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Foxit vs Adobe: 2024 Comparison Guide

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February 20, 2024
Last Updated
March 15, 2024
7 min read

Comparing Foxit vs Adobe Acrobat? This guide was made for you!

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Foxit and Adobe Acrobat are two well-known PDF editors.

But how do they stack up against each other?

And, more importantly, which one is best for you?

When comparing Foxit vs Adobe Acrobat, be sure to consider what tasks you'll be doing, the device you'll be working on, if you're working alone or in a team, your experience with PDFs, and of course the budget.

The better you know what you need in a PDF tool, the easier it will be to compare and find the one that best suits your needs.

Our goal for is to present you with unbiased information comparing, to help you make the best decision for you.

Key Takeaways

  • Both Foxit and Adobe offer advanced tools like OCR, e-signing, & cloud services.
  • Foxit and Adobe are both suited for businesses small and large.
  • A third alternative is PDF Pro; an all-in-one PDF editor for Windows desktop. It's easy to use, affordable and powerful.

Foxit vs Adobe: Overview

Foxit and Adobe both offer PDF solutions for desktop (Windows and Mac), and mobile (iOS and Android).

While many features overlap, there are few key differences that distinguish them, based on the needs of the user.

Foxit and Adobe both offer advanced PDF features such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and business-specific solutions such as e-signing and cloud services.

However, since Adobe invented the PDF format, their tools tend to be the most advanced and they tend to have the most robust features. However, the price and learning curve to benefit from all the tools reflects this innovation

Adobe's mobile app is more of a reader and signature tool, whereas Foxit's mobile app has more editing capabilities.

When comparing the two, be sure to keep in mind the kind of tasks you'll need to perform often, and what your specific needs are.

The ideal PDF editor for you will depend on your specific needs.

Foxit vs Adobe: Features

Both Foxit and Adobe offer PDF solutions for individuals and teams. This makes them both popular choices for the average person, a large enterprise team, and everyone in between.

You'll find the essential PDF editing tools in both Foxit and Adobe Acrobat, such as editing, conversions, annotations, etc.

While many of their key features overlap, they have slightly different specialties. Especially when it comes to their more advanced features.

Since they invented PDF, Adobe Acrobat is known for having innovative and state-of-the-art PDF tools.

Foxit: Key Features

  • Desktop PDF editor (Windows & Mac)
  • Mobile PDF editor — (iOS & Android)
  • OCR
  • e-sign
  • Cloud storage
  • Document security
  • 3D support
  • High compression for scanned documents
  • Integrated PDF editing & e-signing (manage your documents from anywhere)

Adobe Acrobat: Key Features

  • Desktop PDF editor (Windows & Mac)
  • Mobile PDF reader (iOS & Android)
  • Form creation and management
  • E-signing and response-tracking
  • Document sharing and collaboration tools
  • Security
  • Cloud services
  • Advanced text and image editing within PDFs
  • Advanced accessibility tools (screen magnifier and screen reader)
  • Integration with other Adobe products

Foxit vs Adobe: Design and Ease of Use

Design and the ease of use is one particular area that you'll begin to see the difference between Foxit and Adobe.

Foxit's interface is similar to Microsoft Office. So, anyone that's used Microsoft Word will likely feel comfortable in Foxit.

Adobe Acrobat, on the other hand, is known for its steep learning curve. While boasting powerful and advanced tools, be prepared to spend time getting used to the layout of Adobe Acrobat. It may take a bit of time to get used to everything.

Because of the advanced tools and features, Adobe Acrobat is also known to be a bit slow, especially on older computers. Keep this in mind when making your choice.

Foxit vs Adobe: Price

Foxit and Adobe offer different subscription tiers, features, and prices, depending on your needs.

Both Foxit and Adobe offers prices for individual, students & teachers, and large enterprises.

Unlike Adobe, Foxit offers a lifetime license version of their standard version of their Foxit PDF editor.

If you want to access the most powerful and up-to-date versions of either PDF editor, then you'll need to subscribe to their premium tier (which can be on the expensive side).

For access to all their advanced features, such as e-signing, document tracking, or cloud services, expect to pay extra.

Foxit Pricing

Foxit is available as both a subscription and lifetime license. The lifetime license is available for their basic PDF editors (editor & editor pro), while their most advanced version (PDF editor Pro +) is subscription-only.

  • Foxit PDF Editor & Editor Pro:
    Monthly: Starting at US $11.99 per month.
    Lifetime License: US $159 (one-time payment).
  • Foxit PDF Editor Pro +:
    Monthly: Starting at US $16.99 per month.

(Note: PDF Editor Pro + is subscription only)

Adobe Acrobat Pricing

Adobe Acrobat is available in different subscription plans, depending on your needs. Adobe Acrobat Standard is where you'll find all essential PDF editing tools.

Adobe Acrobat Pro is the version with the most advanced PDF tools and features.

  • Adobe Acrobat Standard:
    Monthly: Starting at US $12.99 per month.
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro:
    Monthly: Starting at US$ 19.99 month

Foxit vs Adobe: Pros and Cons

While Foxit and Adobe Acrobat have quite a few similarities, there are a few key differences between them.

