I spent over 2 years testing 20+ AI note-takers and investing hundreds of hours in reviewing them. I used some for weeks, others for months, to get a clear picture of how they actually work in real meetings, and not based on marketing claims.

After all that testing, I narrowed the list to the 9 best AI note-takers for different use cases, so you can find the one that suits your workflows.

Let’s dive in!

Quick Picks: Best AI Note-Takers

How We Test AI Note-Takers

To keep our reviews and final scores fair and consistent, we evaluate every AI note-taking tool using a standardized testing framework built on real-world usage and hands-on experience.

We reviewed and personally tested every AI note-taker featured in this list, and you will find links to the full review articles for each tool. Based on our hands-on testing, we assigned an overall score using our standardized scoring system.

While these overall review scores influenced the rankings in this article, we also considered specific use cases, workflows, and standout strengths to recommend the best AI note-takers for different needs and teams.

Our scoring breakdown after testing 20+ AI note-takers:

Want a detailed breakdown of how we test each category?

Learn exactly how we test tools → Review methodology

Top AI Note-Takers Compared

Here is my list of the best AI note-takers in 2026:

Breaking Down the Best AI Note-Takers in 2026

Fellow

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.5/5

Fellow is designed for organization-wide use, but it works great with smaller teams and professionals as well. It works on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and online, and supports Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams, and Slack in over 92 languages. Personally, I have been using it for over 6 months, and it has been a game-changer for meeting notes.

Full Fellow review Visit Fellow

Best for professionals and teams

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Professionals and teams needing strong collaboration features

• Not ideal for:

If you are looking for a free & occasional AI note-taking

• Biggest strength:

High security, accurate transcription, and team collaboration

• Biggest weakness:

Limited free version (5 AI notes/lifetime)

Biggest productivity gain: Streamlines the entire meeting workflow from preparing agendas before the call to generating AI summaries, follow-up emails, and action items afterward.

My experience with Fellow after using it for 1+ year

After testing numerous AI note-takers, I found Fellow the most accurate and safest one. It is full of AI tools to supercharge productivity and save time with your online calls.

And this is one of the main reasons why I use it as my default AI note-taker for more than a year now.

Based on my experience, Fellow transcribes my online meetings with 95%+ accuracy. After my video calls, it prepares the AI meeting summaries and transcription within minutes, so I can quickly review how it went.

One of the most underrated features of Fellow is the meeting agendas. Using this feature, you can collect all the points you want to discuss in the next meeting, and you will see them next to the meeting participants during your calls.

While Fellow just recently implemented its bot-free AI note-taker feature, it works reliably in the background and captures all the meetings effortlessly and securely, whether you’re online, in person, or somewhere in between.

Who gets the most value from Fellow

When Fellow might not work for you

Use this link to sign up and get 10% off the paid plans if you upgrade

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Slack and Zoom.

My favorite features

Free plan & paid options

If you work alone, Fellow’s free plan (both for individuals and teams) gives you 5 AI meeting notes and recordings. The five-cap applies to audio and video uploads as well.

The Solo plan is $19 per month with annual billing. With this plan, you can access all features without limits and use the integrations.

If you choose the team plan for $7 per user per month, you get 10 AI meeting notes, recordings, and file uploads per user.

The Business plan is $15 per user per month for annual billing. You can use all features without limits and access additional organization-wide templates and advanced CRM integration.

Finally, Fellow offers an Enterprise plan for $25 per month that provides advanced control and security.

You will get a 2-week free trial to test the advanced features and decide whether it is worth upgrading.

Fellow’s pros and cons

To make your decision easier, here are the main reasons you might choose or skip Fellow.

Fellow’s pros

Fellow’s cons

Read my full review: Fellow Review: My Thoughts After +12 Months (2026)

Use this link to sign up and get 10% off the paid plans if you upgrade

MeetGeek

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

MeetGeek is a robust AI note-taker with detailed meeting notes and analytics. You can use it on Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, and more, and transcribe meetings in 50 languages. You can download it to a Mac and use it on mobile devices for in-person meetings as well.

Full MeetGeek review Visit MeetGeek

Best for detailed AI notes

Quick verdict

• Best for:

 Extensive meeting notes & meeting insights

• Not ideal for:

If you need a lightweight AI note-taker

• Biggest strength:

Detailed AI meeting notes

• Biggest weakness:

Limited transcription minutes in the Pro plan

Biggest productivity gain: Helps sales and customer-facing teams uncover patterns, decisions, and follow-ups faster.

How MeetGeek performed in my daily workflow

Before Fellow, I used MeetGeek as my default AI note-taking app for 20+ meetings. It offers highly accurate transcripts and has all the advanced features an individual or business might need.

It offers one of the most accurate transcriptions, and I only achieved a similar level of quality with Fellow. However, the real power of MeetGeek is its detailed AI notes & advanced meeting analytics features.

While it’s not the cheapest AI note-taker and comes at a premium price, it’s an outstanding solution for those looking for in-depth AI notes and advanced features.

Who should use MeetGeek

Who should NOT use MeetGeek

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, and Zoom

Feature Breakdown

Available plans

The Free plan includes 3 hours of transcription per month, 3 months of transcript storage, and 1 month of audio storage.

The Pro plan is for professional and small teams that have more meetings. It includes all the features in the free plan, plus 20 hours of transcription per month, 1 year of transcript storage, and 6 months of video storage.

The Business plan is ideal for teams and individual professionals who want to get the full MeetGeek experience. It offers unlimited transcription, unlimited transcript storage, and 12 months of video storage.

MeetGeek also offers an Enterprise plan that includes some extras like branded emails, organization-wide settings, a dedicated account manager, and more.

MeetGeek’s pros and cons

After using MeetGeek for 20-plus meetings, here are the biggest strengths and weaknesses I discovered.

MeetGeek’s pros

MeetGeek’s cons

Read my full review: MeetGeek Review: Is It The Best AI Note-Taker For You? (2026)

Krisp

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.2/5

Krisp is a voice AI platform that removes background noise from your real-time online calls, provides AI note-taking, and accent conversion. It does not use bots and works with almost all video conferencing platforms.

Full Krisp review Visit Krisp

Best for noise cancellation & AI notes

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Professionals require noise cancellation, combined with AI note-taking

• Not ideal for:

Users who are looking for a free AI note-taker

• Biggest strength:

It works on most communication platforms

• Biggest weakness:

No permanent free plan

Biggest productivity gain: Removes background noise while automatically capturing AI notes and meeting summaries

Testing Krisp in everyday use

When I joined calls through Google Meet in Chrome, the extension made it simple to capture the meeting without opening the desktop app. I feel the tool is lightweight overall, but still powerful.

