There are over 100 PDF editors on the market, but finding one that is actually worth paying for is harder than it looks.

Over the past three years, I tested more than 30 PDF tools and spent 200+ hours comparing their editing features, OCR accuracy, AI tools, pricing, performance, and overall usability.

In this guide, I break down the best PDF editors in 2026 based on hands-on testing and real-world use cases, so you can quickly find the right option without wasting time or money.

Let’s dive in!

Best PDF Editors in 2026 (Quick Picks)

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:

You will find each tool’s final score in the comparison table and review sections, along with detailed hands-on reviews explaining the reasoning behind every rating.

However, the rankings in this list are not based only on the overall scores. Each PDF editor earned its place based on specific use cases, strengths, and the type of user it serves best.

Want a detailed breakdown of how we test each category?

Learn exactly how we test tools → Review methodology

Compare the Best PDF Editors in 2026

Here are the top 9 PDF editors that stood out the most to me in 2026:

Detailed Reviews of the Best PDF Editors

Let’s see the best PDF editors in 2026!

EaseUS PDF Editor

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.6/5

EaseUS PDF Editor is an affordable yet powerful PDF editor for Windows and Mac, offering strong OCR, editing, and security features with an intuitive interface.

Full EaseUS PDF review Visit EaseUS PDF

Best Overall

Bottom line

• Best for:

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

• Not ideal for:

Enterprises

• Biggest strength:

Fast, distraction-free reading + easy editing tools

• Biggest weakness:

AI features

After testing 30+ PDF editors, EaseUS PDF Editor stood out with its PDF reading tools, fast performance, and easy-to-use editing tools. It offers the right balance of features, usability, and pricing, making it an excellent alternative to Adobe Acrobat for individuals and small businesses.

My experience with EaseUS PDF

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. Furthermore, I did not notice any performance issues even when I worked with larger PDF documents.

There is one key limitation here: the AI assistant is currently only available online.

Nevertheless, I had a good experience with EaseUS PDF, and it is ultimately an affordable PDF editor for Windows & Mac users.

Who gets the most value from EaseUS PDF Editor

• Individuals looking for a budget-friendly PDF editor with advanced features
• Professionals and small businesses needing reliable PDF editing and OCR
• Users who want a simple, intuitive tool with no learning curve
• Anyone looking for a cost-effective alternative to Adobe Acroba
• Users who mainly work on desktop (Windows or Mac)

When EaseUS PDF Editor might not work for you

• Users who need a mobile app (no iOS or Android support)
• Those looking for advanced AI features built into the editor
• Businesses requiring enterprise-level workflows or integrations
• People needing a fully free solution with no limitations

Try EaseUS PDF

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.

Key Features

PDF reader: EaseUS PDF Editor offers single and two-page views. You can decide between scrolling the pages or automatically jumping to the next page once you reach the end of the PDF page.

PDF editing tools: With this PDF editor, you can edit all the elements of the PDF files, including text, images, shapes, and shades. However, if you select the “all options” tab, you can edit the item you click on. It provides a straightforward way to edit PDF text and images.

Annotate PDFs: You can highlight text, use underline, or strikethrough, but there are also other options. For example, you can add sticky notes and callouts, or you can even draw.

Organize PDFs: Using the Page Tab, you can rearrange your PDF pages, merge, crop, delete, split, and extract pages. So, it has all the tools you need to smoothly organize your PDF pages.

PDF forms and signatures: EaseUS PDF offers simple solutions for creating and filling out forms. When creating a form, you can choose from inserting a text field, checkboxes, drop-down menus, and more. You can also create your digital signature with one click.

Convert PDFs: You can convert PDF documents into Docx files, Excel, PPT, image files, TXT, or HTML formats.

Optical character recognition: EaseUS PDF also has an OCR tool that recognizes text and converts image files to PDF documents.

Password protection: It also has security features, so you can protect your PDF files with passwords.

AI tools: Although it does not have an in-built AI assistant yet, you can use the online PDF editor version where you can access this tool. Apart from this aspect, it works like the other AI assistants.

Try EaseUS PDF

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 structure

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.

Pros and Cons of EaseUS PDF Editor

Here are the most important pros and cons I discovered.

