Lumin vs Kami: Which PDF tool is right for you?

So, you want to edit or annotate a PDF? Lumin and Kami are two tools that might interest you. However, they offer different features and serve different purposes, so deciding between them all depends on what you need.

Below, learn more about Lumin and Kami so you can choose the right platform for you.

What are Lumin and Kami?

At their core, Lumin and Kami function similarly — both are cloud-based PDF tools that boast many features. However, Lumin has a broader use case than Kami, targeting personal, business, and educational users. It provides a unified document ecosystem with capabilities for PDF editing, e-Signing, file conversion, document annotation, and workflow automation.

Kami, on the other hand, is primarily a learning-focused PDF annotation platform catering to students and teachers. It has features for grading, lesson planning, and classroom management that may improve student engagement.

Here are the main differences between Lumin and Kami at a glance:

Another thing you need to know is that both Lumin and Kami now offer artificial intelligence functionality. With Kami, that comes in the form of AI-powered assessment auto-grading, which saves educators time when marking student papers.

The AI features allow you to create professional documents from scratch and turn static documents into dynamic ones.

Can I collaborate with Lumin and Kami?

Yes! Both tools have real-time collaboration capabilities, allowing your team members to work on documents simultaneously — wherever they are in the world.

Take Lumin, for example. Your team can make multiple edits to a PDF at the same time and then share the finished document with whomever they like. When sharing a doc, you can choose what level of access control permissions you want to grant a collaborator. For example, you can ensure only certain employees can view or edit a PDF, which can be a great option for maintaining compliance and data security.

What about PDF editing capabilities?

With Lumin, you can edit almost any PDF you can think of, including contracts, invoices, resumes, service agreements, NDAs, and more. For instance, you can edit raw PDF text, which makes it easy to update information in old documents.

Kami is a PDF annotator rather than a PDF editor, allowing you to add notes, comments, and other elements to a file. Most users annotate educational-related docs, such as assignments, test papers, and lecture notes. Lumin also has advanced features for annotating documents.

Using Lumin and Kami is pretty straightforward — the platforms have simple UIs and, thankfully, no steep learning curve. That means there's no coding or anything difficult like that.

Is Lumin or Kami better for business use?

Lumin, by far, as Kami is fundamentally an educational tool. It integrates with various workflows in your company, such as document signing and business efficiency. For example, you can create fillable PDFs and make fillable forms for customers and clients, even if you have little experience with either of these things.

The platform also saves your business time. You can choose from a wide range of templates for leases, non-competitor agreements, independent contractor agreements, and other documents rather than painstakingly create new ones from scratch.

Is Lumin or Kami better for education?

Kami has strong features for an academic environment, such as document presentation mode and learning management system integration (Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, etc.). It also has real-time analytics that provide insights into student progress.

That's not to say you can't use Lumin in an educational setting. The platform offers document text highlighting (for assignments and other academic papers), real-time annotations (for student feedback), Google Classroom integration, and other features. Lumin also has a free plan for K-12 teachers and their students.

What about security and compliance?

Lumin and Kami take data security seriously, allowing you to comply with regulations in your industry and laws such as GDPR. Both tools offer data encryption, secure document storage, PCI-DSS, and more. However, Lumin goes one better with SOC 2 Type 1 attestation, which assures that the company does an excellent job of protecting your data. It also has access control features, which we touched on earlier.

While Kami primarily provides security features for educational users, Lumin has enterprise-level security, making it the better option for e-commerce, professional services, healthcare (especially with a HIPAA compliance certification in the works), and other sectors.

Which offers better customer support?

You can reach Lumin or Kami by email, with the former getting back to you within 48 hours in most instances. Lumin also has an online contact form.

If you get stuck using either platform, both have comprehensive help centers with FAQs and tutorials.

Is Lumin or Kami more affordable?

Lumin's plans start from just $9 a month, allowing users to annotate up to 10 documents, e-Sign PDFs, and more for a relatively affordable price. Kami doesn't publish its prices for schools online, so comparing both platforms on cost is difficult. We do know that its plan for teachers costs $149 a year.

Both Lumin and Kami have free plans with basic features.

Final verdict

At first glance, Lumin and Kami serve the same purpose. However, the former offers a more comprehensive document solution with advanced PDF editing capabilities, while the latter focuses on annotation.

These tools also have distinct use cases, with Kami catering to those in the education space and Lumin serving a much broader user base, including businesses and personal users. There are also differences when it comes to PDF editing, security, pricing, and customer support.

If you're still not sure which tool is best for you, try Lumin for no cost and sample its features. This free version provides more functionality than similar tools on the market, so you'll get a good idea of what the paid-for version is all about.