The Best Adobe Acrobat DC AlternativesTop PDF Readers & PDF Editors like Adobe Acrobat DC

Adobe Acrobat DC is described as 'Create and edit PDFs. Collaborate with ease. E-sign documents and collect signatures. Get everything done in one app, wherever you work. Acrobat’s got it. Stay on top of your documents with powerful features for desktop, mobile, and web' and is a very popular PDF Reader in the office & productivity category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat DC for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Web-based, Mac, Linux and iPhone apps. The best Adobe Acrobat DC alternative is PDF-XChange Editor, which is free. Other great apps like Adobe Acrobat DC are PDF24 Creator, Nitro PDF , PDFgear and Master PDF Editor.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe Acrobat DC alternatives are mainly PDF Editors, but if you're looking for PDF Readers or Document Managers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free, Open Source, Windows + PDF Editor, Windows + Free, Windows, Linux and Android. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe Acrobat DC.
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Alternatives list

  1. PDF-XChange Editor icon

    PDF-XChange Editor

     176 likes

    Feature-rich PDF editor offering direct content editing, ABBYY OCR, viewing, annotation, form filling, PDF merging, compression, and encryption. Operates efficiently offline, requiring no registration and no ads, while providing privacy-focused features and convenient portability.

    175 PDF-XChange Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine
    Version 10 (2024)
     
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    15
    PDF-XChange Editor vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    munteanzeno
    3

    Can make small edits for free (comments, extra text). Search bar is simple and works well.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    0

    A lot of things that you can't do. Didn't worked well enough for me at all.

    Alternative User
    Positive
    0

    Adding signature and adding text is available for free.

    3 of 15 comments
    • PDF-XChange Editor is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDF-XChange Editor is a PDF Editor Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF Reader
    • PDF-XChange Editor is Customizable, Lightweight and Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  2. PDF24 Creator icon

    PDF24 Creator

     153 likes

    PDF24 Creator is free and feature-filled PDF creation, merging and conversion tool for Windows. Its unique feature among the free PDF printer tools is an editor, which allows to easily assemble, create and modify PDF files with Drag & Drop.

    200 PDF24 Creator alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main window
     
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    3
    PDF24 Creator vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    zlelmefs
    Positive
    0

    It's actually free and has done everything I've needed it to do.

    G Downs
    Positive
    0

    PDF Creator is a great alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC. It has all the tools that the Adobe has but does it without trying to put a hole in your head! A great piece of work!

    Guest
    Positive
    3

    PDF editing features also available!

    • PDF24 Creator is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDF24 Creator is a PDF Editor Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF Reader
    • PDF24 Creator is LightweightAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  4. Nitro PDF icon

    Nitro PDF

     74 likes

    Nitro offers comprehensive PDF solutions for editing, creating, and converting, alongside OCR and e-signature tools. Supports Mac, Windows, and iOS, providing a user-friendly interface with industry-standard security features. Ideal as an Adobe Acrobat alternative.

    184 Nitro PDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Nitro PDF screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Nitro PDF vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    Bob Henry
    Negative
    -1

    This is by far the worst software purchase I can remember making. OCR sucks and is hardly useable. Reorganizing and merging documents are confusing and difficult.

    Stay well away from this one is my advice.

    chrisrosetech
    Positive
    0

    I have been using NitroPDF for several years. I think it is the best alternative to Adobe Acrobat software.

    The software has almost all the features, if not better features than Acrobat itself.

    I can create form fill documents, place stamps, edit and do much more with NitroPDF.

    The OCR function has worked really well for me on a second generation scanned document.

    I highly recommend NitroPDF and feel it's well worth the money.

    • Nitro PDF is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Nitro PDF is a PDF Editor Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF Reader
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    DocHub icon
    DocHub

    Provides a comprehensive platform for document editing, signing, and PDF form handling. Offers legally binding eSignatures, robust templates for organization, collaboration tools, and integration with cloud services, enhancing wo...

    https://dochub.com
    Learn More
  6. PDFgear icon

    PDFgear

     73 likes

    Read, edit, convert, merge, and sign PDF files across devices, for completely free and without signing up.