EaseUS PDF Editor’s pros

• First and foremost, EaseUS PDF Editor is an affordable PDF software. Compared to most of the PDF editors on the market, especially Adobe Acrobat, you can get this PDF software at a very reasonable price.
• Secondly, it is an easy-to-use PDF editor. You can smoothly edit your PDFs and access the tools you need.
• In addition, I did not experience any performance issues when using EaseUS PDF Editor, even when working with larger PDF files.
• Moreover, EaseUS PDF Editor did a great job when it comes to the OCR features. For me, it is among the top OCR tools currently.
• Lastly, it has advanced PDF protection features. You can set open and permission passwords, select the encryption algorithm, and add or remove watermarks.

EaseUS PDF Editor’s cons

• One of the disadvantages of EaseUS PDF editor is the lack of a mobile version. It would be useful if you could access its features on iOS and Android.
• Furthermore, I missed the built-in AI features when using EaseUS PDF Editor on my PC’s desktop app.

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

Try EaseUS PDF

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.

Tenorshare PDNob

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.6/5

PDNob is an AI-powered PDF editor for Windows and Mac that offers many features to edit, read, organize, and annotate your documents.

Full PDNob review Visit PDNob

Best AI-Powered PDF editor

Bottom line

• Best for:

If you need advanced PDF editing & OCR features

• Not ideal for:

Users need to edit a PDF on Android

• Biggest strength:

Powerful OCR features

• Biggest weakness:

No Android version

PDNob is a powerful, well-rounded PDF editor with strong AI features, accurate OCR, fast performance, and an easy-to-use interface. If you’re looking for a modern alternative to the popular PDF editors, this is probably your best option right now.

My experience with Tenorshare PDNob after using it for 2 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. 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.

Best use cases for Tenorshare PDNob

• Users who need advanced PDF editing with a simple interface
• Professionals working with scanned documents and OCR-heavy workflows
• People looking for an affordable alternative to Adobe Acrobat with similar capabilities
• Users who value fast performance and minimal learning curve
• Small businesses and professionals handling regular PDF editing, conversion, and organization

Where Tenorshare PDNob falls short

• Users who need a PDF editor on Android (no support currently)
• Enterprise teams requiring advanced, large-scale document workflows
• Users looking for a completely free PDF editor or cheaper alternatives

Key features

PDF reader: PDNob has the essential tools to read PDFs, including more layout options and dark mode.

PDF editing tools: When editing your PDFs, PDNob uses a drag-and-drop system. With this PDF editor, you can make changes to the text, pictures, and more. If you select a text box, you can move it around, change the font type, adjust the alignment, and more. Nevertheless, you can insert images and add or remove watermarks and backgrounds, so you have many possibilities to work with your PDF document.

Optical character recognition: PDNob offers an optical character recognition feature as well to edit and convert scanned PDFs. You can find the OCR feature on the top sidebar. Overall, the OCR was quite accurate, and I was satisfied with this feature when testing.

Convert PDFs: Using PDNob, you can convert PDF format into Excel, PowerPoint, images, Word documents, and more. The conversion takes 10-15 seconds, and you can work on the document in the desired format.

Annotate PDFs: Using this PDF editor, you can easily add annotations, for example, comments, text highlights, and more. Similar to the editing features, annotating PDFs is very simple with PDNob.

Organize PDFs: If you select the Page tab on the top tools, you can access PDNob’s tools to organize your PDF pages. You can select the pages’ order, insert a new one, rotate, split, and replace them if you want.

PDF compress: You can compress your PDF files with the PDNob. If you select high quality, you can reduce the file size without losing quality. It is very accessible; you can find this feature on your home tab.

Password protection: If you click on “Protect,” you can easily add password protection to your PDF files and restrict access to more sensitive data. When restricting access to PDF documents, PDNob provides numerous options. For instance, you can only allow others to print, but do not allow editing.

AI tools: One of the best features of the PDNob PDF editor is the AI-powered tools. You can ask the AI assistant to summarize your PDF document in seconds. Moreover, you can chat with your PDFs and get instant answers about your PDF documents. Lastly, you can ask AI to translate, rewrite, or explain the PDF for you.

Try PDNob

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

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

These were the most important pros and cons I discovered during my testing.

Tenorshare PDNob’s pros

• First, the PDNob PDF editor has a user-friendly and modern interface. You will quickly find the tools you want to use, and it has a short learning curve
• Secondly, it has straightforward PDF editing tools
• Furthermore, PDNob has solid AI features. Such features are powered by GPT 4.1 and DeepSeek R1 and helped a lot in summarizing and explaining PDF documents
• Moreover, the PDNob PDF editor has an efficient OCR feature to turn scanned PDFs into editable documents

Tenorshare PDNob’s cons

• The only con for me is that this PDF editor currently lacks an Android version.

