Adobe Acrobat vs PDF Expert

In this Adobe Acrobat vs PDF Expert comparison, I will show you the key differences between these two PDF editors. I will compare PDF Expert 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 PDF Expert clash:

  • PDF Expert has a more reasonable price than Adobe Acrobat.
  • PDF Expert is faster software than Adobe Acrobat, and I have not experienced any performance issues.
  • PDF Expert has a more advanced feature set for PDF reading than Adobe Acrobat.
  • While PDF Expert only supports Mac, iPhone, and iPad users, Adobe Acrobat works with every system, including Windows and Android.
  • Adobe Acrobat has more advanced PDF editing features.

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

Key differences between Adobe Acrobat and PDF Expert

Here is a short overview of the key differences I found in my detailed comparison of PDF Expert and Adobe Acrobat:

Adobe AcrobatPDF Expert
FeaturesPDF editing, Annotating PDFs, Organizing PDFs, Form filling and signatures, Encrypting and sharing PDFsPDF editing and reading, Annotating PDFs, Organizing PDFs, Form filling and signatures
In-built AI toolsLimitedLimited
User interfaceSimple user interfaceClean and user-friendly 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
Lifetime subscription: One-time payment of €149.99
Annual subscription: €63.74 for the first year and €84.99 for the remaining years
Free trialYesYes
Cross-platform availabilityWindows, Mac, iOS, Android, and OnlineMac and iOS
Offline modeYesYes
G2 ratings
4.5
4.7

Comparison: Adobe Acrobat vs PDF Expert

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 Adobe Acrobat and PDF Expert and reveal my pick.

Key features

Let’s compare Adobe Acrobat and PDF Expert 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 legal documents for example. 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 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.

PDF Expert’s features

Let’s move on with PDF Expert’s features!

PDF Editor
PDF Expert - PDF editing features

PDF Expert is a simple tool when it comes to PDF editing. To access the PDF editing features, open your PDF file and go to the edit tab on the top toolbar. With PDF Expert, you can change text directly in a PDF file. It has a built-in OCR, so it recognizes the font type and seamlessly inserts the new text in the same format.

Also, you can easily add, replace, and resize images in your PDFs. I loved that you can easily insert links in the PDF document that point to external websites or to other pages in the document.

On the top toolbar, you can see the export functions. Using this tool, PDF Expert can convert PDF files into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, PNG, and more. Converting PDFs is super easy, and the exporting process is fast.

Read PDF Documents
PDF Expert PDF reader features

During the PDF Expert vs Adobe Acrobat review, one of my surprises was how fast and easy it was to read PDF documents with PDF Expert.

When opening a PDF file, you can switch between more view options. You can use a one-page or two-page layout. Also, you have the option to view two pages vertically next to each other or horizontally after each other.

PDF Expert offers three themes when viewing your PDF documents. It allows you to choose day, night, or sepia mode to reach maximum eye comfort. You can choose from these themes by clicking on the View Tab.

It is also great that you can use bookmarks when working on your PDFs. It is particularly valuable while reading books.

Overall, PDF Expert is an outstanding PDF reader tool packed with great features to make reading smoother.

Annotate PDF files
PDF Expert - annotation tools

PDF Expert offers some annotation features as well. If you click on the first tab on the top toolbar, you can access the annotation tools. You can highlight text, comment, draw, and add stickers and shapes.

It is super cool that you can leave audio comments in the PDFs. This feature can come in handy when reviewing PDF files, as it makes the process faster.

You can overview your changes on the left side when annotating your PDF files. Using this function, you can simply click on a specific edit, which will take you to that part directly.

Fill out and sign PDF forms

Similarly to many PDF editors, PDF Expert has PDF filling and signing tools in its kit.

With PDF Expert, you can easily fill out PDF forms. You can add text boxes, numbers fields, checkboxes, and places for the signatures.

To use the signing feature, just type your name, and PDF Expert will transform it into a handwriting format. This way, you can sign PDFs electronically within a few seconds.

