Top 4 PDF Organizers in 2024

Elise Williams

2024-04-18 14:00:40 • Filed to: Software for Business • Proven solutions

No matter whether you are a student, a businessman, or someone who just has too many PDF files flying around, you need a good PDF organizer. We live in an era where PDF documents are becoming the main material for information transition. Almost everything is converted to PDF, and once you get so many PDF files around, you need some tools to organize them in a methodical way. Organizing PDF documents is easy with the proper PDF organizer that will also help you with searching them for retrieval later on.

4 Best PDF Organizers

1. Zotero

One of the most refined document managers, Zotero is open-source software that helps you keep track of references. In addition, you have a designed place for a PDF library. One of the great features of Zotero is the ability to sync citations and entries across multiple mobile platforms and operating systems. You can always edit your documents with sticky notes and assemble the mailing list. You can store entire web pages in Zotero, not just PDF files.

Pros:

Extremely easy to grab sources from the internet
The interface for storing and sorting documents is very practical

Cons:

Few reference types, lack of more advanced types like Dataset
Fewer styles, even though you can add your own with the custom tools

2. Mendeley

Unlike other PDF organizer software tools out there, Mendeley also serves as a social network at the same time. The tool offers more social experience, not just PDF organizing experience. Every account comes with 1GB of free storage for your documents. But the most useful feature is the automatic citation tool embedded in your Word. The cross-platform software has several social sharing features, and it syncs with other accounts and third parties.

Pros:

Own research catalog that can replace Google Scholar
Tabbed structure
Lots of private and public groups
Simple interface with drag and drop

Cons:

Now so good synchronization
You need to leave the app to search online

3. Benubird PDF

Benubird PDF is another PDF organizer software you can use for your documents. There are a number of ways you can group documents and data. For example, the Smart Collection feature allows you to set the rules for grouping files into virtual folders. Once you open your account, you have four default empty collections to fill. Filtering files by format is one of the unique features that make Benubird PDF a great organizer.

Pros:

Great for document management and conversion of MS Office documents
Intuitive interface
Intuitive interface

Cons:

Too many criteria for search
Can crash when trying to open a document
Limited customization of the fields used to filter documents
Tasks might require too many mouse clicks

4. Papers

For students, Papers has long been one of the go-to apps for organizing PDF files, but also every other document. The PDF organizer can help you organize word documents, presentations, scanned receipts, posters, and even Excel spreadsheets. You can also find a separate folder for your own articles, as well as separate space for conference-related materials.

Pros:

The search feature is incredible, supporting more than 20 search engines. Google is not the only search engine you'll find in Papers
Your personal library is synced across all your devices
Citing is extremely easy with Papers, with more than 7,000 citation styles available for you to choose from

Cons:

Tagging is more like an afterthought in Papers. There is no proper tagging system, instead, Papers use something entirely different
Annotation is not a strong side of the software. While you can add sticky notes, comments, and highlights, you have to open them on the page you made them.