Adobe Acrobat is the PDF editor many teams start with, but plenty of them pay for far more than they use. If most of your work is fixing a date, filling a form, or getting a contract signed, you can edit PDF files with lighter tools that cost less and run in the browser. The question is which alternative covers your real work without leaving gaps.
The market is huge. Adobe says customers opened 400 billion PDFs in its products in the last year. But the way people work has shifted. Files now sit in Google Drive and OneDrive, several people review the same contract, and signing happens on a phone. Acrobat has added cloud features, yet its pricing still follows the old per-seat desktop model: Standard costs $14.99 per user per month on an annual plan, and Pro costs $19.99 per user per month on an annual plan. Adobe also stopped selling perpetual versions after Acrobat 2020.
This guide compares eight Acrobat alternatives and explains which kind of team each one suits.
Acrobat alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Edit existing text | eSignature | Cloud storage | Pricing (from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumin | Teams editing and signing in the cloud | Yes, 3 documents a month | Paid plans | Yes, with an audit trail | Google Drive; OneDrive on Business | $9 a month; teams from $19 a month per team |
| Foxit PDF Editor+ | Desktop editing | Free trial only | Yes | 150 envelopes a year | Cloud storage integrations | $159.99 per user a year |
| Nitro PDF | Windows-heavy offices | 14-day trial | Yes | Yes | Desktop app | About $15 per user a month, annual |
| Smallpdf | Simple browser workflows | Yes, limited downloads | Pro and above | Via Sign.com | Browser and desktop app | Per-user plans |
| PDFgear | Free desktop editing | Fully free | Yes | Self-signing | Local files | Free |
| iLovePDF | Fast conversions | Yes, limited processing | Basic | Premium | Browser upload | $5 a month, annual |
| Sejda | Occasional heavy jobs | 3 tasks a day | Yes | Fill and sign | Browser and desktop | $5 week pass; $63 a year |
| DocHub | Gmail and Drive users | Yes, limited | Add text and whiteout | Yes, limited on free | Gmail, Google Drive, Dropbox | Per-user plans |
The best Adobe Acrobat alternatives, reviewed
1. Lumin
Lumin is the strongest all-around Acrobat alternative for teams that work in the cloud. It’s an agreement platform with a built-in PDF editor, so editing, signing, and tracking a document happen in one place instead of across three subscriptions.
Lumin runs in any browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chromebook, with desktop and mobile apps and an offline mode. You can edit existing text and images, build fillable forms, merge, split, compress, convert, and redact. Paid plans also make scanned PDFs searchable. Files open straight from Google Drive and save back to the original, and the Business plan adds connectors for OneDrive and Slack. Teammates edit, comment on, and tag each other in the same file.
The pricing model is the biggest break from Acrobat. Lumin charges per team, not per seat. Pro costs $19 a month, billed annually, and includes 200 documents a month for the whole team, plus eSignatures with tracking, reminders, and an audit trail. The free plan covers basic editing and signing for 3 documents a month.
- Best for: teams on Google Workspace that edit and sign every week
- Free plan: yes, 3 documents a month
- Pricing: from $9 a month; Pro $19 a month per team, billed annually
- Standout: team pricing and Google Drive sync
- Rating: 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot
2. Foxit PDF Editor+
Foxit is a desktop editor for Windows and Mac. It includes OCR, redaction, and form tools, and the Editor+ plan adds web and mobile access, cloud storage, and Foxit eSign with 150 envelopes a year.
Why it made the list: It’s a good option for teams that prefer desktop software, and Foxit also offers a perpetual license for those who want to avoid subscriptions.
- Best for: desktop power users moving off Acrobat
- Free plan: no, free trial only
- Pricing: $159.99 per user per year for Editor+
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web
3. Nitro PDF
Nitro is used in many Windows-based offices, including law and accounting firms. It edits, converts, and builds forms and includes eSignatures. Nitro PDF Plus adds single sign-on and domain controls for larger organizations.
Why it made the list: It’s a desktop editor priced below Acrobat Pro, with a 14-day trial.
- Best for: Windows-first teams that want a desktop editor
- Free plan: no, offers a 14-day trial
- Pricing: about $15 per user a month, billed annually
- Platforms: Windows and Mac
4. Smallpdf
Smallpdf bundles more than 30 tools behind a simple interface. The free plan limits downloads. Pro unlocks text editing, OCR, stronger compression, and unlimited use, and paid plans include Sign.com for signature requests. Team plans cover 2 to 19 seats, and larger organizations get custom pricing.
Why it made the list: It suits occasional users and is ISO/IEC 27001-certified.
