• Pricing

Adobe vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: In-depth Comparison [March 2025]

    PDF software is no longer just for viewing documents—it’s a vital tool with features that businesses rely on daily. Among the many options available, Adobe Acrobat and Foxit are two of the most widely used.

    Choosing between Adobe Acrobat and Foxit can be challenging, especially when evaluating features against price. Do you need advanced formatting controls? Is enterprise-grade security essential for your workflows? Do you prefer a Microsoft Office-like interface? Are you already invested in the Adobe ecosystem? Does your organization handle sensitive information requiring redaction? Is budget a primary concern for your PDF solution?

    This 7,000-word comparison will help you navigate these questions and determine which PDF solution best fits your specific needs.

    Executive Summary: Our Recommendation

    👉 Adobe Acrobat, developed by American tech giant Adobe Inc., is the industry-standard PDF powerhouse best suited for professionals who need precise control over document editing and workflows. Its comprehensive editing capabilities include extensive settings all around, advanced content manipulation tools, and granular security controls. While Acrobat excels at precision formatting and offers unparalleled feature depth, its premium pricing and steeper learning curve make it less practical for casual users or organizations with everyday PDF editing needs.

    👉 Foxit PDF Editor, created by a Chinese software company based in Fuzhou, is an enterprise-focused solution with strong PDF editing controls and robust security settings. It builds on standard tools with unique features like the Link & Join Text function, which simplifies complex layout adjustments, and AI-powered Smart Redact, which automatically detects and permanently removes sensitive information. While Foxit's Microsoft Office-style interface provides a familiar experience for business users, its extensive settings and advanced tools may be overwhelming for teams seeking a simpler document-handling solution.

    Both Adobe Acrobat and Foxit PDF Editor introduce unnecessary complexity and cost barriers for teams that simply need efficient, reliable document handling without specialized training. Which is why we've included Smallpdf in the comparison.

    👉 Smallpdf, founded in the city of Zürich in Switzerland, was built for users who value simplicity and efficiency in PDF workflows. Its exceptionally intuitive interface delivers core functionality—merging, editing, compressing, converting, protecting, and signing—with remarkable ease of use and visual clarity. Smallpdf features impressive AI capabilities including unlimited document analysis, summarization, and translation in 24 languages—all while maintaining a strict privacy policy. Its widely adopted cloud integration, with over 4 million Google Workspace installations and 3 million Chrome extension downloads, ensures seamless PDF management. Combining a cloud-first approach, strong security certifications, and built-in Sign.com integration for e-signature tracking, Smallpdf is an ideal solution for SMBs and administrative teams needing streamlined document handling.

    In this article, we'll compare Adobe vs Foxit vs Smallpdf across the following key areas:

    • Essential Document Handling

    • Usability and Learning Curve

    • Accessibility Across Devices

    • Security and Compliance

    • AI Capabilities

    • Pricing

    💡 Tip: Many organizations use different PDF solutions in different departments to balance features and costs: using Smallpdf for everyday tasks, Adobe for advanced needs, and Foxit for handling sensitive documents. This hybrid approach makes sure every department has the right tools while optimizing budgets.

    For a quick overview, check the comparison table below to learn about the strengths and limitations of each solution.

    Comparison Summary: Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit

    Smallpdf

    Essential Document Handling

    🏆

    Comprehensive: Control every document aspect through detailed settings. Adjust formatting, compression, conversion parameters, and image and text editing capabilities through extensive technical options. Complexity can slow basic tasks, however.

    Balanced: Matches functionality with usability through a familiar interface. Unique settings include selecting even/odd pages for merging, connected text editing with the Link & Join Text tool for multi-column layouts, conversion to diverse formats, and quick or advanced compression with granular settings.

    Simplicity-focused:All essential PDF operations with a focus on simplicity. Offers a merge tool with color-coded page organization, basic text editing with clear editable blocks, conversion to standard formats, and compression with instant feedback on size reduction percentage and no loss in document quality. Ideal for quick, efficient document tasks.

    Usability and Learning Curve

    Complex but powerful: Navigate through feature-heavy menus with multiple levels. Master advanced capabilities through extensive documentation, tutorials, and built-in help resources.

    Familiar: Access features through Microsoft Office-like interface with moderate complexity. Find guidance through integrated tooltips, "Tell me more" links, and video tutorials.