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

Try PDNob

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

pdfFiller

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.1/5

pdffiller is a cloud-based PDF editor with numerous tools to work with your PDF documents. It offers a signing and editing solution that lets users sign and edit documents, send them for signature, and manage the full electronic document workflow in one place. 

Full pdfFiller review Visit pdfFiller

Best for document management

Bottom line

• Best for:

Individuals & teams need an all-in-one cloud solution

• Not ideal for:

If you need a free PDF editor

• Biggest strength:

Offers many tools for document management

• Biggest weakness:

No advanced PDF reading features

pdfFiller is a cloud-based PDF editor with massive document management & team collaboration features.

Compared to other PDF editors on this list, it stands out because it provides a complete solution to sign and edit documents, send them for signature, and manage the full electronic document workflow in one place.

Using pdfFiller in daily workflows

Honestly, pdfFiller surprised me. With its solid team collaboration and document management features, it showed something different after testing many PDF editors.

pdfFiller’s signing and editing solutions allow users to sign documents, edit them, send them for signature, and manage the full electronic document workflow.

As someone who works in a team, it helped a lot in my daily work that I can organize documents in team and personal spaces as well, and I have plenty of options to share documents.

When editing PDFs, it has various tools to manipulate the file. Here, I especially loved how easy it is to add, remove, and adjust images.

If I consider its feature set, the only thing I missed was some more advanced PDF reading features, but apart from that, I was fully satisfied.

Who pdfFiller is best for

• Individuals and teams looking for an all-in-one cloud-based PDF solution
• Businesses that need end-to-end document workflows (edit → send → sign → store)
• Teams that rely heavily on collaboration and shared workspaces
• Professionals handling contracts, agreements, invoices, or legal documents
• Users who prefer working in the browser without installing software
• Organizations that need secure document management with audit trails and role-based access

When pdfFiller is not the right choice

• Users looking for a completely free PDF editor (no permanent free plan)
• Those who need advanced PDF reading features
• Users who rely on OCR (not supported)
• People who prefer a desktop-first/offline PDF editor
• Users who only need basic, occasional PDF tasks

Key Features

PDF reader: pdfFiller provides the essential PDF reading features, such as zoom in & out after you upload the file from your local drives, Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

PDF editing tools: It has all the tools you need to edit PDF documents, from changing font type or size to increasing or decreasing opacity. I found the variety of image options particularly helpful. You can easily move them around, change the size, flip, rotate, crop, erase, and adjust them.

Annotate PDFs: With pdfFiller, you can highlight, add sticky notes, draw, redact text, and more. I noticed that when testing pdfFiller, all the annotation tools are highly customizable.

Organize PDFs: You can rearrange or delete pages with a few clicks. On the left side, just click the three dots to delete, add, duplicate, or move pages around.

PDF forms and signatures: Using pdfFiller, you can create and fill forms easily. As for the electronic signatures, this PDF editor provides a robust feature set thanks to its enterprise-grade eSignature solution that offers SOC 2 Type II & ISO 27001 certifications for trust and legal validity. You can draw, upload, and capture your signatures with your webcam. Plus, you can add your signatures via QR code, text, and email.

Convert PDFs: With this PDF editor, you can convert PDF files into JPEG, Excel, PPT, and Word documents. Nevertheless, it works both ways, so you can convert these formats to portable document format.

Password protection: You can protect your sensitive documents with passwords to restrict access.

Document management: Utilizing pdfFiller, you can create custom labels and folders for yourself or your team to organize and search your PDF documents easily. Furthermore, it has an extensive document library with numerous customizable government, legal, and business forms. Lastly, you can create reusable templates to prepare repetitive documents faster.

Team collaboration tools: pdfFiller provides shared workspaces, centralized user controls, role-based access, and audit trails to help teams collaborate on documents. Also, you can share and export PDFs in various ways, including link and email.

AI tools: pdfFiller’s AI features are designed to automate and streamline document workflows, including chatting with PDFs, summarization, translation, AI-powered document generation, and so on.

Try pdfFiller

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A curated directory of software tools we’ve independently reviewed, with links to full reviews, comparisons, and category guides.

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Paid plans

Although pdfFiller does not have a free version, it has a 30-day free trial, so you can test it for yourself. As for the pricing plans, you can choose from 3+2 paid subscription options.

