Got a perpetual CS5 license eons ago. Looking to upgrade the Acrobat. Any alternatives to recommend?
Adobe Acrobat alternative
LurvinOZB on 24/12/2021 - 08:48
Comments
Bluebeam is like Adobe on Steroids.
As an engineer cannot recommend this more.I took a look at this over the last hour. In all honesty, this may well be fantastic for builders, engineers etc, however for day to day PDF viewing, editing it is way too complex.
As it says: Discover why over 2 million builders around the world trust Revu to help their teams get more done, together".
Nice product but I suspect more for a specific market rather than a day to day PDF users.
pdf-xchange
Foxit PhantomPDF.
Comes down to what features you are looking for and how much you want to pay.
PDF-Xchange is my top pick by far and good value to buy @ US$46.50 for full features. GIve the trial a shot for full features after-which you can still use free version (less features). One you work out what is where and tweak the toolbars to your liking, it is great value.
NitroPDF Pro has all the bells and whistles but expensive @ $260 (cheaper if one uses Coupons). Cons: After a few years they retire current version and you have no choice but to purchase a new one as your current serial won't register due to them shutting down the authorising server. Very expensive if one has many licences.
Foxit Phantom am not a fan of as it isn't any cheaper that Nitro and feature wise doesn't offer anything special (my opinion only).
Agree PDF-Xchange is probably the ideal one. Would add Bluebeam Revu for pro users as well, by far the best of all others incl Acrobat for those that do a lot of markups or commenting and is a staple for Engineering use.
Was a long-term Adobe user, but changed to PDF-Xchange at my last firm. After using it for 3 years and now back to Adobe, Acrobat UI is so unintuitive and excessively complicated with flyout menus and no text under icons.
So a big vote for PDF-Xchange.
But I'm a shareholder in Nitro, so buy that instead, haha.
are you editing or just viewing ?
I use pdf-xchange for viewing and basic editing in the free version like adding text (typewriter tool), highlighting etc. Paid version has more editing functions.I use nitro, love it.
Ive used several of the free/cheaper alternatives, they are fine for veiwing and basic edits
however you need Adobe to do SignaturesWhat type of signatures do you mean as most are capble of signing?
I use bluebeam, adobe, pdf element and pdf exchange for signing. All work exactly the same in my experience.
Hahaha, no you don't.
I use Bluebeam Revu at work (because they pay for it, and its by far the best)
And i use pdf exchange on my personal computer because its cheap, and does the job of pretty much all good pdf editors.
+1 for PDF-Xchange
Kofax PowerPDF (formerly Nuance). Has better UI than Adobe Acrobat in that it more closely resembles MS Office much cheaper too.
Not a fan of Nitro. Have had activation issues at work and forced deprecation of older versions.
Another PDF-XChange fan here.
I also use Sumatra PDF for quick viewing only. Sometimes even use Edge.
Used to use Bluebeam when I was working.
Xodo
Xodo PDF editor
Using Xodo, you can make changes, annotate, sign, and share PDF file on computer, web, and mobile. This software makes working with PDF file easy. Intuitive design of this software allows you to focus on the content. It is designed for highlighting text written in the documents.
Features:
You can sign documents quickly on the fly.
This software allows you to complete forms on the go from your tablet or smartphone.
Easy to annotate PDFs.
Collaborate with others in real time.
You can work with PDFs on your Google Drive, Dropbox and with Xodo.Download link: https://www.xodo.com/
Don't get pdf Sam. This got recommended to me as a free alternative but to do fairly simple stuff you have to upgrade to an annual plan. Once I did that it never really updated properly and keeps reverting to the basic version which sends me through constant looping links to upgrade to the version I already have. Plus it's ugly as!
More expensive :-)
Both have trials so why not give both a go and see how they compare based on your induvidual needs.
I bought ashampoo pdf pro
For me it does everything Adobe acrobat doesHowever I find adobe acrobat is so much easier and user friendly to use
Check out PDF24. It's not a reader, but has free functionality for pretty much everything else you want to do. Combined with a reader you'd have everything you need for a casual user.
Revu Bluebeam