under the Home tab or under the Convert tab. Clicking on it opens the following window of options:

Multiple Pages

Here you can see some (very basic) conversion options that are available to you.

  • Add Files…: For converting multiple files. Batch conversion.
  • Choose Pages*: To choose the range of pages that you want to convert.
  • Output tables to Single or Multiple Excel sheets.
  • Define the output folder.

*You can either mention the page numbers separated by commas (e.g. 31, 56, 56, 58) or directly put down the range of pages (e.g. 56-60). You cannot input both types (e.g. 31, 56-60). A bit of an inconvenience but nothing deal-breaking.

Once you are done customizing, simply hit Convert!

Step 3: Check your converted file

No converter will give you the perfect PDF to Excel conversion (except perhaps Able2Extract or PDF2XL). So some fine-tuning of the resultant file might be required.

B-A Before

PDF document before conversion

B-A After

Conversion result of the same file

In the comparison, we can see that Nitro Pro has been able to successfully detect and convert the table in the PDF into an Excel spreadsheet keeping all of the fields mostly intact. It would be better if we could only select the desired tables to extract and customize them before processing. Perhaps in a future update.

Pricing

Unlike many of its competitors, Nitro Pro does not follow a subscription scheme. Instead, they opt for a one-time perpetual payment package per user.

That is $159 per user.

You are eligible to get a 20% discount on your first purchase. [Link]

As for organizations and businesses, you can customize your needs and purchase plans by directly contacting them. [Link]

In our personal opinions, this is quite a steal.

Final Words

Nitro Pro has exceeded our expectations in multiple criteria of testing while others remained competitive enough even to the best on our list.

With a tried and tested design, broad categories of functions, depth of document security and a full-fledged online support platform, Nitro Pro takes the top spot on our list of office PDF software (so far).

Whether you are an individual or a large organization, Nitro Pro can easily fill the spot of your primary PDF driver for all your PDF needs, and all that for a single payment!


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Mehrab Imtiaz
Mehrab Imtiaz

Mehrab Imtiaz is a professional with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Engineering from North South University. He has three years of valuable experience writing and reviewing 100+ articles over multiple projects, including ExcelDemy and OfficeWheel, as a Team Leader and a Reviewer for the prior. His interests revolve around practical Excel applications, Data Analysis, and SEO. Mehrab, an avid gamer, draws real-world creativity from the virtual realm. His diverse background and passion for innovation make him a... Read Full Bio

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