With the Basic Plan, you can edit, fill, draw, and rearrange pages, as well as convert your PDF documents into Word files, and get customer support within a day. It is $8 per month with annual billing or $20 per month with monthly billing.

If choosing the Plus Plan, it is $30 month-to-month or $12 per month with an annual commitment. It offers some advanced features like smart document tags and folders, password protection, and allows you to create reusable templates and add basic fillable fields.

pdfFiller’s Premium Plan is $40 monthly or $15 per month with an annual billing for more advanced features. With this plan, you can sign documents, access the US legal forms library, use custom branding on your documents, and more.

Finally, pdfFiller offers two business plans, starting with a minimum of 10 users.

Pros and cons of pdfFiller

These are the pros and cons I think you should know about.

pdfFiller’s pros

• It offers solid team collaboration features, making it an ideal Adobe Acrobat alternative for teams
• Unlike Adobe Acrobat, you can create reusable templates with pdfFiller
• It has one of the most extensive electronic signature solutions on the PDF editor market
• With the tags and folders, you can easily structure your documents
• pdfFiller provides a user-friendly interface

pdfFiller’s cons

• It has fewer advanced PDF reading features than Adobe Acrobat Pro
• pdfFiller does not offer a free plan
• It does not have an OCR feature at all

Read my full review: pdfFiller Review 2026: Here is what surprised me

Try pdfFiller

Smallpdf

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

Smallpdf is an online PDF software with numerous tools to convert, compress, and edit PDF files for free.

Full Smallpdf review Visit Smallpdf

Best browser-based PDF editor

Bottom line

• 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

If you need a simple and online PDF editor, this one is for you. Smallpdf is an online PDF software with numerous tools to convert, compress, and edit PDF files for free.

What makes Smallpdf special compared to other PDF editors is its Chrome extension, which lets you use its tools when you open a PDF in your browser. Furthermore, you can access its tools inside your Google Workspace and Dropbox apps.

Testing Smallpdf in everyday use

During my testing, I used Smallpdf’s online PDF editor. I found it really simple to use thanks to its clean and intuitive interface.

For me, the most unique feature was its Chrome extension that lets you use its tools when you open a PDF in your browser. This way, you can compress, sign, merge, convert, and summarize PDF files with SmallPDF’s AI feature without leaving your Google Workspace.

Overall, I had an absolutely positive experience with Smallpdf, and it is the best PDF editor software for online editing.

Who gets the most value from Smallpdf

When Smallpdf might not work for you

Key Features

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

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

PDFgear

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.1/5

PDFgear is currently one of the best completely free PDF editors on the market. It offers strong editing, annotation, conversion, OCR, and AI tools without any subscription cost

Full PDFgear review Visit PDFgear

Best Free PDF editor

Bottom line

• Best for:

If you need a completely free PDF editor with reliable core tools

• Not ideal for:

User seeking advanced editing controls or more robust security/privacy options

• Biggest strength:

100% free

• Biggest weakness:

Concerns about privacy

PDFgear is a very intuitive app and a completely free PDF editor. You can read, edit, convert, merge, and sign PDF files across your devices with PDFgear.

While this is a free PDF editor, it offers many valuable features, especially for individuals.

My hands-on 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 full review).

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.

Who should use PDFgear

Who should NOT use PDFgear

Key Features

Pricing

PDFgear is a completely free PDF editor. You might wonder how it could be free.

Well, the business is currently in a stage where it is focusing on growth and acquiring users. So, they will introduce some advanced features in the future and offer paid plans for that. But for now, it is a completely free online PDF editor with a desktop version.

Pros and cons of PDFgear

To wrap up my experience, these are the biggest wins and compromises of switching away from Adobe Acrobat to PDFgear

PDFgear’s pros

PDFgear’s cons

PDF Expert

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.4/5

PDF Expert is a PDF editor for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users. It offers all the tools you need to manage your PDF files, from annotation tools to signing PDFs. 

Full PDF Expert review Visit PDF Expert

Best PDF editor for Mac

Bottom line

• 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

PDF Expert is a lightweight PDF editor for Mac and iOS devices. It is fast, easy to use, and has all the features you need to edit PDF files smoothly.

What I learned using PDF Expert over time

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.

Ideal users for PDF Expert

When PDF Expert might not work for you

Key Features

Cost vs value

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.

Pros and cons of PDF Expert

To wrap up my experience, these are the biggest wins and compromises.

PDFgear’s pros

PDFgear’s cons

ONLYOFFICE

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

4.3/5

ONLYOFFICE is an open-sourced office suite offering a full range of tools to create, edit, and collaborate on text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDF files.