    🏆

    Self-explanatory: Navigate through simple, visual interfaces focused on essential functions. Master tools quickly with minimal learning curve and built-in smart tips.

    Accessibility Across Devices

    Full-featured: Web, mobile, desktop. Full-featured mobile app with AI Assistant. Integrates with all Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box for business workflows, plus a Chrome/Edge extension.

    Enterprise-integrated: Web, mobile, desktop. Rich mobile app with AI features and templates. Supports enterprise integrations like Salesforce, Sharepoint, Zapier, and cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive).

    🏆

    Well-connected: Web, mobile, desktop. Streamlined mobile capabilities with all the essential features. Integration via Google Drive and Dropbox, with 4M+ Google Workspace installs and a 3M-download Chrome extension.

    Security and Compliance

    🏆

    Comprehensive protection: Secure documents through multi-layered controls, Protected View mode, and granular permissions. Remove sensitive content permanently with metadata sanitization.

    🏆

    Advanced protection: Protect sensitive information through AI-powered redaction, multiple encryption standards, and Protected View. Satisfy strict regulatory requirements for document handling.

    Essential protection: Protect documents with ISO-certified security practices, standard encryption, and simple password controls. Redact sensitive information permanently through intuitive tools. All processed files auto-delete after 1 hour unless saved to a user account.

    AI Capabilities

    Document intelligence: Chat with PDF, generate summaries, analyze contracts, translate whole documents in 20+ languages, identify topics, and process multiple documents at once.

    Limited capabilities: Chat with PDFs and generate summaries through credit-based AI system. Process multiple files at once, limited by the formats. Translate content in 16 languages with 2,000 character limitations.

    🏆

    Generous quotas: Analyze multiple documents at once through unrestricted chat, summarization, and question generation. Translate entire documents in 24 languages with side-by-side comparison view.

    Pricing

    Most complex and expensive: Free (heavily limited), Standard ($12.99-$22.99/mo), Pro ($19.99-$29.99/mo), Teams ($14.99-$22.19/mo per license). AI Assistant adds $4.99/mo.

    Competitive mid-range: Free (limited by features), Editor ($10.99/mo or $129.99/yr), Editor+ ($13.99/mo or $159.99/yr). AI add-on $49.99/yr.

    🏆

    Simplest and most affordable: Free (limited usage), Pro ($9-$12/mo), Teams ($7-$10/mo per seat). All features included, AI is not charged extra.

    Best For

    Power users, professionals, and businesses already invested in the Adobe ecosystem, who need advanced PDF capabilities.

    Enterprise users in heavily regulated industries, who need strong security and powerful features on a familiar interface.

    Individuals, SMBs, and administrative departments, who need essential PDF functionality with maximum simplicity and affordability.

    What is Adobe Acrobat?

    "The professional's PDF powerhouse" 🏛

    Adobe Acrobat has a slogan on its homepage: ‘Do it all with Acrobat’."
    Adobe Acrobat has a slogan on its homepage: ‘Do it all with Acrobat’."
    Adobe Acrobat was first released in 1993 in the U.S. by Adobe Inc. as a revolutionary solution to the critical need for consistent document formatting across different operating systems and devices. As the original creator of the PDF format, Adobe established Acrobat as the foundational tool for document handling that would eventually become the industry standard.

    Adobe's flagship PDF solution delivers comprehensive document editing capabilities with exceptional depth and precision. The platform excels with rich formatting options including extensive font controls, alignment tools, and advanced content manipulation. Its sophisticated features extend beyond basic editing to include conversion of PDF into a wide selection of formats, detailed permission controls for security, AI-powered document analysis, and e-signature workflows with multiple authentication options.

    Adobe Acrobat is the ideal solution for power users, design professionals, and users who need precise control over document appearance and workflows. While its premium pricing and steeper learning curve may deter casual users, organizations with complex document needs—particularly those already invested in the Adobe ecosystem—may find that Acrobat's unparalleled feature depth justifies the investment.

    What is Foxit PDF Editor?

    "Enterprise-grade PDF suite" 🔒

    Foxit has a slogan on its homepage: ‘Faster, Smarter, Better PDFs’."
    Foxit has a slogan on its homepage: ‘Faster, Smarter, Better PDFs’."
    Foxit Software, founded in 2001 in China, emerged as a viable alternative to Adobe Acrobat, addressing the market need for a more lightweight, cost-effective PDF solution without sacrificing essential functionality. The company's initial success with its free PDF reader created a foundation for developing more comprehensive editing tools aimed at business users.

