Difference between Scribd and DocStoc
The document storage category of software is embroiled in a fiercely contested battle, and the two names that often mentioned at the top of the list are Scribd and DocStoc. The respective kings of the hill as far as document storage needs are concerned, these two have received the lion’s share of attention from the press ever since the genre first came into being. While both packages are definitely worth looking into, they do have a number of relative strengths and disadvantages that may make one win out over the other depending on your needs and circumstances.
Main Features
With regard to uploading documents, we have to give top marks to DocStoc for allowing users to upload documents right from the main page. In addition, the ability to upload up to four documents at a time is also a major advantage over Scribd. That being said, the entire process was just a little bit sluggish and it sometimes worked finicky with certain browsers.
The most attractive aspects of Scribd seem to be its wide range of categories and one of the best search facilities we have found in such services. The fact that Scribd uses Flash for document presentation may give some users cause for concern, but the service does allow you to use your iPhone by way of a workaround. Be warned though - this service isn't nearly as straightforward or as elegant as using the main Scribd site.
Document Sharing
Unfortunately, Docstoc currently doesn't allow the embedding of documents on outside pages. Scribd has of course always offered this capability, and its users may consider this enough of a factor to stay put instead of switching over to DocStoc. That being said, Docstoc does allow users to share virtually any type of document, making Scribd users coming over to the DocStoc fold a distinct possibility.
Content Browsing
While Scribd does offer quite a few different categories–and this definitely helps make searching and browsing easier somewhat–DocStoc is just a little bit better, with no less than six categories that are further divided onto several sub-categories. This made it a lot easier to hone in on just where you want. In addition, you also get a list of the highest ranking documents, or the ones that received the most comments.
Summary
Scribd
- Offers a decent selection of categories
- Excellent search functions
- Utilizes Flash with a work-around for iPhone
- Flash usage may cause compatibility issues
- iPhone site is not as good as the regular site
- Excellent layout and functionality
DocStoc
- Allows users to upload documents right from the main page
- Users can upload up to four documents at a time
- Performance is a bit sluggish
- Numerous categorization options with extensive features for tagging and language support
- Does not use Flash
- iPhone interface is a lot better than Scribd’s
- Does not offer a specific mobile site
- Does not allow document embedding on outside pages
- Offers better categorization features