- Best for: simple conversions and quick edits
- Free plan: yes, with download limits
- Pricing: per-user subscriptions
5. PDFgear
PDFgear is a free desktop editor for Windows and Mac, with an iOS app and online tools. It edits text, runs OCR, converts files, and signs without sign-up. It works offline.
Why it made the list: It covers common editing tasks at no cost.
- Best for: individuals who want free, unlimited editing
- Free plan: fully free
- Limit: no team workspaces or cloud sync
6. iLovePDF
iLovePDF is a fast toolkit for merging, splitting, compressing, and converting in the browser. Premium removes processing limits and adds digital signatures, workflows, and desktop and mobile apps.
Why it made the list: Premium costs $5 a month, billed annually.
- Best for: high-volume conversions
- Free plan: yes, with limited processing
- Pricing: $5 a month, $9 monthly
7. Sejda
Sejda edits existing text, merges, compresses, and converts in the browser or on the desktop. Sejda Desktop processes files locally and also runs on Linux. The free tier allows 3 tasks a day.
Why it made the list: its flexible pricing suits irregular work, from a $5 one-time Web Week Pass to $63/year for desktop and web.
- Best for: occasional users with occasional big projects
- Free plan: 3 tasks a day
- Pricing: $5 week pass or $63 a year
8. DocHub
DocHub works directly inside Gmail and Google Drive. You open an attachment, fill it in, sign it, and send it back without leaving your inbox. The free plan covers core editing and a few signature requests a month.
Why it made the list: for people who handle most PDFs from email, it removes the download step entirely.
- Best for: Gmail-first users
- Free plan: yes, limited
- Pricing: paid tiers per user
When is Adobe Acrobat a good option?
Adobe Acrobat is a good option for teams that turn scanned documents into editable text, compare file versions, or run the same action across many PDFs every day. Adobe also sells Acrobat Pro 2024 as a three-year desktop license for teams that don’t want a subscription. For everyday editing, signing, and collaboration, the alternatives above are less expensive.
Why Lumin stands out among Acrobat alternatives
Most Acrobat alternatives copy Acrobat’s model: a desktop editor, priced per seat, with signing added on. Lumin takes a different approach that fits how teams work now.
First, it’s built for the cloud. Files are opened from Google Drive and are saved back, so nobody emails attachments or loses track of the latest version. Second, it’s priced per team. A five-person team on Acrobat Standard pays about $900 a year, while Lumin’s Pro plan costs $228 a year for the whole team. Third, editing and signing share one workflow. You can change a clause, send the contract, set automatic reminders, and store the signed copy with its certificate of completion.
Lumin is SOC 2- and GDPR-compliant, and the Enterprise plan adds single sign-on, audit logs, and storage controls. It also integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Notion for teams that manage agreements in those tools.
How to choose the right Acrobat alternative
Start with the jobs you do every week, not the feature list. Then match them to a tool.
- List your top five PDF tasks. If they’re editing, filling, and signing, a cloud editor like Lumin covers them. If OCR on old scans is a big part of your work, Foxit and Acrobat Pro are also good options to test.
- Count the people who need access. Per-seat pricing gets expensive fast. Team pricing stays flat.
- Check where your files are stored. If your team uses Google Drive, pick a tool that saves back to Drive.
- Decide whether you need eSignatures. A bundled signing workflow saves a separate subscription.
- Run a real trial. Use your three hardest documents. Most paid tools offer a 7- to 14-day trial.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Adobe Acrobat?
For teams that edit and sign in the cloud, Lumin is the best overall alternative. It costs less as you add people and saves straight to Google Drive. Foxit PDF Editor+ is a good option for teams that want a desktop editor.
Is there a free alternative to Adobe Acrobat?
Yes. PDFgear is fully free and edits existing text. Lumin, iLovePDF, Smallpdf, Sejda, and DocHub all offer free plans with limits. Lumin’s free plan includes basic editing and eSignatures for 3 documents a month.
Can I still buy Adobe Acrobat without a subscription?
Adobe stopped selling perpetual versions after Acrobat 2020. It now sells Acrobat Pro 2024, a desktop-only license that covers three years and includes security updates but not new features or online services.
Which Acrobat alternative is best for Mac?
Browser-based tools work the same on any Mac. Lumin runs in the browser and also has a Mac app with offline mode. PDFgear and Foxit offer native Mac apps, and Apple Preview handles basic markups for free.
Is switching from Acrobat difficult?
Usually not. PDFs are an open format, so your existing files open in any editor. The bigger change is the workflow. Test how each tool handles your most common tasks and how it connects to your cloud storage before you cancel Acrobat.