The short answer
- Reading on a phone or e-reader? EPUB. The text fits the screen and you can change the font size.
- Printing, filling in forms, or keeping an exact layout? PDF. Every page looks the same everywhere.
Have a PDF but want to read it comfortably? Convert it to EPUB in a minute.
Side by side
| EPUB | ||
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Reflows to fit the screen | Fixed pages |
| Font size | Reader can change it | Zoom only |
| Small screens | Comfortable | Zooming and panning |
| Exact design | Not preserved | Preserved |
| Printing | Not designed for it | Ideal |
| Page numbers | Vary with font size | Same as print |
| Kindle | Via Send to Kindle | Supported, fixed pages |
| Apple Books, Kobo, Play Books | Supported | Supported, fixed pages |
What is EPUB?
EPUB is the open standard for ebooks. Inside, it's a small package of web pages (XHTML), images and a table of contents. Because the text isn't tied to a page, the reading app lays it out for your screen, with the font, size, spacing and color theme you prefer. Almost every reading app and e-reader supports it, and Amazon accepts it through Send to Kindle.
What is PDF?
PDF was created to make documents look identical everywhere — on any computer and on paper. It records the exact position of every letter on a fixed page. That's perfect for printing, forms, contracts and designed layouts, but on a 6-inch screen a letter-size page shrinks to unreadable text.
When to convert PDF to EPUB
- You want to read a book, report or long article on a Kindle, phone or e-reader.
- The PDF is mainly text: novels, non-fiction, manuals, course notes, papers.
- You want features like adjustable fonts, dictionary lookup and highlights.
When to keep the PDF
- The PDF is a scan (you can't select the text).
- The layout matters: comics, magazines, cookbooks with designed spreads, slides, forms.
- It's full of equations or complex tables, or you need to cite exact page numbers.
See also: putting a PDF on a Kindle and converting without losing formatting.