Full ONLYOFFICE review Visit ONLYOFFICE

Best PDF Editor For Teams

Bottom line

• Best for:

Businesses needing a secure and collaborative platform for PDF editing

• Not ideal for:

If you use MS Office

• Biggest strength:

Security

• Biggest weakness:

Limited PDF editing and reading features

ONLYOFFICE is an open-sourced office suite offering a full range of tools to create, edit, and collaborate on text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDF files. ONLYOFFICE Docs has powerful editing tools for all kinds of documents.

How ONLYOFFICE performed in my daily workflow

During my ONLYOFFICE PDF editor review, I used the ONLYOFFICE desktop app for my PDF files and forms. Just out of curiosity, I also took a look at the spreadsheet, document, and presentation editors.

They work quite similarly to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and offer a smooth experience. Overall, my feeling was that ONLYOFFICE is one of the best alternatives to Microsoft Office in terms of document compatibility and user interface.

Its PDF editor had a smooth experience as well. I did not experience any learning curve, and the whole process was very intuitive. I especially enjoyed trying some plugins and the way I can customize my tool stack for PDF documents.

During my ONLYOFFICE PDF editor review, I did not experience any performance issues compared to Adobe Acrobat.

Ultimately, I had a smooth and positive experience with ONLYOFFICE PDF editor. It offers not only a PDF editing solution but a wide array of tools for your documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.

Who should use ONLYOFFICE

Who should NOT use ONLYOFFICE

Key features

Pricing

You can use ONLYOFFICE in two ways. 

First, you can download the desktop app (i.e., ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors), and after you install it, you can use it for free. 

Second, you can create a free ONLYOFFICE DocSpace account and work on PDFs and other office files. DocSpace also offers a paid plan with some benefits and more storage space. It starts at $20 per admin monthly. 

Pros and cons of ONLYOFFICE

After reviewing ONLYOFFICE, I found the pros and cons you should know about this software.

ONLYOFFICE PDF editor’s pros

ONLYOFFICE PDF editor’s cons

Foxit

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.1/5

Foxit offers many features, such as text editing, image manipulation, page organization, and annotation tools. It works on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Online as well.

Full Foxit review Visit Foxit

Best PDF editor for advanced editing

Bottom line

• Best for:

Advanced PDF editing

• Not ideal for:

Casual or occasional users

• Biggest strength:

Wide range of PDF editing features

• Biggest weakness:

Some features locked behind higher tiers

Foxit is a popular PDF editor that performed relatively well during our tests. What makes it stand out from other options is its advanced feature set for editing PDF documents.

My real-world experience with Foxit PDF Editor

Foxit offers many of the same features as Adobe Pro, but at a lower price. Another difference I noticed is that Foxit is a fast PDF reader. Even when I opened large files, I did not have any issues with loading time.

Like some of the other PDF editors I have tested, Foxit adopted a drag-and-drop feature for editing text and images. It makes it easy to edit or create PDFs quickly and smoothly.

I also enjoyed using its annotation tools. It is super easy to add annotations, and it offers a variety of annotation tools to choose from.

Overall, I had a positive experience with Foxit. Compared to other PDF editors on the market, I think it is one of the most complete solutions, though I wouldn’t call it cheap.

Who gets the most value from Foxit

When Foxit might not work for you

Key features

Available plans

Using Foxit’s free version, you can view and read your PDFs and utilize its PDF reader tools. Besides the free version, 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.

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 an AI Assistant, which includes 2000 credits per month, that is an extra $49.99/year.

Related article:

• 5 Best Foxit Alternatives 2026 (#1 Will Surprise You)

Pros and Cons of Foxit PDF Editor

Here’s a quick breakdown of what Foxit does really well and where it could improve.

Foxit’s pros

Foxit’s cons

Adobe Acrobat

Rating: 4 out of 5.

3.8/5

Adobe Acrobat allows you to create, view, manipulate, print, and manage PDF files. It supports Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

Full Adobe review Visit Adobe Acrobat

Best enterprise PDF editor

bottom line

• Best for:

A reliable PDF editor for enterprises

• Not ideal for:

Users looking for a budget-friendly solution

• Biggest strength:

Solid feature set

• Biggest weakness:

The most expensive PDF editor

I think we all know or have used Adobe Acrobat in our lives. It is a PDF editor developed by Adobe Systems. Adobe Acrobat allows you to create, view, manipulate, print, and manage PDF files.

