BundleMaker vs. Adobe Acrobat for Court Bundles
Most court bundles are still built in Adobe Acrobat, and Acrobat is a fine tool for it. It is also a general-purpose PDF editor, so assembling a record means doing each step yourself: merging, paginating, inserting dividers, building the index and drawing the links. BundleMaker does only one thing — court bundles — and does those steps for you. This page sets out what each is good at, so you can choose the right tool for the record in front of you. We make BundleMaker, so read with that in mind; we have tried to be fair to Acrobat.
What each tool is
- Adobe Acrobat Pro is a full PDF editor: combine files, edit text, redact, add Bates numbers, create bookmarks and links, OCR scans, compare versions, sign. It costs roughly US$20–25 per user per month on subscription.
- BundleMaker is a web app that takes your documents and returns a finished record: cover page, hyperlinked table of contents, tab dividers, consecutive page numbers. It costs US$29 per year for unlimited bundles, and there is nothing to install.
The same record, step by step
Take a typical motion record: a notice of motion, two affidavits with six exhibits, and a transcript extract, under two tabs.
| Step | Adobe Acrobat | BundleMaker |
|---|---|---|
| Cover page | Make it in Word, export to PDF, insert as page 1. | Type the court, file number, parties and title into the form; generated. |
| Combine documents | Combine Files → add each PDF → drag into order. | Upload; drag to reorder. |
| Tab dividers | Make divider pages separately and insert each at the right place. | Click "Add Tab", type the title; divider pages are generated in place. |
| Page numbers | Header & Footer → Add → page numbers; set the start page so the cover isn't numbered. | Toggle on; numbered consecutively, cover excluded. |
| Table of contents | Build it in Word with the page numbers you noted, export, insert after the cover. | Generated from the document names and tabs, with page ranges. |
| Hyperlinks | Draw a link rectangle over each index entry and set its destination page, one by one. | Every entry is linked automatically, including divider pages. |
| A late affidavit arrives | Insert it, re-do the page numbers, fix every index page reference, re-draw the links after it. | Upload it, drag it into place, click Generate again. |
For the record above, an experienced clerk needs roughly 45 to 90 minutes in Acrobat, most of it on the index and the links, and about the same again if a document changes. In BundleMaker the first build takes a few minutes and a change takes one regeneration. Those are our estimates from working with clerks, not a controlled study; your numbers will vary with the size of the record.
Where Acrobat is the better choice
- Editing inside documents — correcting text, redacting, rotating a scanned page, OCR. BundleMaker assembles documents; it does not edit their contents.
- Bates numbering across a production, with prefixes and set ranges.
- Unusual layouts the court or a tribunal specifies that a generator does not offer.
- One-off bundles when you already have Acrobat and won't build another for months.
- Working offline.
Where BundleMaker is the better choice
- Records built more than occasionally, where the index-and-links step is the recurring cost.
- Records that change before filing — the regenerate-in-a-click case.
- Hyperlinked indexes for electronic filing platforms, where every entry must link and a missed one is noticed.
- Mixed inputs — PDFs, Word files and scanned images in one record, converted and merged in one pass.
- Working from a phone or a machine without Acrobat, since it runs in the browser.
- Cost, if the only reason for the Acrobat subscription is bundles.
Privacy and where the files go
Acrobat works on your machine (Adobe's cloud features are optional). BundleMaker is a web service: documents are uploaded to build the bundle, deleted within 24 hours or when you remove them, and finished bundles delete themselves within two hours. Nothing is read, kept or shared, and there is no training on your documents. If your firm's policy prohibits any upload of client documents to a third-party service, that settles the question in Acrobat's favour; if it permits services with a clear retention policy, read the privacy page and decide.
Side by side
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | BundleMaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | General PDF editing | Court bundles only |
| Cover page | Manual | Generated |
| Index with page numbers | Manual | Generated |
| Hyperlinked index | Manual, per entry | Automatic |
| Tab dividers | Manual | Generated |
| Consecutive pagination | Yes, with setup | Automatic |
| Rebuild after a change | Repeat the steps | One click |
| Edit document contents / redact / OCR | Yes | No |
| Bates numbering | Yes | No |
| Word and image inputs | Yes | Yes |
| Runs in a browser / on a phone | Limited | Yes |
| Price | ~US$20–25 / user / month | US$29 / year, unlimited |
Acrobat pricing and features are as generally published at the time of writing and change; check Adobe's site for current terms.
Skip the manual formatting
BundleMaker builds court-ready bundles automatically — cover page, hyperlinked table of contents, tab dividers, and page numbering — from the documents you upload. US$29/year, unlimited bundles.
Create Your AccountRelated guides
- How to Prepare a Motion Record in Ontario
- How to Create a Hyperlinked Table of Contents in a PDF Court Bundle
- Court Bundle Requirements: A Practical Checklist
- How to Prepare an Application Record in Ontario
This guide is general information for legal professionals, not legal advice. Court rules and practice directions change — always confirm the current requirements of the court you are filing in before you file.