For transcription accuracy and meeting notes, Krisp was solid during my testing. I was totally satisfied with the output and loved the AI chat. Also, it’s great that you can use it for in-person meetings.

As for the other features, Krisp offers some outstanding, unique tools, such as accent conversion and noise cancellation. With this extensive feature set, Krisp is an ideal choice for customer calls.

While I had a smoother experience with other bot-less AI note-takers like Granola or Bluedot, Krisp offers a more complete platform for calls.

When Krisp makes the most sense

When Krisp might not work for you

Meeting platforms

All conferencing platforms including Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and any in-person meeting.

Features I Tested

Paid plans overview

Krisp offers only a 7-day free trial, and there is no free plan.

The Pro plan ($16 per user/month, or just $8 with yearly billing) gives unlimited audio and video recording, AI meeting notes and action items, AI chat, multilingual summaries, and in-person meeting support.

For larger teams, the Business plan ($30 per user/month, or $15 with yearly billing) adds features such as 4 hours per day of accent conversion, 30GB of storage, SSO/SCIM, manager view, and advanced admin controls.

Finally, Enterprise plans come with advanced security options, private on-device transcription, dedicated account managers, and usage analytics.

Krisp’s pros and cons

Compared to other AI note-taking tools, here are the features that impressed me most during testing, along with the limitations you should know about.

Krisp’s pros

Krisp’s cons

Read my full review: My Brutal Honest Krisp Review 2026 | Is It Worth It?

Supernormal

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

Supernormal (formerly Radiant) is a simple AI-powered personal assistant for Mac users that helps you capture your meetings and execute your next steps.

Full Supernormal review Visit Supernormal

Best for Mac users who need bot-free recording

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Combining AI note-taking with task and workflow management

• Not ideal for:

Users who need more advanced note-taking features like recording

• Biggest strength:

Task management + AI follow-up actions

• Biggest weakness:

Mac only

Biggest productivity gain: Turns meeting conversations into ready-to-execute tasks, emails, and follow-ups in seconds

Using Supernormal in real-world scenarios

Compared to other AI note-taker tools, Supernormal showed me something new, and I discovered that it’s more than just an AI meeting assistant, but a task management app as well.

Supernormal offers the perfect combination of note-taking and task management by integrating AI that suggests your next steps and prepares your drafts.

It takes you one step further toward actually getting things done, as you receive a pretty solid draft for all the tasks you have to do after your call.

So, if you want to try out something fresh with more focus on taking actions (and you have a Mac), I definitely recommend checking out Supernormal.

Best use cases for Supernormal

When Supernormal is not the right choice

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.

Capabilities & Tools

Plans & costs

Supernormal offers a free plan that includes 5 daily credits, 15 monthly credits, and other features.

The Pro plan is designed for businesses and allows unlimited users to use it at once. While it starts at $18 per month with annual billing per organization, you will quickly run out of AI credits. That said, the monthly price would likely be between $54 and $90.

The Business plan starts at $40 per month and includes SSO, audit logs, data retention, and admin controls. However, the AI credits apply here as well, so it can easily cost between $120 and $200 monthly.

Supernormal’s pros and cons

Here are the areas where Supernormal stood out the most and where it still needs improvement.

Supernormal’s pros

Supernormal’s cons

Read my full review: Radiant Review: Something Special? (2026)

Fireflies AI

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

Fireflies AI is one of the most popular AI note-takers with a budget-friendly paid plan for businesses and individuals. It supports Google Meet, Zoom, Teams, and Webex, and offers web, desktop, and mobile apps.

Full Fireflies AI review Visit Fireflies AI

Best for budget-conscious teams and individuals

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Budget-friendly meeting transcription & note-taking

• Not ideal for:

If you are looking for an extensive free plan

• Biggest strength:

Platform and language support

• Biggest weakness:

Limited free plan

Biggest productivity gain: Speeds up post-meeting workflows with instant summaries, smart search, and shareable notes

How Fireflies AI performed in my daily workflow (3 years of experience)

My overall experience with Fireflies AI was solid, especially considering how easy it is to get started. Setup took only a few minutes, and it worked reliably across different platforms, which made it easy to integrate into my existing workflow.

Yes, the transcription and meeting notes are not exceptional and did not achieve the same level of accuracy as Fellow; however, it’s a well-balanced option overall.

Based on my experience, it outperformed Otter AI, another popular alternative, in both transcription accuracy and AI-generated meeting notes.

Overall, Fireflies AI is not the most advanced tool in any single category. Still, it offers a strong mix of usability, features, and pricing, which makes it a very practical choice for everyday meeting workflows.

Who Would be a Good Fit for Fireflies AI?

Who Would be a Bad Fit for Fireflies AI?

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, Blue Jeans, Skype, Dialpad, Webex, Lifesize, GoToMeeting

Core Features

Pricing

The Free plan includes unlimited transcription and limited AI summaries with 800 minutes of storage.

The Pro plan is ideal for individuals or small teams with many meetings each month. It includes unlimited transcription minutes and meeting recaps.

If you want the conversation intelligence feature, which includes meeting analysis functions and team insights, you must go with the Business plan. The Business plan is perfect for small and large teams that can utilize these extra features.

The Enterprise plan is for large-scale enterprises. You will get a dedicated support team and an onboarding program here.

Fireflies AI’s pros and cons

To summarize my experience, these are the biggest wins and compromises of using Fireflies AI.

Fireflies AI’s pros

Fireflies AI’s cons

Read my full review: Fireflies AI Review: Why is EVERYONE using it for meeting notes?

tl;dv

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

tl;dv is a straightforward AI note-taker that comes with an extensive free plan and accurate transcriptions, ideal for individuals and freelancers. It works with 30+ languages, and you can transcribe meetings on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.

Full tl;dv review Visit tl;dv

Best for individuals

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Individuals & freelancers who need easy-to-use AI note-taking

• Not ideal for:

Bot-free recording

• Biggest strength:

Easy-to-use interface with a generous free plan

• Biggest weakness:

Mobile app experience is limited

Biggest productivity gain: Accelerate post-meeting workflows and information collection with AI reports

What I learned using tl;dv over time

For a long time, I used tl;dv as my default AI note-taking app, alongside MeetGeek, for business calls. During this time, I had a positive experience with tl;dv. While it has robust features to automate online meetings from A to Z, it remains a simple, user-friendly tool.

