PDF and Word are the two most common document formats on earth — and they answer two very different questions. Use this guide to stop guessing.
Use PDF when…
You need the document to look exactly the same everywhere: invoices, contracts, resumes, brochures, and anything you plan to print. PDF locks in fonts and layout.
Use Word when…
The document is still being written or edited. Word is made for drafting, reviewing, and collaborating — that's why teams live inside it.
Can't decide? Convert.
The best of both: keep working in Word, then export a final PDF for distribution. Our PDF to Word and PDF to PowerPoint tools make it easy to move between formats whenever the need changes.
Rule of thumb: share a PDF, collaborate in Word.