We'll breakdown some of their pros and cons here.

Foxit Pros & Cons

Foxit Pros:

  • Mobile PDF editor app for both iOS & Android.
  • PDF collaboration via Cloud services — making it ideal for teams.
  • Both subscription and lifetime license versions are available

Foxit Cons:

  • The mobile application can be slow at time.
  • The multiple add-ons for all the advanced features can make the subscription price expensive.

Adobe Pros & Cons

Adobe Acrobat Pros:

  • Advanced, state-of-the-art PDF editing tools
  • Integrates well with other Adobe products (such as Adobe Creative Cloud)
  • Cloud storage and collaboration tools
  • Advanced accessibility tools

Adobe Acrobat Cons:

  • Quite expensive, especially if you need all the advanced tools.
  • Steep learning curve to learn, especially for new users.
  • The software is known to be bloaty and slow at times, especially for older computers.

PDF Pro: The Powerful, Affordable Alternative

If you're looking for an affordable alternative to Foxit or Adobe Acrobat, that's easy to use, PDF Pro may be just what you need.

PDF Pro is an affordable all-in-one PDF solution for Windows.

It makes it easy to create, convert, edit, secure, and perform OCR on PDFs.

When it comes to editing PDFs, PDF Pro boasts advanced tools, while remaining lightweight. You won't find any bloaty software slowing down your computer, here. Try PDF Pro for free today

Price

PDF Pro subscription plans are more affordable than both Foxit and Adobe. While its lifetime license price sits competitively with Foxit's. We'll sum up the prices for the highest tier of their plans.

  • PDF Pro — from US $5 month, or one-time payment of US $192 (lifetime license)
  • Foxit — from US $16.99 month, or one-time payment of US $159 (lifetime license).
  • Adobe — from US $19.99 month

Operating System

PDF Pro is only available on Windows desktop for now, and has no mobile apps.

But they do have free online tools that can be used on almost any device.

If you're a Mac or mobile user, Foxit or Adobe may be the better choice for you.

  • PDF Pro — Windows
  • Foxit — Windows & Mac, iOS, Android
  • Adobe — Windows & Mac, iOS

Which One is Right For Me?

The best PDF editor for you is the one that meets your specific needs.

Remember to consider the tasks you'll be doing most often, the device you'll be working on, and your budget when deciding on the right PDF editor for you.

Foxit

Foxit is a bit more geared towards a business or someone working at a company. Features like cloud storage and e-signing make them a viable option for various industries.

Organizations that create or handle PDFs, internally or for their customers, could probably benefit from at least some of Foxit's business tools.

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is known for its innovative and state-of-the art PDF tools. However, these advanced features come with a steep learning curve, a high price tag, and slow performance.

If you're someone that needs the most advanced PDF editing and security tools on the market, or you're looking for a PDF tool that gets along well with your other Adobe services, then these drawbacks may not bother you.

PDF Pro

PDF Pro strikes a balance between being fast, lightweight, and affordable, while not compromising on power.

PDF Pro's advanced tools could benefit any business, while its simple design makes almost any person feel right at home.

OCR, Bates numbering, batch processing, and more are a breeze on PDF Pro.

Currently, PDF Pro is only available on Windows desktop.

So, if you use Mac (or need mobile PDF options), then Foxit or Adobe may be a better fit for you.

Summary

Both Foxit and Adobe offer essential and advanced PDF tools, making them both a viable option for businesses and individuals alike.

Foxit is geared more towards businesses and people working within a company, while Adobe could be useful for both individual and large enterprises.

Adobe Acrobat tends to boast the most advanced tools, but at the cost of slow performance, a steep learning curve, and a high price tag.

In fact, if you need all the features of either Foxit or Adobe, expect to pay a premium.

A third alternative is PDF Pro, an affordable all-in-one PDF solution for Windows desktop.

PDF Pro makes it easy read, edit, create, convert, secure, and perform OCR on PDFs.

PDF Pro is fast, lightweight, and easy to use, while not compromising on power.

It also boasts advanced tools like OCR, custom stamps, batch processing, and more.

In terms of price, PDF Pro offers advanced tools at a more affordable subscription price than Foxit and Adobe.

The option to subscribe, or buy a lifetime license, makes PDF Pro one of the best adobe alternatives around.

However, if you want to work on PDFs on Mac or mobile, Foxit or Adobe may be the better fit for you.

But, for the average person, PDF Pro's powerful editing tools, advanced features, and affordable price are everything they need and more.

Don't just take our word for it, take a look at the other things PDF Pro can help you with.

Other things PDF Pro can help you with:

Try PDF Pro Free

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Digital Marketing SpecialistArron Staradub
Arron was a Digital Marketer at PDF Pro, where he wrote helpful and engaging articles for those that that used PDFs in their daily life.

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PDF Pro is a desktop software for Windows distributed by PDF Pro Software Inc. The software "PDF Pro" and the company "PDF Pro Software Inc." are in no way affiliated with Adobe. The PDF file format is an open file format published under ISO 32000-1:2008

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