In this Xodo PDF Editor review, I will share my findings and personal experience after spending several days with this PDF software. Spoiler: I was quite satisfied.

In this article, I will guide you through features, pricing, and my findings so you can easily decide whether this PDF editor is for you.

Let’s dive in!

What is Xodo PDF Editor?

Xodo PDF Editor is a document management software for web, mobile, and desktop as well. It offers numerous tools to edit, collaborate, and sign documents in a secure way.

Ultimately, Xodo offers more document management tools:

• Xodo Web: An online PDF editor and document management app with a collection of 40+ online tools to edit, convert, and manage documents.
• Xodo PDF Studio: This is Xodo’s PDF editor for desktop that you can use on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• Xodo Mobile: With Xodo mobile, you can utilize this PDF solution on Android and iOS devices.
• Xodo Sign: Using Xodo Sign, you can finalize approvals and accelerate document signing for multiple parties.

In this review, I will primarily focus on Xodo PDF Studio, but I will also provide some insights into its other tools.

Let’s see its key features!

Xodo PDF Studio’s Key Features

Here, I will break down the key features of Xodo PDF Studio that I tried during my review. 

PDF reader

Xodo PDF Studio has quite advanced PDF reader features. You can choose from numerous layout options like single, facing, cover, and more. Which is great, as you can surely find the layout that fits the best for you.

When you only need to read PDF files, you can utilize its reading mode, which makes reading more convenient. Also, I used its invert colors option, which basically changes the color of the document and helps in reading.

In addition to these options, Xodo PDF Studio offers a split view (two-page and four-page views), and you can easily rotate pages and zoom in and out.

Overall, Xodo PDF Studio’s PDF reader feature offers a range of advanced tools, and I was impressed with it during my review.

PDF editor

If you click on the “Document” tab, you can access Xodo PDF Studio’s editing features. When selecting the “Edit PDF Content” option, you can edit your text in your PDF files. For this, you only need to double-click on the text box, and you can add or remove text.

Xodo PDF Studio automatically identifies the font type, which is very helpful, as you can add the new content in the same style for your text boxes. However, you can also change the font type, if you wish. One thing I noticed during my Xodo PDF editor review: after you add new text, the text box is bold by default.

Furthermore, you can easily drag-and-drop text boxes and images and change their size. The drag-and-drop function worked smoothly during my review.

When it comes to adding new text, you can do it with one click. Here, you have the possibility to add colors, font types, position, size, alignment, transparency, and more.

Moreover, you can insert images with Xodo PDF Studio. Just click on the “Add Image”, and it quickly inserts your picture. Similarly to the text boxes, you can easily drag-and-drop them and move around, or change their size.

Xodo PDF Studio offers a redaction tool as well, which can come in handy when you need to remove sensitive information from a PDF document, such as text, images, or even entire pages.

First, you can mark the information that you want to replace with a black box. After, you only need to click on the “Apply All Redactions” option, and Xodo PDF Studio will replace them with a black box. 

Nonetheless, it is more than just a black box. The redaction is permanent, and it completely removes the sensitive content permanently. 

Ultimately, Xodo PDF Studio has solid PDF editor features, which allow you to edit all the elements of a PDF document.

Annotation tools

Xodo PDF Studio offers many tools to annotate documents. You can leave comments, add shapes, draw, attach files, and much more.

What I particularly loved was that you can use its sound recorder and add sound messages to any part of the PDF. This can be quite useful when reviewing PDF files and wanting to quickly record your thoughts instead of writing comments.

Nevertheless, if you want to leave comments, you can easily do it with Xodo PDF Studio. You can add sticky notes, callouts, or text boxes with a few clicks.

In short, Xodo PDF editor has an excellent set of annotation tools, which makes this PDF software ideal for team collaboration.