    83 PDFgear alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    PDFgear screenshot 1
     
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    4
    PDFgear vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    Shaz Shah
    Positive
    0

    It does an excellent job of converting my M$ docs. The OCR capabilities are really good and the ability to arrange pages (including splitting and merging with other PDFs) is another bonus. The install is lightweight in comparison to Adobe Acrobat and I've not had any stability issues... yet

    Ahmed Gamal
    Negative
    0

    The app does not support the Arabic language.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Professional standard pdf editors & tools.

    3 of 4 comments
    • PDFgear is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDFgear is LightweightAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  8. Master PDF Editor icon

    Master PDF Editor

     74 likes

    Master PDF Editor is complete solution for editing PDF and XPS files. You can insert, edit, remove, copy, add images or graphics. Export, import, remove and change page layouts. Also Master PDF Editor provides full functionality for changing PDF information, including author...

    157 Master PDF Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Master PDF Editor screenshot 1
     
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    4
    Master PDF Editor vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    24

    Free version for windows will include watermark on saved documents.

    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Has all the basic features such as merge, split, delete and it is in active development and it is available for LINUX :)

    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    It has more festures in the payed version and thus suites my usecase and it actually works on linux and does not just say it does and then it doesnt, at least that was the case with pdfsam in the extended version.

    3 of 4 comments
    • Master PDF Editor is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • Master PDF Editor is a PDF Editor Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF Reader
  9. Stirling PDF icon

    Stirling PDF

     63 likes

    Locally hosted web application offering an interactive GUI to merge, split, reorganize, convert, compress, watermark, secure, sign, flatten, repair, extract images, detect blanks, apply OCR, set permissions, and enable file processing or API integration for PDFs.

    120 Stirling PDF alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    • Docker Hub
    Stirling PDF screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Stirling PDF vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    KimiBCN
    Negative
    0

    It lacks many features and has bugs. The PDF open button sometimes disappears.

    • Stirling PDF is Freemium and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • Stirling PDF is a PDF Editor Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF Reader
    • Stirling PDF is Privacy focusedAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  10. BentoPDF icon

    BentoPDF

     21 likes

    BentoPDF is a PDF Toolkit that works fully offline with no sign ups. It's fast, secure and forever free. In an era where data is a commodity, we take a different approach. All processing for BentoPDF tools happens locally in your browser.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    BentoPDF screenshot 1
     
  11. PDF-XChange Viewer icon

    PDF-XChange Viewer

     371 likes

    PDF-XChange Viewer is an alternative viewer for PDF files that enables you to view and annotate PDF files. You can add text, sticky notes, and other annotations and save them to the file, which will be compatible with the standard Adobe Acrobat Reader.

    81 PDF-XChange Viewer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    PDF-XChange Viewer screenshot 1
     
  12. PDF Expert icon

    PDF Expert

     39 likes

    Read, annotate, and highlight PDFs, fill interactive forms with saved input, underline or strike through text, manage bookmarks, sync files from cloud services, and share documents. Compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat annotations, supporting extensive iOS features.

    157 PDF Expert alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    PDF Expert screenshot 1
     
  13. Smallpdf icon

    Smallpdf

     63 likes

    Smallpdf is the first PDF Software you will actually like. The perfect gateway to productive, portable and cost-efficient document management solutions in your everyday life.

    212 Smallpdf alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    Desktop app home
     
  14. LEKTRA icon

    LEKTRA

     19 likes

    High-performance viewer for documents and images offering split tabs, customizable single or book layouts, portals for side-by-side sections, instant search, line highlight, annotation tools, link hints, searchable highlights, session management, and TOML config.

    56 LEKTRA alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    LEKTRA screenshot 1
     
  15. Sejda icon

    Sejda

     39 likes

    Sejda helps with your PDF tasks: edit existing text, split, merge, extract, compress, export to other formats and more.

    163 Sejda alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Sejda screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Sejda vs Adobe Acrobat DC Comments
    Interstellar_1
    Positive
    2

    You get a limited amount of file edits per day, and the app is just an electron wrapper of the website, but it works well.

    • Sejda is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • Sejda is a PDF Editor Adobe Acrobat DC is a PDF Reader
12 of 366 Adobe Acrobat DC alternatives