It offers accurate transcriptions, easily digestible AI notes, and features like AI reports to automate meeting workflows. I switched to Fellow after 18 months because my team started expanding, and I needed more advanced features.

Nevertheless, tl;dv a straightforward and reliable AI note-taker to manage your meetings on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.

Who will benefit most from tl;dv

Who should look for alternatives

If you fall in love with tl;dv and switch to paid plans in the future, you will get a 30% discount for the first six months if you use this link for sign-up.

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom

Real-World Features

Value for money

The free plan includes unlimited video recordings and unlimited transcription, five file uploads, AI notes for up to 10 meetings and up to 10 Ask AI queries. Compared with other tools, tl;dv’s free plan is pretty generous and includes many features.

The Pro plan is ideal for individuals or small teams having many meetings in a month. It has all the features in the free plan, plus unlimited meetings with AI notes, unlimited single-meeting Ask AI, global transcript search, 8000+ integrations, and unlimited uploads & storage.

If you want multi-meeting AI insights and more advanced coaching features, you have to pay for the Business plan.

The Enterprise plan is solely for large businesses, where you get custom pricing. With this plan, tl;dv provides a dedicated customer success manager, custom invoicing, and advanced data management features.

tl;dv’s pros and cons

If you are considering using tl;dv, these pros and cons should help you decide faster.

tl;dv’s pros

tl;dv’s cons

Read my full review: My Honest Tl;dv Review After Using It For +18 Months (2026)

If you fall in love with tl;dv and switch to paid plans in the future, you will get a 30% discount for the first six months if you use this link for sign-up.

Fathom

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

Fathom suits users who need the essential features for free and a simple AI note-taker.  It supports 38 languages and captures calls on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.

Full Fathom review Visit Fathom

Best free AI note-taker

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Simple AI note-taking with free core features

• Not ideal for:

If you are looking for a robust AI note-taker

• Biggest strength:

Accurate transcriptions and well-structured meeting notes for free

• Biggest weakness:

No mobile app

Biggest productivity gain: Finding information from past meetings is way faster with Ask Fathom

What it’s like to use Fathom long-term

Fathom was a pleasant surprise for me when using it for months.

After testing almost all the AI note-taking apps on the market, I found Fathom’s free plan among the best. So, if you don’t want to spend a penny on AI note-takers, Fathom is a top choice. Alternatively, you can consider tl;dv, which also offers an excellent free version.

Fathom focuses on the core features, and does it extremely well. It has solid transcription accuracy (85-90%), well-organized AI notes, and the Ask Fathom works great.

While it does not offer as many features as Fellow or MeetGeek, Fathom’s focus on the basics makes it ideal for those looking for a lightweight, free AI note-taker.

Best use cases for Fathom

Where Fathom falls short

If you want to try out Fathom, use this link to get FREE 3 months of premium features without an extra cost. This way, you can have 3X more time to test Fathom’s advanced features and decide whether to upgrade or stay with the free plan.

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom

Main Features

Pricing explained

Fathom has a free plan and three paid subscription plans. The free plan includes unlimited recordings, storage, and transcriptions. Compared with other tools, Fathom’s free plan is outstanding thanks to the unlimited recordings, transcriptions, and storage capacity.

The Premium plan is ideal for individuals who want to utilize more features. It has all the features in the free plan. However, you can use all the AI features with this plan.

The Team plan was designed for small teams. With this plan, you will access team collaboration features like folders, comments, mentions, and keyword alerts.

If you want powerful features like AI coaching and deal view, you have to pay for the Business plan. If you choose this plan, you will have unlimited integrations, advanced security controls, single sign-on integration, and custom data retention policies.

Fathom’s pros and cons

Before adding Fathom to your tool stack, these are the pros and cons I think you should know about.

Fathom’s pros

Fathom’s cons

Read my full review: My Honest Fathom Review After Using It For +3 Months (2026)

If you want to try out Fathom, use this link to get FREE 3 months of premium features without an extra cost. This way, you can have 3X more time to test Fathom’s advanced features and decide whether to upgrade or stay with the free plan.

Bluedot

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

Bluedot is a bot-free AI note-taker for Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack calls. I found it an easy-to-use AI note-taker with bot-free recording, transcription, and summaries, but the free plan is quite limited.

Full Bluedot review Visit Bluedot

Easy-to-use botless AI note-taker

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Users who need an easy-to-set-up AI note-taker that works without a bot

• Not ideal for:

Users looking for a fully free AI note-taking solution

• Biggest strength:

Easy-to-use bot-free recording

• Biggest weakness:

Requires cloud processing to generate meeting notes

Biggest productivity gain: Eliminates manual CRM updates by syncing meeting insights directly into tools like HubSpot and Notion

My hands-on experience with Bluedot

After testing 25+ AI note-takers, I found Bluedot to be one of the easiest to use. While I noticed that a few users mentioned that Bluedot’s setup can be clunky and requires more manual configuration than competitors, I don’t agree with them. For me, it was really smooth to set up Bluedot and get started.

Bluedot reminded me how simple note-taking should be. It’s not trying to be an all-in-one meeting intelligence platform, despite all the advanced functionalities it has in store.

The AI summaries were impressively accurate and I loved how you get to interact with the meeting via AI chat to draw conclusions or simply get reminded of important points.

The impression I have of Bluedot is that it is a perfect match for professionals who want fast, accurate meeting notes without the hassle of bots or complex setups. 

When comparing it to other bot-less AI note-takers I tried, like Granola and Krisp, I think Bluedot really finds the right balance between being a lightweight tool and offering all the necessary features. In contrast, Granola felt too basic at times, while Krips is feature-heavy but requires a learning curve.

Who Bluedot is best for

Who Bluedot is not ideal for

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom

Key features

Pricing overview

Bluedot offers a flexible pricing structure that scales with your team’s needs, starting with a forever-free plan that lets you record and transcribe up to five meetings. It’s a great way to test the waters if you’re curious about bot-free AI note-taking. 

From there, the Basic plan ($14–18/user/month) unlocks unlimited audio recordings and core features like Slack integration and Chrome-based capture.

If you need video support, longer recordings, and custom meeting templates, the Pro tier ($20–25/user/month) offers a more complete toolkit for collaborative teams.

For growing businesses that rely on CRM workflows, the Business plan ($32–39/user/month) adds valuable integrations with platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce, plus bulk import options and topic tracking.