    Foxit delivers robust document handling capabilities, matching advanced functionality with high security standards. Some of its unique features include Link & Join Text function for editing complex layouts, AI-powered Smart Redact that automatically identifies and removes sensitive information, and a comprehensive desktop version, suited for security-conscious environments. Foxit's Microsoft Office-style interface creates a familiar experience for business users, providing powerful controls without overwhelming complexity. 

    Foxit PDF Editor is particularly well-suited for organizations in regulated industries and security-sensitive sectors like banking and finance. Foxit's strategic focus on the desktop capabilities and high security needs has positioned it as the preferred choice for companies that need to keep sensitive documents within controlled networks while balancing functionality with reasonable business pricing.

    What is Smallpdf?

    "Simply smarter PDF handling" 🚀

    Smallpdf has a slogan on its homepage: ‘We make PDF easy’."
    Smallpdf has a slogan on its homepage: ‘We make PDF easy’."
    Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Smallpdf emerged to solve the frustration of overcomplicated PDF software by creating an accessible, user-friendly alternative focused on the core PDF tasks that most people need. The founders envisioned a streamlined solution that would handle essential document workflows without the complexity and cost of legacy PDF applications.

    Smallpdf excels with its exceptionally intuitive interface and focused approach to document handling. The platform delivers core PDF functionality—merging, editing, compressing, converting, protecting, and signing—with remarkable ease of use and visual clarity. Each tool features a straightforward progression from one step to the next, with contextual suggestions that help users discover related features organically. Smallpdf's cloud-first approach enables seamless integration with popular services like Google Drive and Dropbox, with impressive adoption statistics, including over 4 million Google Workspace installations and 3 million Chrome extension downloads.

    Smallpdf is ideally suited for small-to-medium businesses, administrative departments, and general staff members who need efficient document processing without specialized training. By focusing on delivering exceptional user experience for the most commonly used PDF functions, Smallpdf has positioned itself as the perfect choice for those seeking efficiency, ease of use, and affordability.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: Essential Document Handling

    Adobe Acrobat and Foxit offer advanced features with complex settings and limited functionality across plans, while Smallpdf provides all the essentials across all plans with a focus on simplicity.

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Smallpdf

    Essential document handling includes the main PDF operations most users need daily: merging files, editing content, compressing documents, converting between formats, and managing e-signatures. These basic features impact how efficiently you work and are the most important part of any PDF solution.

    In this article, we've covered only the most commonly used features, but each of the three tools offers a wide range of free and paid options, as shown in the table below.

    Free Features

    Adobe Acrobat

    • View and print PDFs

    • Annotate and comment (highlight, underline, sticky notes)

    • Fill and sign forms

    • Basic security (view protected PDFs)

    Foxit

    • View and print PDFs

    • Convert PDFs to/from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, rich text, HTML, and other

    • Annotate and comment

    • Fill and sign forms

    • Request digital signatures

    • Compare files

    • AI-powered document summarization and smart search

    Smallpdf

    • Convert PDFs to/from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and images

    • Compress PDFs

    • Merge and split PDFs

    • Basic editing (add text, watermarks, and annotations)

    • eSign documents

    • Request signatures with Sign.com

    • PDF OCR

    • Protect, redact, and unlock documents

    • AI PDF tools

    • Integration with cloud storage services (Google Drive, Dropbox) + Chrome extension

    • Limited usage

    Paid Features

    Adobe Acrobat

    • Create, combine, split, and organize PDFs

    • Edit text and images

    • Convert PDFs to/from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, HTML, and other formats

    • Compress PDFs

    • Apply passwords and permissions, redact sensitive information

    • OCR for scanned documents

    • Request signatures

    • Compare files

    • AI Assistant for document summarization and content insights

    • Batch processing for large documents

    • Integration with Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box

    Foxit

    • Create and organize PDFs

    • Edit text and images

    • Compress PDFs

    • Advanced security (encryption, redaction, password protection)

    • OCR for scanned documents

    • Batch processing (OCR, conversion, watermarking)

    • Real-time collaboration tools

    • Integration with OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Salesforce, Sharepoint, and Zapier

    Smallpdf

    • No document limitations

    • Edit text in PDFs

    • Extract images

    • Batch processing

    • Strong compression

    • OCR for scanned documents

    Merging and Organizing PDFs: Smallpdf offers the easiest merging experience with visual organization, Adobe Acrobat provides the most advanced options but is more complex, while Foxit delivers a simple, no-frills approach.

