Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit

In this Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit comparison, I will show you the key differences between these two PDF editors. I will compare Foxit to Adobe Acrobat based on features, pricing, my experience, user interfaces, and pros and cons. I spent numerous hours with both PDF editors, and I am here to share the benefits and limitations of each tool to ensure you make the right choice.

These are the key points that I explored during the Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit clash:

  • Foxit is an affordable PDF editor.
  • Both Adobe Acrobat and Foxit have great PDF editor tools.
  • Adobe Acrobat is slow sometimes, and I have not experienced the same with Foxit.
  • Foxit has better OCR tools than Adobe Acrobat.

Now, let’s dive into the side-by-side comparison of Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit!

Key differences between Adobe Acrobat and Foxit

Here is a short overview of the key differences I found in the Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit showdown:

Adobe AcrobatFoxit
FeaturesPDF editing, Annotating PDFs, Organizing PDFs, Form filling and signatures, Encrypting and sharing PDFsPDF editing and reading, Image drag and drop, Annotating PDFs, Organizing PDFs, Form filling and signatures, Scan and converting PDFs
In-built AI toolsLimitedFair
User interfaceSimple user interfaceIntuitive user interface
PricingFree plan: Available
Acrobat Standard: $155.88/year/user for individuals, $179.88/year/license for businesses
Acrobat Pro: $239.88/year/user for individuals, $287.88/year/license for businesses
AI Assistant: $59.88/year/user
PDF Editor: $129.99/year/user
PDF Editor+: $172.79/year/user
AI Assistant: $49.99/year/user
Free trialYesYes
Cross-platform availabilityWindows, Mac, iOS, Android, and OnlineWindows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Online
Offline modeYesYes
G2 ratings
4.5
4.5

Comparison: Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit

First, I will show you both PDF readers’ features one by one. Second, I will guide you through my experience with them and their pricing. Lastly, I will show you the pros and cons of Foxit and Adobe Acrobat and reveal my pick.

Key features

Let’s compare Adobe Acrobat and Foxit based on their key features!

Adobe Acrobat’s features

PDF editor
Adobe Acrobat review - PDF editor

The Adobe PDF Library has solid tools to edit your PDFs. On the left sidebar, you can easily to the files that you have worked on or read.

If you click the “All tools” tab, you can access Adobe Acrobat’s tools to edit your PDF. Also, if you click on any part of your PDF, you can highlight, underline, strikethrough, or copy text. Furthermore, it has a moveable sidebar that allows you to draw, fill forms, etc.

Adobe Acrobat review - text editor

Adobe Acrobat allows you to add or remove text from a PDF document. Nevertheless, if you want to move some text or images to a different page, Adobe Acrobat does not let you drag and drop the text or image elements. I found this strange, as all the advanced PDF editors have such a drag-and-drop feature.

Adobe Acrobat review - picture insertation (1)

On the other hand, Adobe Acrobat does a great job when it comes to editing text in a scanned image. It performs an optical character recognition, and after, it allows you to insert, change, or remove the recognized text. This feature works great even in the case of old printed documents.

Overall, you can easily find all the tools you need when editing your PDFs.

Annotate PDF documents
Adobe Acrobat PDF annotation tools

As mentioned, Adobe Acrobat has some useful annotating features like highlighting, underlining, or copying text. It also allows you to add comments, text fields, sticky notes, or shapes.

These are really useful tools when reviewing PDF documents. But honestly, I miss the stickers. They would make the review process even more efficient and visually appealing.

Organizing PDFs
Adobe Acrobat PDF organizer

Adobe Acrobat allows you to insert, replace, extract, rotate, split, and remove pages. While this is not an advanced PDF functionality, it is still nice that you can organize your PDFs smoothly.

You can drag and drop page thumbnails to order them in the way you want them. For example, you can easily drag a Microsoft Word file into the thumbnail images of your PDF document, and Acrobat is capable of converting it into PDF format, so you can smoothly insert it into the existing PDF pages.

The one thing I did not like here is that the free version does not include even the basic PDF organization features.

PDF form filling and signatures
Adobe Acrobat PDF form filling feature

Just click the “Fill & Sign” tool, and you will have access to all the tools for filing PDF forms and signing documents. By enabling PDF form filling, you can complete form filling by clicking a text field and typing or inserting a text box.

Adobe Acrobat PDF signing feature

Moreover, if you hit the “Fill & Sign” button in the toolbar, you can quickly draw or type your signature and place it on the form.

Ultimately, Adobe Acrobat has easy-to-use form-filling and signature features.

Encrypt and share
Adobe Acrobat PDF encrypt and share

With Adobe Acrobat, you can protect your PDF files with passwords. It is also great that you can limit access to certain features like printing or editing. To use the password protection, click on the “All tools” tab and hit “Protect a PDF.” This way, you can add a password to your PDF files.

Adobe Acrobat PDF sharing feature

Furthermore, you can share PDF documents directly from Adobe Acrobat or after exporting them. You can create a public link to the PDF file or send it as an email attachment through your email app.

