Foxit PDF Reader vs Adobe Acrobat

by Gralio Feb 20, 2025

Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat are PDF software solutions catering to different user needs. Foxit offers a budget-friendly, user-friendly option for essential PDF tasks. Adobe Acrobat provides a comprehensive suite of tools and integrations suitable for enterprise-level document management.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5897 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes of reading.

Logo of Foxit PDF Reader
Logo of Adobe Acrobat

About

Foxit PDF Reader is a popular alternative to Adobe Acrobat. It lets you view, annotate, fill out, and sign PDF documents. You can also collaborate on documents with colleagues. Foxit offers a cloud-based version for easy access and sharing and integrates well with other tools like Microsoft Office 365. Many businesses find it to be a faster and more affordable option than Adobe.
Adobe Acrobat is a software solution that lets you create, edit, convert, share, sign, and combine PDF documents. Popular with large companies, Acrobat offers robust security features to protect your documents and ensures compliance with industry standards. You can integrate Acrobat with Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, Google Workspace, and other popular apps to streamline your workflows. It also offers mobile functionality so you can work from anywhere.

Summary

Main difference
Foxit PDF Reader is a cost-effective PDF editor prioritizing speed and ease of use, ideal for businesses and individuals seeking a straightforward solution. Adobe Acrobat offers advanced features, robust security, and broader integration capabilities, making it suitable for larger enterprises with complex document workflows and high security needs.

Relative strengths of Foxit PDF Reader (compared to Adobe Acrobat)

  • Cost-effective solution with competitive pricing.

  • Lightweight and fast, known for its speed and efficiency.

  • Easy-to-use interface suitable for basic PDF editing needs.

Relative weaknesses of Foxit PDF Reader (compared to Adobe Acrobat)

  • Limited advanced features compared to Adobe Acrobat.

  • Occasional bugs and errors reported by users.

  • Mobile app functionality is less comprehensive than Adobe Acrobat.

Who is using Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat?

No data
Abby Murray
Cofounder + CEO @storyarb. 4x female founder

Who should use Foxit PDF Reader VS. Adobe Acrobat

Foxit PDF Reader is a robust, user-friendly, and cost-effective PDF solution. Users praise its speed, intuitive interface, and comprehensive features, especially the annotation capabilities. While some experience occasional bugs or slow performance with large files, many find it a strong alternative to Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat is a versatile PDF solution for creating, editing, and managing documents. Users praise its e-signature features and visual editing capabilities, while some note occasional issues with scanned images and pricing. Acrobat integrates with popular platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, making it suitable for businesses seeking streamlined document workflows.

  • Ideal for small, medium, and large businesses.

  • Suitable for various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and education.

  • Best for small, medium, and large businesses.

  • Ideal for various sectors, including Healthcare, Finance, and E-commerce.

Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Convert to PDF
    Not supported

    Foxit PDF Reader does not convert to PDF. Foxit PDF Editor does.

    Supported

    Adobe Acrobat converts various file formats, including Word, Excel, and images, to PDF.

  • Manage PDF pages
    Not supported

    Foxit PDF Reader can rotate pages for viewing but not permanently. Other page management features require Foxit PDF Editor.

    Supported

    Adobe Acrobat supports organizing, inserting, extracting, replacing, splitting, rotating, and cropping PDF pages.

  • Document Template Creation
    Not supported

    Foxit PDF Reader does not support dynamic templates.

    Partially supported

    Acrobat Sign supports templates with form fields, but advanced features like calculations and conditional logic are not explicitly mentioned.

  • Annotate PDF
    Supported

    Foxit PDF Reader allows adding annotations, comments and highlights.

    Supported

    Adobe Acrobat allows adding annotations, comments, and highlights to PDF documents.

  • Sign document
    Supported

    Foxit PDF Reader allows electronic signatures with various options.

    Supported

    Adobe Acrobat supports electronic signatures through its integration with Acrobat Sign.

  • Zooming and Scrolling
    Supported

    Foxit PDF Reader supports zooming in and out and scrolling through pages.

    Supported

    Zooming and scrolling are supported.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    +0.56
    Rather positive sentiment
    -0.61
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Customer Service
    No data
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.71
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.4
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.2
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.29
    Neutral sentiment
  • Scalability
    No data
    +0.6
    Rather positive sentiment

Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat Pricing

Foxit offers a free trial for PDF Editor+. AI Assistant is available as an add-on with 2,000 credits per month.
Plans

User sentiment

Rather positive
+0.56

See full Pricing page

Adobe offers a free tier for their PDF Services API with 500 free document transactions per month. For higher volume needs, they offer enterprise pricing with custom quotes. Adobe PDF Embed API is free to use with unlimited access.
Plans

User sentiment

Rather negative
-0.62

See full Pricing page

Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat review insights

5897 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • Lightweight and fast.
  • Easy to use and intuitive interface.
  • Good annotation tools.
  • Feature-rich, even in the free version.
  • Easy to use electronic signature options
  • The visual options and editing features are great
  • The convenience of saving to the Adobe Document Cloud and accessing files from all devices
  • Long trial period

Users dislike

  • Occasional bugs and errors.
  • Sluggish performance with large files.
  • Mobile app has limited features.
  • Ads can be distracting in the free version.
  • Scanned images sometimes don't get converted well in Acrobat Pro
  • The software is lagging and requires high system configuration
  • It can be difficult to incorporate certain features and third party features
  • The cost is a bit higher than what I like
  • Recent document editing issues with format changes

Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat Ratings

  • G2
    4.5/5
    (153)
  • Capterra
    4.5/5
    (855)
  • G2
    4.5/5
    (2513)
  • Capterra
    4.7/5
    (2384)
  • Glassdoor
    4.3/5
    (10097)

Company health

Employee growth

No data
4% increase in the last year

Web traffic

No data
1% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data
June 1984 - $3M

How do Foxit's and Adobe's cloud integrations differ?

Foxit integrates with Microsoft Office 365, providing a smoother experience for users working within that ecosystem. Adobe Acrobat integrates with a wider range of platforms, including Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, Google Workspace, and other popular apps, offering more flexibility for users working across diverse platforms. While both offer cloud-based functionality, Adobe emphasizes its Document Cloud for access across devices, whereas Foxit focuses on cloud storage for access and sharing.

Which product offers better performance with large files?

Foxit PDF Reader is reported to have sluggish performance with large files, while user reviews of Adobe Acrobat do not mention similar performance issues. Therefore, Adobe Acrobat is likely the better choice for working with large PDF files.

What are the advantages of Foxit PDF Reader?

Foxit PDF Reader is known for being lightweight and fast, offering a user-friendly interface, and providing a good selection of annotation tools. It's praised for its rich feature set, even in the free version, making it a cost-effective alternative to Adobe Acrobat. Users find it easier to use and more affordable.

What are the disadvantages of Foxit PDF Reader?

Foxit PDF Reader users have reported occasional bugs and errors, sluggish performance with large files, limited features in the mobile app, and distracting ads in the free version.

Is Foxit PDF Reader cheaper than Adobe Acrobat?

Foxit PDF Reader is cheaper than Adobe Acrobat. Foxit PDF Reader offers paid plans starting at GIP 107.36/year. While Adobe Acrobat offers a free version, the paid versions are typically more expensive than Foxit's offerings, with custom enterprise pricing for more advanced features. Therefore, for users needing the paid features of a PDF editor, Foxit is generally the more affordable option.

Alternatives to Foxit PDF Reader and Adobe Acrobat

Logo of PDF Reader Pro
PDF Reader Pro
Edit, annotate, convert, and sign PDFs. Powerful, yet affordable.
Read more
Logo of Foxit PDF Editor Suite
foxit-pdf-reader vs Foxit PDF Editor Suite
Edit, manage, secure, and share PDFs. Powerful, affordable alternative.
Read more
Logo of Nitro Pro
Nitro Pro
Effortless PDF editing, signing, and securing. A robust Acrobat alternative.
Read more
Logo of iLovePDF
iLovePDF
Easy online PDF tools: edit, convert, merge, and more.
Read more
Logo of PDF Studio
PDF Studio
Powerful, affordable PDF editor for all your document needs.
Read more
Logo of PDF Page Editor Pro Edition
PDF Page Editor Pro Edition
Edit, rearrange, and organize PDF pages with powerful tools.
Read more
Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

How are we doing?

Is this information helpful to you? Is there anything we are missing?
Did this help you select your product?
Other issues? Vote & Let us know
NEW: Introducing Gralio Screen Buddy

An AI tool that observes your work, finds inefficiencies, and suggests smarter ways to do things. Maybe you can use your tools better, automate tasks, or switch software.

For Individuals
Streamline your daily tasks, get helpful AI tips, and find the right tools for your workflow.
For Businesses
See how your team really works, uncover automation opportunities, and get software recommendations tailored to your processes.