PDF protection

During my Xodo PDF editor review, I discovered that it has some solid PDF protection features. You can add passwords, certify, sanitize, or add timestamps. After testing +30 PDF editors, I realized that only a few have sanitization tools, so I was glad when I saw that Xodo PDF Studio has this option.

But what exactly is PDF sanitization?

Essentially, it is the process of removing sensitive or hidden information from a PDF document to prevent its accidental exposure. That said, it can be quite useful for many of you.

I tried all its security features, and they worked smoothly. My overall experience was 10/10.

OCR

You can find Xodo PDF Studio’s OCR feature under the “Document” panel. OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, a technology that converts scanned images of text into readable PDF documents, allowing for search, copying, editing, and highlighting.

For me, the OCR tool worked great during review without any issues.

Converting

Using Xodo PDF Studio, you can convert PDF files into images, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. Below, converted a PDF file into a Word document. The process takes around 30 seconds, and voila, you have your editable Word version.

The process is the same when you want to convert a Word document into a PDF file. So, this feature can be a key one for the day-to-day document management.

Forms

With Xodo PDF Studio, you can create forms. When generating a form, you can add text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, images, and more.

Honestly, I do not use the forms regularly, but it is a nice-to-have feature.

Digital signature

An additional feature which might be key for some of you is the digital signatures. For this, you can use Xodo Sign to edit, prepare, and sign documents. It is a separate tool that you can integrate with Xodo PDF Studio.

Furthermore, you can use the “Digitally Sign” option in the toolbar above to e-sign PDF documents. Before doing so, you need to create your digital signature. Here, you have a chance to decide whether it should include a time of the signing, organization name, location, and so on.

Xodo PDF Editor’s user interface

Xodo PDF Studio has a simple user interface. Nothing fancy, just straightforward options and tools to manage your PDF documents.

Xodo Web – Online PDF Tools

As mentioned, my review focused on Xodo PDF Studio, which is the offline desktop app, but I also wanted to take a look at its online PDF tools.

Xodo PDF Editor’s web version offers 40+ tools to convert, edit, sign, organize, and compress PDF files. It’s easy-to-use, as you only need to drag-and-drop the file you want to work with, and that’s it.

Based on my experience, it takes around 10 seconds of loading time, and you can edit your PDF after. And my overall impression was that the web tools offer an easy way to quickly manage your documents.

Xodo PDF Editor’s mobile version

Xodo offers a mobile version for Android & iOS devices. Personally, the mobile app worked great on iOS, and I also did not notice any negative user reports when it comes to its functionalities.

Xodo PDF Editor pricing

Let’s see what I found during my Xodo PDF Editor review when it comes to pricing.

Xodo PDF Studio

If you need all the premium document tools for your desktop, I recommend PDF Studio. It is $9.99 monthly per license with the annual billing. If you opt for the monthly billing, this plan will cost you $19.99 monthly per license.

With the PDF Studio, you will have access to over 60 document tools, including advanced PDF editing, OCR, and PDF converters. It’s also great that the PDF Studio can work offline on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

In addition, you can utilize the digital signatures, security features, and the integrations with Dropbox, Google Drive, and more.

Xodo Essentials

You can get the Essentials for $4.99 per month per license with annual billing for Xodo Web Tools. With this plan, you can access unlimited downloads, and there are no restrictions on daily usage.

Nevertheless, you need to upgrade to the Web plan if you want to use advanced tools like PDF text editing and OCR.

Just a heads-up for Xodo PDF editor’s pricing plans: besides the Essentials, you will have a 7-day free trial to try Xodo PDF editor’s features, and see if this is the right PDF editor for you.

Xodo Web

Xodo PDF Editor’s Web Plan is $9.99 per month per license if you choose the yearly billing option. With monthly billing, this plan is $12.99 per month per license.

Using this plan, you access some advanced tools, including OCR, PDF compression, text editing, and more. Furthermore, there are no limits on document downloads, and you can utilize the Xodo Drive file storage, AskPDF AI summarizer, and batch file processing features.

Xodo Document Suite

Xodo PDF Editor’s ultimate, all-in-one plan is called Document Suite. This plan is $14.99 per license per month with the yearly plan, while the monthly plan is $24.99 per license per month.

Essentially, this plan includes all the products, allowing you to access all the features I previously showed you. Moreover, it offers cross-platform support on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as offline desktop access.

Overall, it is an ideal plan for teams, as it includes onboarding and priority customer support. In addition to this, Xodo PDF Editor offers a 5% discount for 2-5 users and a 10% discount for 6-20 users, making it an affordable PDF solution for small businesses.

My experience with Xodo PDF Editor

During my Xodo PDF Editor review, I tried all the features, edited multiple PDF documents, and spent many hours with this software. Based on this experience, it has become clear to me that this is a solid PDF editor.

I found especially outstanding its PDF reader and editor features. Xodo PDF Studio offers numerous advanced tools when it comes to editing and reading that you can expect from a PDF editor. For example, its redaction tool.

So, from a feature standpoint, I was totally satisfied with Xodo PDF Studio, and I did not encounter any technical issues or long waiting time, although some users reported this.

For me, the user interface seemed a bit old-fashioned. However, it is a straightforward PDF editor, and you can use it without a steep learning curve.

To summarize, my overall experience with Xodo PDF Studio was great. It features many advanced capabilities, making it an ideal choice for businesses and professionals alike.

Pros and cons I discovered during my Xodo PDF Editor review

After reviewing Xodo PDF Editor, I detected the following pros and cons you should know about this software.

Xodo PDF Editor’s pros

First, Xodo PDF Studio is a simple PDF editor. There is no learning curve at all, so you can master this PDF software pretty fast.

Second, I found that it has advanced PDF reader and editor functions. It’s clearly among the more advanced PDF editors I tested so far.

Furthermore, it offers affordable pricing, especially for teams with more than 20 seats, as they receive an additional 15% discount.

Moreover, I wanted to highlight the redaction tool, as it was quite useful during my Xodo PDF editor review, and many other software do not offer this.

Lastly, it is great that there is a cross-platform usage on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, even if this is included in the Document Suite plan.

Xodo PDF Editor’s cons

Honestly, I do not have any cons based on my experience. As mentioned, the user interface was too traditional for me, but I know some of you are exactly looking for these options, so I would not add this as a con.

Personally, I did not experience any performance issues, and the loading time was fine for me, but some users reported that it is sometimes slow.

Related articles:

• The 8 Best PDF Editors In 2025 | 30+ Personally Tested PDF Tools
• The 7 Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives: 30+ PDF Editors Tested
• I Tested +30 PDF editors for Windows | Here Are The 8 Best

Wrap-up: Xodo PDF Editor review

After spending numerous hours with this PDF editor, I believe it is a top choice for individuals & teams who need an advanced PDF editor for a reasonable price. It supports every platform, so you can use it on all your devices.

Hope I was able to help you find the best PDF editor for you. As always, I will update this Xodo PDF Editor 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.

Have a question or suggestion? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out anytime at aronkantor@thebusinessdive.com.

Frequently asked questions

Is Xodo PDF Editor safe?

Yes, Xodo PDF editor is a safe PDF software, and has absolutely zero issues with its security service. While I knew that it doesn’t have a history of security breaches, I also wanted to check the user reports online to see what other people said.

Based on my research, I can confidently say that Xodo PDF Editor is a safe and reliable option, and I recommend it.

Is Xodo really free?

Xodo PDF Editor has an extensive free version on web with 40+ tools to edit, convert, organize, and compress PDFs. Nevertheless, to access more advanced features and unlimited document downloads, you need to use one of its paid plans.

Which PDF editor is best?

Xodo PDF editor is an excellent PDF software with a good balance between feature set and ease of use. After testing 30+ PDF editors, I think it is a very capable PDF editor for professionals & small businesses as well.