Organize PDFs

Using PDF Expert, it is super easy to rotate, add, reorder, and remove pages from your PDFs. With a few clicks, you can combine multiple PDFs into one or split a PDF into multiple documents.

To help others overview your PDF structure more easily, you can add headers, footers, and Bates numbering to your pages.

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 positive experience with Adobe Acrobat. Using the Adobe Pro License is ideal for all your PDF needs.

My experience with PDF Expert

PDF Expert is a pretty fast, lightweight PDF editor, especially if we compare it to Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is a solid PDF viewer that allows you to change between different themes. So, it offers a pleasant experience when reading PDF files.

Moreover, PDF Expert is a simple PDF editor. It has the most crucial features to edit PDFs fast. While it does not have that many PDF editing features like Adobe Acrobat or UPDF, it is easy to use its tools.

Finally, I loved PDF Expert’s user-friendly interface. It is easy to navigate on its pages, access the tools, and convert PDF files into different formats.

Overall, I had a positive experience with PDF Expert and did not encounter many issues.

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.

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.

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.

Adobe Acrobat pricing for businesses

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.

PDF Expert’s pricing

PDF Expert pricing

PDF Expert offers two paid plans.

You can get a lifetime subscription for a one-time fee of €149.99. While it includes almost all the features except the PDF Copilot, you have to pay for the updates, and you will not have access to the iPhone and iPad versions.

The annual subscription is €63.74 for the first year and €84.99 for the remaining years. It includes the updates, iPhone and iPad versions, and the PDF Copilot.

Overall, PDF Expert is way cheaper than Adobe Acrobat and an affordable PDF solution on the market.

Adobe Acrobat’s pros and cons

Let’s see the pros and cons I discovered after the PDF Expert vs Adobe Acrobat 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 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.

PDF Expert’s pros and cons

Let’s look at the pros and cons I discovered after reviewing PDF Expert and Adobe Acrobat.

PDF Expert pros and cons

PDF Expert’s pros

PDF Expert has advanced PDF reader features. It provides more view options, themes, and bookmarks, so you can display PDFs in a way that fits you.

Moreover, PDF Expert is a fast app in general. I did not experience any freezing during PDF editing or reading.

Also, PDF Expert has a user-friendly interface, and you can easily navigate its pages and find all the tools you need.

Finally, PDF Expert has a reasonable price compared to many other PDF apps.

PDF Expert’s cons

Its most straightforward limitation is that you can only use it on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. So, if you are a Windows user, PDF Expert is a no-go for you.

Secondly, if there is an update and you have a lifetime subscription, you need to pay for the new features.

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My recommendation: Adobe Acrobat vs PDF Expert

After reviewing PDF Expert vs Adobe Acrobat, I discovered that both PDF tools have powerful features.

For Apple users, I recommend PDF Expert. It is the best PDF editor for Apple devices and one of the fastest.

It is also worth mentioning that PDF Expert has great reading and viewing options, so it is a great choice for people reading a lot of PDFs.

For Android and Windows users, your only option is Adobe Acrobat if you want to choose between these two PDF editors. Nevertheless, Adobe Acrobat is one of the most expensive PDF editors on the market, so I recommend also checking some alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Adobe Acrobat and PDF Expert?

PDF Expert only works on Mac and iOS devices, while Adobe Acrobat supports all systems, including Windows and Android. Additionally, there is a significant difference in the pricing as well.

PDF Expert is a more affordable PDF editor, while Adobe Acrobat has very expensive pricing plans. So, I recommend that individuals and smaller businesses check Adobe Acrobat Pro’s alternatives to save money.

What is better than PDF Expert?

PDF Expert is one of the best PDF editors, but it is not for everyone. If you want to try other tools, I recommend looking at UPDF, Foxit, PDF Gear, PDF Element, and EaseUS PDF.

Is PDF Expert Pro worth it?

PDF Expert Pro offers a good value for its price. However, keep in mind that if you buy the perpetual license, you have to pay for future updates and features. So, if you are considering switching to a paid plan, I recommend choosing the yearly plan of PDF Expert.

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, may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.

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