Larger organizations can opt for Enterprise pricing, which includes features like SSO, custom retention policies, and advanced admin controls. 

Bluedot’s pros and cons

After testing Bluedot in real meetings, these were the biggest things it did well and where it struggled.

Bluedot’s pros

Bluedot’s cons

Read my full review: My Honest Bluedot Review After Testing 25+ AI Note-Takers

Equal Time

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

3.7/5

Equal Time is an AI-powered meeting assistant for Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls. During my testing, it stood out as a straightforward AI note-taker with an excellent inclusion analysis feature, but it lacks a free plan and a desktop and mobile version.

Full Equal Time review Visit Equal Time

Best AI note-taker for meeting inclusion

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Teams focused on meeting inclusion and speaking analytics

• Not ideal for:

If you need an AI note-taker that has a desktop and mobile version as well

• Biggest strength:

Advanced inclusion analysis

• Biggest weakness:

No free plan

Biggest productivity gain: Helps teams identify speaking imbalances, interruptions, and monologues automatically

Testing Equal Time in everyday use

When testing this AI note-taker, I really loved its simplicity. I found everything easily and encountered no technical issues.

After using Equal Time for a few calls, I concluded that it offers accurate transcription. But what impressed me most was its inclusion analysis features.

It shows you the participation rate, monologues, mansplaining, and the number of interruptions. Also, Equal Time breaks down your online call and provides a more detailed overview of the conversation patterns.

On the other hand, the user interface is a bit old-fashioned and lacks a free plan. Also, it’s the least versatile AI note-taking app on this list, since it only has a web version.

However, it was great to see that there are no fluffs, it does its job reliably, and it is one of the most straightforward AI note-takers I have used in recent years.

Who will benefit most from Equal Time

Who might struggle with Equal Time

Meeting platforms

Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom

Standout features

Cost vs value

Although EqualTime has no free plan, it offers a 7-day trial for the Premium and Team plans.

With the Premium Plan, you can use the AI meeting notes, transcription, meeting analysis, and global search features, and add a custom vocabulary of up to 1000 terms.

You can get the Premium plan for $15 monthly per user if you choose the annual billing. Alternatively, you can go for the monthly billing for $18 per user per month.

The Equal Time Team plan includes all the features that you can access in the Premium, but it was designed for teams.

The Team Plan is $75 per month with yearly billing and covers 5 Premium Seats. You can add additional seats for $18 monthly. If you want to have monthly billing, the Team Plan will cost you $90 per month, but you can add additional seats at the same price.

Equal Time applies customized pricing for the Company License. Compared to the Equal Time Team plan, it includes company-wide deployment, user management features, advanced reporting and security, and you can access additional integrations here with tools like Notion, Jira, Salesforce, and more.

Equal Time’s pros and cons

During my testing, these were the biggest advantages and drawbacks I noticed with Equal Time.

Equal Time’s pros

Equal Time’s cons

Read my full review: Equal Time Review: More Than A Simple AI Note-Taker (2026)

Wrap-up: Best AI note-taker for 2026

Taking notes is a burdensome task, especially if you are alone in the call and you need to focus on every task at once, like listening or asking the right questions. Fortunately, this is for the past, and AI note-takers have completely changed how we participate in online meetings.

Related articles:

• 5 Best Bot-Free AI Note-Takers In 2026 (NOT What You’d Think)
• Best 5 Otter AI Alternatives | 20+ Personally Tested Apps (2026)
• 15 Best AI Tools | 200+ Tested By A Skeptical (2026)

I hope I was able to find the best AI note-taker for you. As always, I will keep updating this list to ensure it reflects the reality.

Why you can trust our reviews

At thebusinessdive.com, our team tests, reviews, and compares hundreds of productivity apps every year — from project management tools to note-taking apps. We dive deep into real-world use cases to help you find the right tools that actually improve your workflow, not just add noise.

Our mission? No fluff, no shortcuts—just honest, hands-on insights from productivity pros.

Discover how we stay transparent, read our review methodology, and let us know about any tools we missed.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best AI meeting assistant for online meetings?

After testing numerous AI note-takers, I found Fellow the best. It is a safe AI note-taking app that follows industry standards for data protection and also offers great features to improve productivity.

How much does a Fathom AI note-taker cost?

Fathom has four pricing plans. The free plan includes unlimited recordings, storage, and transcriptions. It also gives you some integrations, and you can use some basic features like clips.

The Premium plan is ideal for individuals who want to utilize more features. It has all the features in the free plan. However, you can use all the AI features with this plan and connect Fathom to Zapier.

The Team plan was designed for small teams. With this plan, you will access team collaboration features like folders, comments, mentions, and keyword alerts.

If you want powerful features like AI coaching and deal view, you have to pay for the Business plan. If you choose this plan, you will have unlimited integrations, advanced security controls, single sign-on integration, and custom data retention policies.

You can read the full Fathom review here: My Honest Fathom Review After Using It For +3 Months (2026)

Is there a free AI Note-taker for Zoom?

All the AI note-takers I collected in this post have free plans for calls on Zoom. To capture conversations on Zoom for free, I recommend trying MeetGeek.

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.

The post Best 9 AI Note-Takers | My Top Picks After +2 Years Testing (2026) appeared first on .

To find out what WPS Office can actually deliver, I tested it myself. While I mostly focused on the PDF editing features, I also took a look at its other apps.

Stick around, because in this unfiltered WPS Office review, I will reveal its key features, pricing, pros and cons, and ultimately share my experience with this productivity suite.

Let’s dive in!

Verdict

Here’s the quick verdict if you don’t want to read the full review:

Tested with our review & scoring methodology Real-world testing Unbiased evaluation

How We Test PDF Editors

To keep our reviews and final scores fair and consistent, we evaluate every PDF editor using a standardized testing framework built on over 3 years of hands-on experience testing these tools in real-world scenarios.

Our scoring breakdown after testing 30+ PDF editors:

Want a detailed breakdown of how we test each category?

Learn exactly how we test tools → Review methodology

Short on time? Here’s a quick overview of WPS Office

What is WPS Office?

WPS Office is a productivity suite with apps for PDFs, documents, images, sheets, and slides. It was developed by Kingsoft Office Software, and more than 200 million users utilize it for daily tasks.

WPS Office is a remarkable alternative to Microsoft Office, replicating its overall appearance and fundamental functionalities. If you have used Microsoft Office before, you will be familiar with WPS Office files and features.

It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS devices, which makes it a pretty versatile office suite.

