Don't want to pay Adobe for PDF tools? 5 Acrobat Alternatives for Windows

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Acrobat is the default choice for reading and processing PDFs, whether you're using a Windows PC or one of our favorite Macs. It is a practical software with a user-friendly interface and tools that allow you to edit, share and sign documents. There's also a built-in AI assistant that can summarize large files and help you create presentations, blogs, and more. However, if you're looking for a change or just don't want to pay Adobe anymore, there are other options to consider. First, check out the five best Acrobat alternatives for Windows that we have listed here.



5 Foxit PDF Reader

Foxit PDF Reader is quite limited compared to the other options we offer here. You don't get editing features or many of the additional tools. It's a simple PDF viewer that allows you to read, share, annotate and sign documents – either with your own handwriting or through electronic signatures. You can also verify digital signatures. These are roughly the same features you get with the free version of Acrobat. If you need editing tools and extras like file conversion, you'll need a subscription, which costs $11.99 per month.

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4 iLovePDF


iLovePDF isn't available as a desktop app, but you get over 20 PDF editing tools on the site, all without annoying login prompts. Each tool has its own link so you can bookmark them for quick access.

It doesn't offer full PDF editing, meaning you can't insert or remove text directly. However, you can get around this by using the PDF to Word tool, editing the document in Word format, and then converting it back to PDF. While Word has a built-in conversion feature, we found that iLovePDF retains the original formatting better.

The free version of iLovePDF has a few more limitations. For example, there are file size limits for each tool and signatures are limited to just one person – plus there is no certification or testing. If you want to remove these limitations and access more advanced features, you'll need a subscription, which costs $7 per month or $48 per year.


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3 PDFCandy

PDFCandy is a free tool available both online and as a Windows app. It offers tons of features that you would normally pay for. Instead of a unified interface, it uses a grid of individual icons, all accessible from the home page. The range of tools is impressive: you can edit, highlight and annotate text, as well as watermark documents, add, rearrange and share pages, extract images, edit file metadata and much more. You can also convert common file formats to and from PDF.

After you complete a task in a document, you will see a list of other tools that you can use for different tasks. Once you're done making changes, you can download the edited document or upload a new one to work on it. While most of the app is free, you can pay $99 for lifetime access to PDFCandy on both web and desktop. There is also a $4 monthly subscription option for desktop and web access.


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2 UPDF

UPDF is another solid alternative to Acrobat and offers most of the premium features for free. The app is packed with tools like page sorting, document splitting, and scanning. You can also edit PDFs by adding watermarks, leaving comments, editing text or images, and adding signatures. Additionally, there are numerous conversion options – you can convert images, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to PDFs and vice versa.

You can even use UPDF to redact your files and permanently black out the content on the pages. The app allows you to black out specific words or phrases, a selected area, or entire pages. Another cool feature is UPDF AI, which allows you to summarize large documents, create outlines for presentations and blogs, and more. Acrobat has a similar tool, Acrobat AI Assistant, but you need a monthly subscription to access it there.


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UPDF All-In-One PDF Editor

1 PDF24

PDF24 is a pure Windows PDF editor and a complete package. You can either download it as an app on your PC for offline use, or you can access all the tools via the internet. PDF24 is free and as straightforward as it gets. There are no premium packages, business versions or tiered pricing – just a single download that's free for both personal and commercial use.

It lacks some of the advanced features you'd get with Adobe Acrobat, but if all you need to do is view, edit, and sign documents, it's just right. It has a number of handy tools that allow you to create new PDFs, merge files, compress files, convert them to other formats, extract specific pages (or split the document), optimize for different environments such as the web, and even extract media from a document .


Unlike most PDF editors, which have an Office-style ribbon, PDF24 uses a grid of 47 tiles, each labeled with tasks like “Merge PDF” and “Sign PDF.” We found the interface super easy to use and functional.

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Look beyond Adobe tools

Acrobat, along with other Adobe tools, dominates the market, but there are many other options to consider. For example, the Acrobat alternatives we discussed offer the same features for free. Some of these apps are available both online and as desktop applications. You may also want to explore alternatives to other Adobe apps such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. While you’re at it, find out about the Adobe tools you can use without a subscription.

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