It is still a reliable option for editing PDFs, but it comes at a premium price.

What it’s like to use Adobe Acrobat long-term

Adobe Acrobat has massive PDF editing features. However, they are not experimental. I found numerous PDF editors with PDF editing features that are as advanced or more advanced than those in Adobe Acrobat. At the same time, the Adobe Pro License is way more pricier than others on the market.

And honestly, I don’t feel it is justified. When testing UPDF or EaseUS PDF Editor, I could do the same PDF editing as with Adobe Acrobat’s paid plans, and still, I can buy these software’s license for a fraction of Adobe Acrobat Pro’s price.

Adobe Acrobat is still a solid choice for enterprises thanks to its high security. Nonetheless, for individuals, professionals, or small- and mid-sized businesses, it is extremely overpriced.

Best use cases for Adobe Acrobat

When to consider alternatives to Adobe Acrobat

Key Features

Free and paid plans

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 a 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. 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.

With Acrobat Pro, 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 for the AI assistant is $59.88 per user, and it is the same for individuals and businesses.

Finally, Adobe released its Acrobat Studio plan for $299.88/year, which covers all features, including the AI assistant and Adobe Express Premium.

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.

Related readings:

• The 7 Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives: 30+ PDF Editors Tested
• Adobe Acrobat Vs Foxit: I Tried Both and Found The BEST (2026)
• Adobe Acrobat Vs Nitro: A Honest Comparison (2026)
• I Tested +30 PDF editors for Windows | Here Are The 8 Best

Pros and Cons of Adobe Acrobat

After my Adobe Acrobat review, I found these pros and cons you should know about this PDF editor.

Adobe Acrobat’s pros

Adobe Acrobat’s cons

Summary: The best PDF editors in 2026

After my long research and continuous testing, I found these to be the best PDF editors in 2026. Although there are many options on the market, I recommend you always go through the key features, trustworthiness, and pricing before making a purchase.

Related article:

• 6 Best OCR Software For 2026 | 30+ Personally Tested Tools
• The 6 Best PDF Readers For 2026 (Only FREE Options)

I hope I was able to find the best PDF editors in 2026. As always, I will keep updating this list to ensure it reflects reality.

Why you can trust our reviews

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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 PDF editor is best?

Based on my research, testing, and user reports, the best PDF editors are UPDF, EaseUS PDF Editor, Smallpdf, and PDFgear. It is worth noting that this always depends on your use cases as well as whether you are looking for a PDF editor for yourself or your business.

Besides the ones I highlighted in the list, there are some PDF apps you can check out, including QuillBot’s PDF Editor, WPS, and PDFelement.

Which is the best free PDF editor?

The best free software is PDFgear for PDF editing. It is a very intuitive app and a completely free PDF editor. You can read, edit, convert, reorder pages, and sign PDF files across your devices with PDFgear. It is also great that it has numerous free online tools that you can access on its homepage.

How can I edit PDF files for free?

There are numerous free online PDF editors. However, if you want a reliable option, I recommend checking PDFgear.

Is Adobe Acrobat Pro a good PDF editing software?

Adobe Acrobat Pro is considered the industry standard for PDF editing. However, compared to other PDF editing software on the market, it is very pricey, considering the value it offers.

After testing 30+ PDF editors, these are the best Adobe Acrobat Pro alternatives:

• Foxit PDF Editor: Foxit PDF Editor is a strong alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro, offering a range of features for power users.
• PDF Expert: PDF Expert is recommended for Mac users due to its seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem.
• EaseUS PDF Editor: EaseUS PDF Editor is recognized for its affordability and essential tools for managing PDF files.
• Smallpdf: It is one of the best PDF software for online PDF editing tasks. It is a lightweight Adobe Acrobat alternative with affordable pricing.
• UPDF: With its budget-friendly pricing, it is an excellent Adobe Acrobat Pro alternative.
• Nitro PDF Pro: Nitro PDF Pro is a robust PDF editor, but it has quite expensive paid plans.

Here, you can check out my full list of best Adobe Acrobat alternatives: The 8 Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives: 30+ PDF Editors Tested

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.

Aron Kantor

Hey there! I am Aron, the founder of Thebusinessdive. I have been testing productivity apps for almost three years now. I reach 25.000 -50.000 people monthly with the mission to help you find the perfect productivity apps. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, newsletter, and social media to hear more about the best productivity tools. Let’s dive in!

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