My experience with WPS Office

My overall experience with WPS Office was positive and smooth. It is easy to use and has a short learning curve if you are switching from MS Office.

It offers solid PDF editing features and has all the tools to manipulate your PDF files. I particularly found its AI features strong and the way WPS implemented them.

As for drawbacks during my WPS Office review, I encountered ads while using the free version. Also, I felt the free version was limited in its PDF editing features. Besides the really basic features, all the other tools require paid plans.

Why WPS Office got a 4 / 5 score

WPS Office delivered a smooth and beginner-friendly experience with solid PDF editing tools and useful AI-powered features. It covers all the essentials for editing, annotating, converting, organizing, and protecting PDF files while maintaining a clean interface similar to Microsoft Office.

Where it lost points is pricing and limitations in the free version. Many advanced PDF and AI features require paid plans, the free version includes ads, and the refund policy may frustrate some users.

Who WPS Office is a good fit for

Who WPS Office is not ideal for

Key Features

Let’s start this WPS Office review with its PDF software’s key features!

WPS PDF

Over the past few years, I tested 30+ PDF editing software and was curious how WPS Office stacks up against them. Therefore, during my WPS Office review, I tested all its PDF features to see how it performs compared to the most popular PDF editors.

Scroll down to see the results.

PDF reading

You can access the PDF viewing features on the button in the right corner. WPS lets you apply different view modes, such as light, dark, comfort, and parchment.

Furthermore, you can choose from layout options, so you can read your PDFs with single and two-page views. Also, you can view your PDFs in full screen for maximum reading comfort.

Ultimately, WPS Office provides the essential PDF reading features. Compared to PDF-XChange or Tungsten Power PDF, the reading features might be more limited, but you have all the necessary functions that 80% of PDF editors offer.

PDF editor

If you click on “Edit content”, WPS Office selects the text boxes for editing. It offers numerous font types, colors, alignment options, and more.

When changing the font size, I noticed that you can’t just simply type in the number, but you have to select it; otherwise, WPS Office won’t apply the selected size. This was a bit annoying, but all the other text editing functionality worked smoothly during my WPS Office review.

On the other hand, it was great that many AI features appeared when selecting the text box. With this feature, you can ask WPS to summarize, expand, explain, and more. It’s a useful addition, and I did not see this solution when testing other PDF editors.

Moreover, you can place images in your PDF documents with WPS Office. Once inserted, you can adjust the size, position, opacity, and more.

I appreciated its Smart Background Removal feature, and surprisingly, it worked great for most of the pictures. This is something I missed when testing even more advanced PDF editors.

In addition to incorporating text, images, WPS Office lets you insert links, audio, video, and shapes.

Ultimately, I was satisfied with WPS Office’s PDF editing features. While it might not have as many advanced features as PDF-XChange or other PDF editors, it’s not stuffed with functions and icons, and it makes sense where you find the relevant options.

Annotation tools

If you click on the “Comment” tab, you can find the annotation features. You can highlight text or an area, draw, leave comments, callouts, and more.

I found that during my WPS Office review that if you click on the properties of each annotation tool, you can further customize them. So, you can change the color, opacity level, and apply similar options.

Overall, I was satisfied with the annotation tools, which make WPS Office a suitable choice for teams managing PDF files.

PDF organization

With WPS Office, you can organize your pages. It allows you to import, delete, extract, replace, crop, and split pages with a few clicks. You can also drag and drop the picture of the pages to easily change their positions.

Forms and electronic signatures

You can use WPS Office for form filing and creation. These features are best for users who are looking for essential form creation tools. You can insert six different elements, such as text boxes, check boxes, or lists, and further personalize the appearance, action list, and options.

Furthermore, you can sign documents with WPS Office. You can generate your e-signature by drawing, typing, or inserting it from a picture. Also, you can add initials.

It’s ideal for occasional signing on your personal computer or tablet. Once you have created your signature, you can insert it with one click. Nevertheless, the free version allows you to create only one signature.

PDF protection

WPS Office provides solid protection for your PDF files. You can add a password for opening, editing, and extracting. You can also restrict the printing, commenting, copying, form-filling, and inserting or deleting pages.

Moreover, you can insert digital certificates for encryption and add watermarks to your files.

Conversion features

WPS Office also offers conversion features for your PDF documents. You can convert PDF files into Excel, PPT, and Word documents. Additionally, you can convert PDF files into pictures and TXT.

Compressing tools

WPS Offers supports PDF compression as well. It supports multiple compression levels, including HD, Recommended, and Smallest. Besides, you can batch process numerous files.

OCR

Using WPS’s OCR feature, you can transform scanned documents into editable ones. You can access this feature under the Convert tab. WPS offers two types of OCR features.

The first converts scanned PDFs into editable and searchable documents, making it ideal for organizations or schools that need to digitize archives, for example, quickly retrieving and updating contracts, agreements, or study materials.

The second allows users to extract text from images and export it directly into TXT, Word, or Excel formats. This is especially useful in study or work scenarios, such as turning a photo of a classroom whiteboard or a meeting slide screenshot into an editable document within seconds.

WPS Docs

I’ll be fast on this one. You can create and edit documents similar to Microsoft Word. You have all the options, such as adding different font types, highlights, bullet points, and more. Furthermore, you can insert tables, pictures, shapes, and more.

Two important functions I noticed here. First, WPS automatically selects sections and sentences. If you click on the six dots, you can transform the section into headings, change alignment, and more.

Secondly, WPS has built-in AI features that you can utilize to improve your writing. It helps you to make text longer, shorter, and apply different writing styles.

Overall, I was satisfied with WPS Docs, which provides a smooth experience to manage your documents.

WPS Slides

With WPS Slides, you can create slide decks easily. Compared to other office suites, WPS Slides works similarly, and I found it ideal for creating slides fast.

That said, you can choose a template from the library of more than 10,000 covering work, educational, personal, and other categories. This helps to speed up the process of creating well-structured slides.

Furthermore, WPS implemented its built-in AI features into this software. Besides helping you to polish your text, you can utilize it for creating slides.

During my WPS review, I discovered that WPS Slides is easy to use and has a short learning curve since you can find all the functionalities quickly if you have used PowerPoint.

WPS Sheets

WPS Sheets is a solid alternative to Microsoft Excel for creating, editing, and sharing spreadsheets. With the WPS Sheets, you can visualize, analyze, and use formulas for your data.

Essentially, the formulas work the same as MS Office. So, familiar with the previous functions, you will experience a short learning curve if you are switching from MS Office.

