{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "adobe-acrobat",
            "name": "Adobe Acrobat",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.adobe.com/acrobat.html",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/adobe-acrobat",
            "tagline": "The reference PDF tool for editing, signing and converting documents",
            "summary": "Adobe Acrobat is Adobe's PDF software. The free Acrobat Reader views, comments on and fills PDFs, while paid Acrobat plans edit text, convert files, combine documents and collect e-signatures, on desktop, mobile and web.",
            "developer": "Adobe",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "macos",
                "ios",
                "android",
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free Acrobat Reader; paid subscriptions add editing, conversion and signatures",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Editing, conversion and e-signature in one product",
                "Output opens reliably in every PDF viewer",
                "Apps for desktop, mobile and the browser"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Editing needs a subscription",
                "Costs more over time than one-time editors"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Adobe created the PDF format, and Acrobat is its flagship editor. The free Reader opens and annotates documents. The paid plans add editing of text and images, exporting to Word and Excel, combining and reorganizing pages, redaction, forms and e-signature requests.\n\nIt works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and in the browser, and files sync through Adobe's cloud. The price is a subscription, so it costs more over time than a one-time editor such as PDF-XChange, and recent versions add AI features for summarizing documents. For occasional tasks, free editors cover many needs; Acrobat is the safe choice when a document must open and print identically everywhere."
        },
        {
            "slug": "pdf-xchange-editor",
            "name": "PDF-XChange Editor",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/pdf-xchange-editor",
            "tagline": "Windows PDF editor with a free edition and a paid Plus edition",
            "summary": "PDF-XChange Editor is a PDF editor for Windows from PDF-XChange Co Ltd. It has a free edition, and a paid Plus edition adds more features, with a perpetual license option in the pricing table.",
            "developer": "PDF-XChange Co Ltd",
            "platforms": [
                "windows"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Free edition; paid Plus edition with perpetual license option",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Free edition with conversion and annotation tools",
                "Perpetual license option for paid editions"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Built for Windows, so Mac and Linux users need another tool",
                "Interface is busy for occasional users"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "PDF-XChange Editor opens, annotates and edits PDF files, and it creates PDFs from Word documents, RTF, Markdown, text and image files. Its conversion list is long, which makes it a practical tool for turning documents into PDFs on a Windows computer.\n\nThe product page lists a free edition and a Plus edition, and the pricing table includes a perpetual license for paid editions. Because it is built for Windows, Mac and Linux users need another tool. The interface shows many options at once, which suits frequent users more than occasional ones."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Adobe Acrobat runs on macOS.",
        "Only Adobe Acrobat runs on iOS.",
        "Only Adobe Acrobat runs on Android.",
        "Only Adobe Acrobat runs on Web."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "pdf-editors",
            "name": "PDF editors",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/pdf-editors",
            "of": 7,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "adobe-acrobat",
                    "rank": 1,
                    "score": 90.5,
                    "verdict": "The reference implementation: the most complete editing, conversion, redaction and signing tools, with apps on every platform. It is subscription-only for editing, so it costs more than PDF-XChange or Foxit.",
                    "best_for": "Complete PDF editing with the widest compatibility",
                    "spec": {
                        "platforms": "Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android",
                        "free_plan": "Free Reader for viewing and commenting",
                        "pricing_model": "Subscription",
                        "open_source": false
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "pdf-xchange-editor",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 89.5,
                    "verdict": "A free Windows PDF editor with annotation and conversion from Word, RTF and Markdown, and a Plus edition with more features. It is built for Windows, so Mac and Linux users need another tool.",
                    "best_for": "Free PDF editing on Windows",
                    "spec": {
                        "platforms": "Windows",
                        "free_plan": "Free edition",
                        "pricing_model": "Freemium",
                        "open_source": false
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "adobe-acrobat",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/adobe-acrobat-vs-pdf-xchange-editor",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/adobe-acrobat-vs-pdf-xchange-editor.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}