AI assistant
Adobe Acrobat AI assistant feature

Adobe Acrobat also has an AI assistant feature for $4.99 per month if you have a paid plan. It is a useful tool to get quick answers about your PDFs, summarize content, and digest documents faster.

Adobe Acrobat AI summary tool

The summary feature works great; Adobe Acrobat creates a summary with one click that pulls key points from your document. It also allows you to chat with multiple documents, so you can find crucial information faster.

However, I have experienced these AI assistant features being limited.

Foxit’s features

Let’s see if Foxit is the best Adobe Acrobat alternative!

PDF editor
Foxit review pdf editor feature

Foxit uses a drag-and-drop system when editing text in your PDF files. To access this feature, just go to the edit tab and select the edit text. When selecting a text box, you can move it around and insert text.

Besides editing existing text, you can add new text to your PDF. Hit the edit button, go to the edit content, and finally, click on the add text tool. This way, you can easily add rich text and move it to your pages by dragging and dropping it.

Also, Foxit PDF editor allows you to use a different font type for the text, adjust the size, and change the margins of a content block and paragraph alignment and spacing. You will see these options on the right side of the PDF editor when editing text.

Foxit review PDF editor

Apart from text editing, you can insert pictures into PDF documents using Foxit. When inserting a picture, it also follows a drag-and-drop system.

After you insert the picture into the PDF file but want to move it somewhere else, you only need to click on the edited picture, and you can place it somewhere else smoothly.

PDF reader
Foxit PDF reader features

Foxit has PDF reader tools as well. If you click on the view tab, you will have access to some valuable features to read your PDFs.

You can use the read mode, change to night view if you want, and change between numerous view options. Ultimately, Foxit has all the tools you need for convenient PDF viewing.

Annotate PDF documents
Foxit review annotate PDFs

Annotating documents is crucial. It helps to review PDF documents faster and more efficiently, especially if you work as a part of a team.

Foxit PDF editor has some useful features for commenting, reviewing, and highlighting text. If you click on the Comment tab on the top toolbar, you will quickly see all the features to annotate PDF documents.

You can choose from numerous options when it comes to highlighting text, adding callouts, or notes. Whenever you add one of these items, you can customize them further using the window coming up on the right.

PDF organizer
Foxit review PDF organizer tools

If you hit the Organize button on the top tools, you will see all the options to organize your PDFs. It has a page panel that allows you to organize pages by dragging and dropping their thumbnails.

Also, you can delete, insert pages, swap, flatten, crop, extract, and split them if you want. It offers a feature to compare documents, where Foxit highlights the parts where the two documents differ from each other.

Forms and signatures
Foxit review forms and signatures features

If you want to create forms, Foxit is a good option. It has some useful and easy-to-use tools to create or fill forms within a PDF document. You can add text, drop-down lists, checkboxes, and buttons, so you can generate forms super easily.

Foxit signature tool

If you need to sign your PDF documents, that is not a problem with Foxit PDF editor. You can create your own signature utilizing the Foxit eSign tool. After you generate your digital signature, you can smoothly add it with a few clicks anytime you need it.

Converting and Scan to PDF
Foxit converting PDFs

First, Foxit allows you to convert PDFs into different formats, such as Microsoft Office formats or images. However, Foxit has the option to convert paper documents to electronic PDF files.

The best part is that Foxit utilizes OCR to convert scanned documents or images into editable text. I had a positive experience with the OCR and the whole process of converting printable documents into PDF files.

PDF protection
Foxit PDF protection tool

PDF protection is an essential tool you need for your documents. If you click on the project, you can easily add passwords to your PDFs and restrict access. Just a side note here: there is no way to recover the password from the PDF if you forgot it. So, make sure you save it somewhere else as well.

When restricting access to PDF files, you can choose from multiple options. You can only allow them to print or make changes, but if you want, you can just allow them to copy text.

AI assistant
Foxit AI assistant feature

Foxit has an AI assistant feature to increase productivity and effectively pull out information from your PDFs. The summary feature is especially useful for quickly understanding your PDF.

Nevertheless, you can ask questions about the PDFs, and it really works like an in-built ChatGPT to your PDF files.

My experience

Now, let’s see my experience with both PDF apps!

My experience with Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat user interface

Adobe Acrobat has massive PDF editing features. However, it comes with a price, as you can access these features only with paid plans. With the Adobe Pro License, you can easily organize, edit, and convert PDFs.

It has a clean user interface, and you can access it on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and online. The only issue that comes up occasionally is that it is quite slow when opening larger PDF files.

Ultimately, I had a good experience with Adobe Acrobat. Using the Adobe Pro License is ideal for all your PDF needs.

My experience with Foxit PDF editor

Foxit user interface

Foxit has an intuitive user interface, and I found its tools easy to use. It is ideal for both work and personal use.

Essentially, it has similar features to Adobe Pro, but Foxit is significantly cheaper. Another difference I noticed is that Foxit is a fast PDF reader. Even when I opened up larger PDF files, I did not have an issue with the loading time.