AI features

WPS Office’s AI features are useful for summarizing documents, finding information quickly, translating pages, and generating mind maps, slides, and images. While the document summarization was a bit slow, WPS Office generated mind maps in seconds.

Furthermore, the AI slide generator truly impressed me during my WPS review. It extracts the key details from your documents and organizes them into slides. After that, you only need to select the template you want to apply, and it will prepare the entire slide deck in a few minutes.

It’s a really useful addition for those who work a lot with PPTs and want to prepare slides faster. As with other PDF editors with AI tools like UPDF or PDNob, WPS’s advanced AI capabilities are locked behind premium subscription tiers as well.

WPS Office user interface

WPS Office offers a user-friendly interface. From the homepage, you can access the Docs, Slides, Sheets, and PDF software as well. Also, you will find here the files you worked with recently.

WPS Office pricing

WPS Office offers one free plan and three paid plans to individuals.

Free plan

With the Free plan, you will access basic PDF editing features, a PDF viewer, and 1 GB cloud storage. While you will get 100% compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, you will get limited Office Suite Features and no AI tools.

Just a heads-up: Using the free software, you may sometimes see pop-ups from WPS Office offering an upgrade.

WPS Pro

The WPS Pro is $35.99 annually and provides access to all the PDF editing features, conversion tools, unlimited templates, electronic signature function, and 20 GB cloud storage.

With this plan, you will no longer see advertisements from WPS Office to upgrade. WPS Office’s refund policy is generally restrictive, with many users reporting that refunds are issued only for technical issues. That said, based on some user reports I read, many people have experienced difficulty in obtaining refunds for accidental charges or subscription renewals.

WPS AI

If you need access to the AI features, WPS Office offers its WPS AI plan for $119.88 per year. This covers numerous AI tools, such as AI spell check, AI slides, translation, PDF chat, and more.

WPS Pro and WPS AI

WPS Office has a plan for those who need the Pro features but want to utilize the AI tools as well. You can get this plan for $129.99 per year, so if you need AI features, I recommend going with this plan since the price difference between this and the WPS AI plan is minimal, but you get significantly more.

Team plan

WPS Office also offers a plan for teams. It starts with two users, and you can purchase it for $2.49 per user monthly. However, the Team plan does not include the AI features.

Pros and cons I discovered during my WPS Office review

After my WPS Office review, I found these pros and cons you should know about this software.

WPS’s pros

WPS’s cons

WPS Office alternatives

Since I mostly focused on the PDF editing features, here are some of the best alternatives to WPS Office if you need a PDF software:

Wrap-up: WPS Office review

Throughout my testing, WPS Office provided a smooth experience. It’s a balanced option for small businesses and individuals who need a solid Microsoft Office alternative with an intuitive PDF editor.

Related articles:

• The 8 Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives: 30+ PDF Editors Tested
• The 10 Best PDF Editors In 2026 | 30+ Personally Tested PDF Tools
• The 6 Best PDF Readers For 2025 (Only FREE Options)
• 6 Best OCR Software For 2026 | 30+ Personally Tested Tools
• 6 Best PDF Converter For 2026 | 30+ Personally Tested Tools

Hope I was able to help you find the best PDF editor for you. As always, I will update this WPS review over time so you guys have up-to-date information about this PDF software.

Why you can trust our reviews

At thebusinessdive.com, our team tests, reviews, and compares hundreds of productivity apps every year — from project management tools to note-taking apps. We dive deep into real-world use cases to help you find the right tools that actually improve your workflow, not just add noise.

Our mission? No fluff, no shortcuts—just honest, hands-on insights from productivity pros.

Discover how we stay transparent, read our review methodology, and let us know about any tools we missed.

Frequently asked questions

Is WPS Office good or bad?

Based on my WPS Office review, I found it to be a solid solution to manage your files. Considering its feature set and pricing, it is an ideal choice for individuals and small businesses.

Is WPS a Chinese company?

Yes, WPS Office was developed by the Chinese company Kingsoft Office Software.

What are the disadvantages of WPS?

If you use the free version, you will probably encounter pop-ups that can be bothersome during work. Also, I discovered that you can not access advanced features for PDF editing with the free version.

Can I trust the WPS Office?

Based on my research, I found that WPS Office is trustworthy in terms of functionality and file security. It’s not an open-source office suite, and its source code operates under a proprietary license. If this makes it a no-go for you (for me, it isn’t), I recommend checking out LibreOffice or OnlyOffice.

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

The post WPS Office Review 2026 | Is It Worth It For YOU? appeared first on .

I invested over 200 hours in this project and tested more than 30 PDF editors to discover the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives.

And I have good news for you! I found some PDF editing software that is better and cheaper than Adobe.

In this article, I will share the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives you can find in 2026.

Let’s dive in!

Quick Picks: Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives

How I Tested Adobe Acrobat Alternatives

To keep our reviews and final scores fair and consistent, we evaluate every PDF editor using a standardized testing framework built on over 3 years of hands-on experience testing these tools in real-world scenarios.

I specifically evaluated how each PDF editor stacks up against Adobe Acrobat in editing, OCR, AI features, pricing, performance, and usability.

Our scoring breakdown after testing 30+ PDF editors:

Want a detailed breakdown of how we test each category?

Learn exactly how we test tools → Review methodology

Compare the Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives

Detailed Reviews of the Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives

Let’s see the list of the best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives in 2026!

Tenorshare PDNob

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.6/5

PDNob combines accurate OCR, AI-powered document tools, and simple PDF editing in a beginner-friendly interface for Windows, Mac, and IOS. It is a strong alternative to Adobe Acrobat for users who want a budget-friendly PDF editor with solid features, though the lack of an Android version may be limiting for some users.

Full PDNob review Visit PDNob

Best for AI + OCR workflows

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Professionals handling OCR-heavy PDF workflows

• Not ideal for:

Users need to edit a PDF on Android

• Biggest strength:

One of the most accurate OCR engines I tested

• Biggest weakness:

No Android version

Pricing starts at: $49.99/year + free plan available (~4.8x cheaper than Adobe Acrobat Pro)

My take after using PDNob for 3 years

After I tested PDNob, it became my default PDF editor, so needless to say, it performed well during testing. But let’s break it down.

PDNob PDF editor offers a wide range of PDF editing and annotation tools. With its easy-to-use tools and user-friendly interface, I had almost zero learning curve with this PDF editor.

