PDFChef by Movavi

View, create, merge, and compress your PDF files
Add or remove pages, text, images, links
Sign and seal your documents
Convert PDF files to any format you need

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Adobe Acrobat Alternative

Adobe Acrobat Alternative: App Review

Edited by Ben Jacklin

January 8, 2025

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When you’re writing an essay for your homework assignment, filling out an application form for a new position, or preparing an activity report for your boss, you probably have to work with PDF files. You don’t only need to review PDFs in Adobe Reader, but you may also need to add images or text, highlight information, or use Bates numbering. To take care of these tasks quickly and easily, you need a good PDF editor.

You can turn to the well-known Adobe Acrobat PDF editor. It’ll provide you with all the necessary tools to create, convert, and edit PDF documents. But it’s not the only game in town – there are plenty of programs similar to Adobe Acrobat, too.

If you’ve been wondering how to edit a PDF without Adobe software, read our article below. The questions “what can I use instead of Adobe?” and “is there a free version of Adobe?” will no longer be a mystery to you.

We’ve made a list of some of the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives with different prices, functionality, and operating systems. They are as effective for professional and personal use as Adobe Acrobat DC Pro. Check them out!

Comparison table of the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives

Program

Price

Trial version

Operating system

Online version

Conversion formats

Editing tools

PDFChef by Movavi

Free trial –
$35.99 annually

7-day trial with full functionality

Windows, macOS

Word, Image, Text, Epub, HTML

Insert, delete, crop, and resize images, logos, signatures. Add and edit text. Combine, merge, and split files. Rearrange, rotate pages.

Soda PDF

Free trial –
$125 annually

7-day trial with full functionality

Windows

Word, Excel, Image, PowerPoint, Text, HTML, RTF, PDF/A

Add, delete annotations, text, and images. Split PDFs. Add Bates numbering.

Sejda PDF

Free trial –
$63 annually

Documents of up to 200 pages or 50 MB a day or three free tasks a day

Windows, macOS, Linux

Word, Excel, Image

Fill out PDF forms. Add, delete, rotate, images and text. Delete, rotate, move, crop, split pages. Search for words.

Nitro Pro

Free trial –
$159 per user

14-day trial with full functionality

Windows

Word, Excel, Image, PowerPoint, Text, PDF/A

Create fillable forms. Apply and request eSignatures. Add, rotate, extract, and reorder pages. Add or delete text and images.

Wondershare PDFelement

Free trial –
$129 perpetual license

Unlimited trial period. Conversion of a half of a PDF file only. Maximum conversion ー 5 pages. Watermark.

Windows, macOS

Word, Excel, Image, PowerPoint, HTML, Epub, Text, PDF/A

Highlight or underline text. Add comments and annotations. Edit, cut, or insert images, and text. Delete and add pages.

Foxit PhantomPDF

Free trial –
$129 perpetual license

14-day trial with full functionality

Windows, macOS

Word, Excel, Image, PowerPoint, HTML, Text, PDF/A

Add stamps, watermarks, text, images. Add Bates numbering. Change font, size, style, text color. Resize, rotate pages.

The best alternatives to Adobe Acrobat in 2025

PDFChef by Movavi

Download for Free

PDFChef by Movavi is a lightweight, easy-to-use application. Its minimalist interface is accessible for beginners as well as professionals. It will be useful at all stages of your work with PDF files. You can create, convert, edit, export, and present your PDFs, add text or images, rearrange and extract pages, and sign documents. A free trial version enables you to try all these tools to the full.

Pros:

Offers good value for its cost
Full editing control over PDF files
Available for Windows and Mac users

Cons:

Maximum of three pages per conversion in the trial version

Soda PDF

Soda PDF is an effective, all-in-one PDF editor that enables the conversion of PDF files to various formats. You can use this program not only for creating, viewing, commenting, and editing your files but for document revision, filling out forms, e-signing and bates numbering. With a broad set of tools, Soda PDF makes PDF files completely customizable. It is available both as an online and a desktop app.

Pros:

A versatile range of editing tools
Integrated cloud storage

Cons:

Available for Windows 10/8/7 only

Sejda PDF

Sejda PDF Editor was originally online freeware that enabled users to manage PDF files. Now it has both an online and a desktop version with a ton of editing tools. Sejda needs less RAM than other programs similar to Adobe Acrobat. It makes working with PDF documents faster and easier. You can use this application to apply watermarks, highlight text, sign, split, merge, or compress PDF files.

Is there a free alternative to Adobe Acrobat? Yes, there is, and it is Sejda.

Pros:

An easy-to-navigate interface
Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux

Cons:

Free editing of files is limited to 200 pages or 50 MB and three tasks per hour

Nitro Pro

Nitro Pro is another replacement for Adobe Acrobat. Unlike other alternatives to Adobe Acrobat, this software is for more advanced and professional users. Cloud integration facilitates the working process and enables you to access and share files quickly. The application supports scanning paper documents and converting typed or handwritten text into a machine-readable format.

Pros:

Integrated cloud storage
A clear and well-designed toolbar

Cons:

Expensive in comparison to other Adobe Acrobat alternatives
Available only for Windows 10/8/7

Wondershare PDFelement

Wondershare PDFelement is an intuitive PDF editor. It combines a standard set of PDF editing functions with advanced tools, including font recognition, e-signing, combining different format files, filling out forms, and file sharing. Try this program if you want to boost your productivity.

Pros:

Editing PDFs without affecting original formatting and fonts
Simple navigation

Cons:

Needs more computer memory than other similar programs
A watermark is added to output files in the trial version

Foxit Phantom PDF

Foxit is fast and powerful PDF editing software. This Adobe Acrobat alternative is compatible with both Windows and macOS. The Windows version is available in two versions, for beginners and advanced users. With Foxit Phantom PDF, you can easily read and annotate your PDFs, rotate and resize pages, create fillable forms, and share content.

Pros: