Adobe Acrobat DC Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Adobe Acrobat DC for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is PDF-XChange Editor, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat DC and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Adobe Acrobat DC are PDF24 Creator, Nitro PDF , PDF Arranger 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 PDF Printers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Open Source. 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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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,...

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Adobe Acrobat DC alternatives page was last updated Jul 1, 2025
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  1. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    139 PDF-XChange Editor alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • Wine

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  PDF OCR
    3.  Add/remove pages
    4.  Edit PDF
    5.  Portable
    6.  Split PDF files
    7.  Stamps
    8.  Create PDF files
    9.  OCR
    10.  Split and merge PDF files
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Dark Mode

    PDF-XChange Editor VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
    Comments about PDF-XChange Editor as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC
    Comment summary: PDF-XChange Editor is praised for its customizable interface, speed, affordability, and extensive features, often compared favorably to Adobe Acrobat DC. Users appreciate its lifetime license and lower cost, but some find its OCR capabilities lacking, and a few struggle with features like text editing that Adobe handles better.
    Top Positive Comment
    munteanzeno
    May 13, 2020
    3

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Jul 9, 2024
    0

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

    Most Recent Comment
    Alternative User
    Positive Oct 27, 2024
    0

    Adding signature and adding text is available for free.

    Show more comments
    3 of 15 comments
    Adobe Acrobat DC Icon
    PDF-XChange Editor icon
    • Most users think PDF-XChange Editor is a great Adobe Acrobat DC alternative.

    • PDF-XChange Editor is the most popular Windows alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • PDF-XChange Editor is the most popular free alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • PDF-XChange Editor is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDF-XChange Editor is Customizable and LightweightAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  2. PDF24 Creator icon
     139 likes
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    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.

    147 PDF24 Creator alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Combine PDF
    2.  Convert PDF to image
    3.  PDF OCR
    4.  Print to PDF
    5.  Split and merge PDF files
    6.  Create PDF files
    7.  Add/remove pages
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  PDF compression
    10.  PDF annotation
    11.  Convert images to PDF
    12.  Split PDF files

    PDF24 Creator VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
    Comments about PDF24 Creator as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC
    Most Recent Comment
    zlelmefs
    Positive Jul 1, 2025
    0

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

    G Downs
    Positive Mar 23, 2025
    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 Jan 15, 2020
    3

    PDF editing features also available!

    Adobe Acrobat DC Icon
    PDF24 Creator icon
    • Most users think PDF24 Creator is a great Adobe Acrobat DC alternative.

    • PDF24 Creator is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDF24 Creator is LightweightAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  3. Nitro PDF  icon
     71 likes
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    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.

    165 Nitro PDF alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad

    Top Nitro PDF Features

    1.  Edit PDF
    2.  Convert PDF to Excel document
    3.  Text to Speech
    4.  Sign PDF files
    5.  PDF encryption
    6.  OCR
    7.  Scan to PDF
    8.  PDF Redaction
    9.  PDF OCR
    10.  Batch conversion
    11.  Convert PDF to Word document
    12.  Create PDF files

    Nitro PDF VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
    Comments about Nitro PDF as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC
    Bob Henry
    Negative Sep 27, 2022
    -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 Dec 10, 2022
    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.

    Adobe Acrobat DC Icon
    Nitro PDF  icon
    • Most users think Nitro PDF is a great Adobe Acrobat DC alternative.

    • Nitro PDF is the most popular Mac, iPhone & iPad alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • Nitro PDF is the most popular commercial alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • Nitro PDF is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is also Paid and Proprietary
  4. PDF Arranger icon
     98 likes
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    Small python-gtk application, which helps the user to merge or split pdf documents and rotate, crop and rearrange their pages using an interactive and intuitive graphical interface.

    68 PDF Arranger alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Split and merge PDF files
    2.  Visual Organization
    3.  Split PDF files
    4.  Combine PDF
    5.  Edit PDF
    6.  Rotate pages
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Image sorting
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  Portable

    PDF Arranger VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
    Comments about PDF Arranger as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC
    Shaz Shah
    Positive Dec 10, 2024
    0

    It may not be anywhere near the full offering of Adobe Acrobat but if all you want is to arrange pages and merge PDFs into one doc this would definitely be recommended for your toolkit. PDF Arranger helped me recently when I was scanning double-sided documents but my scanner does not scan both sides in one go. I flipped the pages without re-arranging the papers - oops - but was able to quickly rectify it using this app.

    thealphahelix
    Positive Jun 5, 2024
    0

    This is excellent for page removal, rearrangement etc tasks. It's a program you can just use! Not a SaaS account nightmare.

    Adobe Acrobat DC Icon
    PDF Arranger icon
    • Most users think PDF Arranger is a great Adobe Acrobat DC alternative.

    • PDF Arranger is the most popular Linux alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • PDF Arranger is the most popular Open Source alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • PDF Arranger is Free and Open SourceAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDF Arranger is Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  5. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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...

    129 Master PDF Editor alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub

    Top Master PDF Editor Features

    1.  Multiple languages
    2.  PDF annotation
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Sign PDF files
    6.  Split PDF files
    7.  Combine PDF
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  No registration required
    10.  PDF compression
    11.  Fill PDF Forms
    12.  PDF encryption

    Master PDF Editor VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
    Comments about Master PDF Editor as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative Mar 8, 2017
    24

    Free version for windows will include watermark on saved documents.

    Guest
    Positive Dec 6, 2018
    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 May 1, 2017
    -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.

    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Adobe Acrobat DC Icon
    Master PDF Editor icon
    • Most users think Master PDF Editor is a great Adobe Acrobat DC alternative.

    • Master PDF Editor is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
  6. PDFgear icon
     44 likes
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    Read, edit, convert, merge, and sign PDF files across devices, for completely free and without signing up.

    32 PDFgear alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • SG flagSingapore

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Combine PDF
    3.  Split PDF files
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  OCR
    7.  PDF annotation
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  PDF compression
    10.  Sign PDF files
    11.  Full-Text Search
    12.  PDF encryption

    PDFgear VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
    Comments about PDFgear as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC
    Most Recent Comment
    Shaz Shah
    Positive Dec 10, 2024
    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 May 13, 2025
    0

    The app does not support the Arabic language.

    Guest
    Positive Jan 15, 2025
    0

    Faster. No pop-ups trying to sell add ons.

    Adobe Acrobat DC Icon
    PDFgear icon
    • Most users think PDFgear is a great Adobe Acrobat DC alternative.

    • PDFgear is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Adobe Acrobat DC.

    • PDFgear is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Acrobat DC is Paid and Proprietary
    • PDFgear is LightweightAdobe Acrobat DC is not according to our users
  7. PDFTK Builder icon
     63 likes
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    PDFTK Builder is a free graphical interface to for PDFtk, making it much easier to use. It is a easy to use tool to collate (merge), split, encrypt, decrypt, stamp and rotate (only 90°, 180° or 270°) pdf documents.

    86 PDFTK Builder alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Discontinued

    The latest version (3.10.0) is from July 2018.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Split and merge PDF files
    2.  Password protection
    3.  Combine PDF
    4.  Portable
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Split PDF files
    9.  PDF encryption
    10.  Create PDF files
    11.  Reorder pages

    PDFTK Builder VS Adobe Acrobat DC

     
7 of 151 Adobe Acrobat DC alternatives