It has one of the most accurate OCR engines, and its advanced PDF reading capabilities make it easy to read long PDF documents.

During my Tenorshare PDNob review, I especially loved the AI features. Based on my experience testing numerous PDF editors on the market, I think PDNob’s AI features are among the fastest.

Besides that, I received relevant and accurate answers to my questions. So, it helped me a lot to extract insights from my PDF files and save time.

To summarize, I had an absolutely positive experience with the PDNob PDF editor, and I recommend it to those who need a simple yet effective solution for PDF management. Compared to Adobe Acrobat or Foxit, PDNob offers a similar feature set but at a more affordable price.

Who gets the most value from PDNob

When PDNob might not work for you

Use the above link and the discount code TS-TBD-20 to get 20% OFF from the paid plans.

Key features

What does it cost?

To try out PDNob, you get a one-week free trial, so you can test everything before committing.

If you want to use the advanced features on an ongoing basis, PDNob currently costs $49.99 with a promotion, while the regular price is $159.98 per year, which is still significantly cheaper than Adobe Acrobat.

Furthermore, you can buy the lifetime license for $64.99 and access unlimited AI features for $39.99.

Tenorshare PDNob’s pros and cons

After comparing PDNob directly with Adobe Acrobat, these were the most important pros and cons I discovered.

Tenorshare PDNob’s pros

Tenorshare PDNob’s cons

Read my full review: Tenorshare PDNob Review 2026 | My Unfiltered Opinion

Use the above link and the discount code TS-TBD-20 to get 20% OFF from the paid plans.

EaseUS PDF Editor

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.6/5

EaseUS PDF Editor offers one of the best balances of features, usability, and pricing among the PDF editors I tested. It works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android and combines solid editing with accurate OCR. While I missed the built-in AI features, it is an excellent alternative to Adobe Acrobat for everyday use.

Full EaseUS PDF review Visit EaseUS PDF

Best for everyday PDF editing

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Individuals who need a budget-friendly PDF editor with an extensive feature set

• Not ideal for:

Large organizations

• Biggest strength:

Affordable pricing plans

• Biggest weakness:

AI features

Pricing starts at: $49.95/year + free plan available (~4.8x cheaper than Adobe Acrobat Pro)

My hands-on experience with EaseUS PDF Editor

EaseUS PDF has an intuitive interface and some useful tools for editing and reading PDF files. This tool is very simple.

You can find all the tools you need, whether it is OCR or annotation tools, in seconds. When testing EaseUS PDF Editor, I did not notice any performance issues even when I worked with larger PDF documents.

The features that mostly stand out for me were the editing, OCR, and encryption tools. I only missed the built-in AI tools when using EaseUS PDF Editor’s desktop version.

To summarize, I had an excellent experience with EaseUS PDF, and it is ultimately an affordable alternative to Adobe Acrobat for small and mid-sized businesses and individuals.

Who should use EaseUS PDF Editor

Who should NOT use EaseUS PDF Editor

Key functions

If you think you may need the advanced features, use the above link for signup and enter the code THEBUSINESSDIVE20 to receive 20% OFF if you fall in love with EaseUS PDF later.

Pricing overview

EaseUS’s monthly plan is $19.95, while the yearly plan is $49.95. They include one license for one computer and 1-year free upgrades.

If you go for the lifetime upgrades, it will cost you $79.95.

Overall, EaseUS is currently one of the cheapest PDF editors on the market.

EaseUS PDF editor’s pros and cons

To summarize my experience, these are the biggest wins and compromises of switching away from Adobe Acrobat to EaseUS PDF Editor.

EaseUS PDF Editor’s pros

EaseUS PDF Editor’s cons

Read my full review: EaseUS PDF Editor Review 2026 | My Unfiltered Opinion

If you think you may need the advanced features, use the above link for signup and enter the code THEBUSINESSDIVE20 to receive 20% OFF if you fall in love with EaseUS PDF later.

PDF Expert

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

PDF Expert delivers a smooth experience with fast performance, excellent reading tools, and a clean interface that never feels overwhelming. Compared to Adobe Acrobat, it feels lighter, easier to use, and significantly more affordable for Apple users, although its biggest limitation is the lack of Windows and Android support.

Full PDF Expert review Visit PDF Expert

Best for lightweight Mac editing

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Individuals who need an intuitive and fast PDF editor for Mac

• Not ideal for:

For those who need need a PDF editor for more platforms

• Biggest strength:

Smooth PDF reading

• Biggest weakness:

Supports only Mac

Pricing starts at: Free plan+ paid from $79.99/year (~2.99x cheaper than Adobe Acrobat Pro)

My real-world experience with PDF Expert

PDF Expert is a straightforward, fast, and reliable PDF editor for Apple devices. I mostly used its Mac version, and I was 100% satisfied with what I saw. While it offers numerous tools for your PDF documents, I did not feel that it was overwhelming.

Compared to Adobe Acrobat Pro, it’s not only substantially cheaper, but also feels that it has more accessible PDF editing features, and offers a much better experience performance-wise. That said, I did not have to wait long when opening large PDF documents; there were no crashes, and so on.

Additionally, PDF Expert has an intuitive, user-friendly interface that is often simpler than Adobe Acrobat’s more complex design. For me, these are the most crucial aspects when ranking PDF editors.

So, if you are considering whether to choose PDF Expert or Adobe Acrobat Pro, my obvious answer is PDF Expert, especially if you work within the Apple ecosystem. It is ideal for individuals and small businesses.

Nevertheless, if you need a PDF editor for mid-to-large-sized businesses, PDF Expert will likely be limited in terms of features. For enterprise use, I found Tungsten Power PDF and Nitro to be a more suitable choice.

Who should choose PDF Expert over Adobe Acrobat?

When PDF Expert may not replace Adobe Acrobat for you

Core features

Pricing structure

PDF Expert offers two paid plans.

You can get a lifetime subscription for a one-time fee of $139.99. While it includes almost all the features except the PDF Co-pilot, you have to pay for the updates, and you will not have access to the iPhone and iPad versions.

The annual subscription is $79.99 and includes the updates, iPhone and iPad versions, and the PDF Co-pilot.

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

PDF Expert’s pros and cons

Switching from Adobe Acrobat can save money and make PDF editing smoother with PDF Expert, but here are the trade-offs you should consider with it.

PDF Expert’s pros

PDF Expert’s cons

Read my full review: PDF Expert Review 2026 | Is it REALLY the best for Mac Users?