Overall, I had a very positive experience with Foxit.

Pricing

Let’s check their pricing!

Adobe Acrobat’s pricing

Adobe Acrobat pricing for individuals

Adobe Acrobat has three plans, and you can add the AI Assistant feature for $4.99 per month. Also, the prices are different for individuals, teams, and students & teachers. As the prices vary based on whether you buy it as an individual or team member, let’s focus on the features included in the plans.

The free plan is called Adobe Reader. This plan lets you view, print, share, and add comments to your PDF files. Essentially, it has the most basic features to read PDF files.

The Acrobat Standard also includes PDF editor features, so you can edit text and images. You can sign, send, or create digital forms and add your signatures if opting for the Acrobat Standard plan. Essentially, this plan has all the basic and some advanced features to effectively edit PDFs. It costs $155.88/year/user for individuals and $179.88/year/license for businesses.

Adobe Acrobat pricing for businesses

The Acrobat Pro plan includes all the PDF features you need. With this plan, you can send bulk e-signature requests, turn scanned documents into editable, searchable PDFs, compare two versions, and add branding. You can get the Acrobat Pro for $239.88/year if you purchase it as an individual. The business license is $287.88/year per license for businesses. If you are a student or a teacher, you can get discounts on the Acrobat Pro plan.

The yearly fee of the AI assistant is $59.88 per user, and it is the same for individuals and businesses.

When taking a look at the paid plans of Adobe Acrobat, you will quickly realize that the price is much higher than that of some of its competitors, including Foxit.

Foxit’s pricing

Foxit pricing

Foxit offers two plans. The PDF editor includes the essential features to edit PDF files for $129.99. By choosing this plan, you can create documents, edit them, fill out forms, add security, and more.

Essentially, you can have many advanced features with this plan; the real limitations of this plan are the limited AI credits and signing tools.

Nevertheless, if you need the eSign, smart redact features, and want to use Foxit on your mobile, you must go with the PDF Editor+. You can get this plan for $172.79 per year and access all the advanced features of Foxit.

Lastly, if you want to add AI Assistant, which includes 2000 credits per month, that is an extra $49.99/year.

Adobe Acrobat’s pros and cons

Let’s see the pros and cons I discovered after the Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit review.

Adobe Acrobat vs UPDF pros and cons

Adobe Acrobat’s pros

First, Adobe Acrobat offers many tools to manipulate, annotate, and edit PDFs. The Acrobat Pro should fulfill all your PDF needs.

Secondly, it has easy-to-use PDF signing and form-filling features. It is smooth to add your signatures or fill out forms.

Lastly, Adobe Acrobat provides cloud storage for your documents, so you can access them from any device.

Adobe Acrobat’s cons

I have two issues with Adobe Acrobat.

Honestly, Adobe is an expensive tool compared to Foxit or other PDF tools. This should not be a huge problem if it had a decent free version. Nonetheless, Adobe Acrobat Reader has limited features, and it is only ideal for reading PDFs.

Furthermore, Adobe Acrobat was quite slow for me, particularly if I opened a large PDF file. At first, I believed it was just me, but after reading several reviews, many users experienced the same.

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Foxit’s pros and cons

It is time to summarize the pros and cons of the Foxit vs Adobe Acrobat battle. Let’s begin with Foxit!

Pros and cons of Foxit

Foxit’s pros

Foxit is an easy-to-use app that is easy to navigate.

Secondly, it has advanced PDF editing features. Using this PDF editor tool, you will be covered for your daily work.

The drag-and-drop functions when inserting text or images are very smooth.

Foxit has fantastic OCR features as well, and it worked great for me.

Foxit’s cons

These days, you need to sign documents digitally every day, so I think such a feature should be part of the essential plan.

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My recommendation: Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit

After my Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit review, I discovered that both PDF tools are great if you want a reliable option for organizing and editing your PDFs. Nevertheless, considering how expensive is Adobe Acrobat, my take is Foxit.

While Adobe Acrobat Pro and Foxit PDF Editor+ are pretty similar, I do not find a reason why to pay way more for Adobe. Additionally, I did not experience any performance issues with Foxit, while Adobe Acrobat was slow in many cases, especially when opening multiple files or scanned documents.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a better PDF reader than Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat is a solid PDF reader and editor. However, there are great alternatives to Adobe Acrobat on the market, such as Foxit or UPDF. They offer similar features for a significantly lower price. Besides UPDF and Foxit, other popular PDF editors are PDF Expert, PDF Element, EaseUS, PDF Gear, and Nitro.

Why use Foxit over Adobe?

Foxit is an ideal and affordable choice for editing your PDFs. For me, it is the best PDF editor besides UPDF. It has smooth drag-and-drop features when it comes to editing capabilities. Also, it is a solid PDF viewer tool compared to other PDF programs on the market.

Is there a free version of Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat has a free version called Adobe Reader. Nevertheless, it has limited features, so you can not edit your PDFs.

Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.

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