Smallpdf

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

Smallpdf combines browser-based PDF editing, powerful AI tools, and Google Workspace integrations in one intuitive platform. It is a solid alternative to Adobe Acrobat for users who want a lightweight PDF solution. However, if you need advanced PDF reading or annotation features, desktop-focused PDF editors may be a better fit.

Full Smallpdf review Visit Smallpdf

Best browser-based PDF editor

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Teams & individuals who need a versatile online PDF editor

• Not ideal for:

Users who need a desktop PDF editor

• Biggest strength:

You can use it inside your Google Workspace and Dropbox

• Biggest weakness:

Does not support too many PDF reading functions

Pricing starts at: Free plan+ paid from $120/year(~1.99x cheaper than Adobe Acrobat Pro)

What I learned using Smallpdf over time

When testing Smallpdf, I used its online version. With its intuitive user interface, it was super easy to access all the features I needed.

During the Smallpdf review, I had a feeling that it was more than just a PDF editor; it was rather a document management solution. It supports various formats and offers many tools to manage your documents.

When editing PDFs, Smallpdf adopted a drag-and-drop functionality, which made it easy to edit PDFs quickly and smoothly. Furthermore, Smallpdf offers advanced PDF organization, conversion, and AI features.

I also appreciated the option to add team members. With its discounted pricing for teams, Smallpdf is an ideal solution for teams as well.

Overall, I had an absolutely positive experience with Smallpdf, and I think it is among the best PDF and document management solutions.

Best use cases for Smallpdf

Where Smallpdf falls short

Features Worth Highlighting

Cost breakdown

With the free version, you can access all the basic tools for document management. It covers compression, PDF conversion tools, passwords, a PDF editor, and e-signature features. Nevertheless, the Free Plan has a daily download limit for these features.

The Pro Plan is excellent for professionals who need unlimited downloads and access to all the Pro features. The Pro version of Smallpdf starts at $10 per month when billed annually. Alternatively, if you want to pay monthly, you can use its monthly plan for $15.

With the 7-day free trial, you can test Smallpdf’s Pro features for yourself before buying. The Pro Plan includes all the features of the free version without limits, plus access to additional advanced features.

SmallPDF has a dedicated plan for teams. The Pro for Teams Plan ($8/month per seat) is perfect if you and your team need access to advanced features and faster support, and want to save a bit more compared to individual subscriptions.

Pros and cons of Smallpdf

Compared to Adobe Acrobat, here are the features that stood out most positively in Smallpdf, along with the limitations you should know about.

Smallpdf’s pros

Smallpdf’s cons

Read my full review: Smallpdf Review 2026 | The Top Lightweight PDF Tool

PDF-XChange

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.3/5

PDF-XChange is a feature-rich Windows PDF editor with advanced annotation, security, OCR, review, and batch-processing tools, making it a massive Adobe Acrobat alternative for organizations. It offers enterprise-level functionality at a lower one-time cost than Adobe. Still, its busy interface, confusing pricing structure, and lack of built-in AI tools create a steeper learning curve.

Full PDF-XChange review Visit PDF-XChange

Best alternative for enterprises

Quick verdict

• Best for:

Enterprises that need a massive feature set

• Not ideal for:

Beginners wanting a lightweight PDF editor

• Biggest strength:

Security features

• Biggest weakness:

Overwhelming interface

Pricing starts at: Free plan+ paid from $62 one-time fee (~3.86x cheaper than Adobe Acrobat Pro)

My real-world experience with PDF-XChange

PDF-XChange is one of the most powerful PDF editors I’ve tried so far. In addition to Nitro PDF, Tungsten Power PDF, and Adobe Acrobat, it offers an extensive feature set ideal for business use.

Whether we talk about PDF editing, reading, annotating, security, or converting documents, PDF-XChange is a top PDF software. The one feature I missed here is an in-built AI assistant to summarize my documents.

The main limitations I found during my PDF-XChange review are its pricing model and user interface. The pricing page is simply confusing.

Although it offers a reasonable price, it’s just tough to see what the paid plans include and what features they offer. Also, it only offers a perpetual license, which may not be ideal for many of you.

Regarding its user interface, I think it is just too “busy”. You will see icons, functions, and options everywhere, which make the learning curve longer.

After my PDF-XChange review, I realized that it is one of the most powerful PDF editing software programs currently. If you can get used to its overwhelmed user interface and pricing model, it can be a top choice, especially for businesses.

When to choose PDF-XChange

When you should skip PDF-XChange

Top features

Available plans

The PDF-XChange Editor plan includes the essential features to manipulate your PDF document for $62 per user.

PDF-XChange Editor Plus. The difference between the Plus version and the simple PDF-XChange Editor is that this plan covers fillable forms, enhanced OCR, and dynamic stamps. You can get this plan for $79 per user.

Pros and cons of PDF-XChange

If you are considering switching from Adobe Acrobat to PDF-XChange, these pros and cons should help you make a decision more quickly.

PDF-XChange’s pros

PDF-XChange’s cons

Read my full review: My Unfiltered PDF-XChange Review 2026

PDFgear

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.1/5

PDFgear is a free PDF editor that offers editing, OCR, annotation, conversion, and AI-powered tools. It is one of the best free alternatives to Adobe Acrobat for personal use, but it lacks some advanced PDF editing tools, and there is an ongoing privacy debate.

Full PDFgear review Visit PDFgear

Best free Adobe alternative

Quick verdict

• Best for:

If you need a completely free Adobe Acrobat alternative

• Not ideal for:

User seeking advanced editing features

• Biggest strength:

100% free

• Biggest weakness:

Concerns about privacy

My experience with PDFgear

Straight to the point: PDFgear is currently the best free PDF editor. It offers solid editing, annotation, AI, and conversion features for free, while these features are normally included in paid plans.

During my PDFgear review, I experienced smooth performance, and especially enjoyed using the PDFgear Copilot feature that works like a personal assistant.

As for drawbacks, I would appreciate more powerful editing features or password protection. Furthermore, there is still debate about PDFgear’s security, which poses a potential privacy risk (more information on the debate in the review article).

While I think it’s a safe PDF editor based on my experience, since I used it numerous times in the past three years, there is a data risk, particularly if you use it in your business.

Would I recommend it to my friend?

Yes, if he wants to use it as an individual. If he were to use it for business purposes, I would recommend safer alternatives such as EaseUS PDF Editor or Xodo PDF Studio.

Who should use PDFgear

Who should stay with Adobe Acrobat

Feature breakdown