    Smallpdf simplifies merging PDFs with a clean, visual approach. The merge tool has a navigation bar for adding multiple files, rotating pages, and viewing individual pages within each uploaded file. Smallpdf is unique because of its color-coded system for tracking documents, which makes it very easy to change and track the order they'll appear in once combined. You can also remove selected pages you don’t want in the final merged file.

    Smallpdf's Merge PDF tool features an intuitive navigation bar that guides users through the process of merging PDF files, organizing pages, and accessing additional functionalities.
    Smallpdf's Merge PDF tool features an intuitive navigation bar that guides users through the process of merging PDF files, organizing pages, and accessing additional functionalities.
    Foxit PDF Editor uses an uncomplicated approach to merging files through its "Combine Files" feature. Its key advantage is that it lets you select even or odd pages to merge from multiple files. You can later reorganize and delete specific pages out of the merged file separately.

    Foxit’s Combine Files feature offers granular settings.
    Foxit’s Combine Files feature offers granular settings.
    Adobe Acrobat's merge function gives complete control but requires you to navigate through more options and menus. The tool supports merging multiple file types, including PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, audio, video, and web pages. Adobe lets you choose file sizes when merging files: small for viewing on screens, medium for normal business use, and large for quality printing. It also allows you to select exact pages to merge from the chosen files.

    Adobe Acrobat’s Combine files feature allows you to select exact pages from the documents you want to combine.
    Adobe Acrobat’s Combine files feature allows you to select exact pages from the documents you want to combine.
    PDF Editing Capabilities: Adobe Acrobat provides the most complete editing tools with many formatting options, Foxit has strong editing tools with a unique Link & Join feature, while Smallpdf offers standard editing tools that meet most users' needs.

    Adobe Acrobat's editing tools represent the gold standard for comprehensive PDF modification. The text editing screen lets you control fonts, sizes, colors, and alignment exactly. And you can even edit images.

    Text formatting panel displays font settings, alignment options, and numerical input fields, alongside a vertical toolbar and document content.
    Text formatting panel displays font settings, alignment options, and numerical input fields, alongside a vertical toolbar and document content.
    Its text formatting options are comprehensive, offering bold, italic, underline, superscript, subscript, line spacing, character spacing, horizontal scaling, and color adjustments. Additionally, you can annotate documents by drawing, highlighting, adding shapes, and more. All these options are great for creating professional-looking documents, but they have a steeper learning curve.

    Foxit PDF Editor offers similarly extensive text editing and annotating tools as Acrobat, though with a more limited font selection. It also allows image editing, but mainly through basic settings rather than advanced visual enhancements. Its standout feature, Link & Join Text, lets users connect or split text blocks as needed—particularly useful for editing multi-column documents or complex layouts.

    Foxit’s text formatting panel displays font settings, alignment options, and numerical input fields, alongside a vertical toolbar and document content.
    Foxit’s text formatting panel displays font settings, alignment options, and numerical input fields, alongside a vertical toolbar and document content.
    Smallpdf aims to offer standard editing functions that are very simple to use. When you choose edit text, editable text blocks with borders show up—making it clear which text you can change. You can add text, choose from a few fonts, size, color, and bold it.

    Smallpdf’s text editing tool allows users to directly modify text, change fonts, and apply formatting to their documents.
    Smallpdf’s text editing tool allows users to directly modify text, change fonts, and apply formatting to their documents.
    Its annotation capabilities also allow you to draw freehand, apply effects like highlighting or underlining, and add shapes or images. The interface is clean and intuitive, allowing users to make changes without navigating complex menus.

    Annotate documents in Smallpdf with features for highlighting, drawing, adding text, and inserting shapes.
    Annotate documents in Smallpdf with features for highlighting, drawing, adding text, and inserting shapes.
    Compression Tools: Smallpdf eases compression with clear options and instant visual feedback, showing the exact size and percentage reduced, while Adobe and Foxit offer detailed controls but don’t display the file size reduction upfront.

    File compression with Smallpdf is effortless. The platform offers two distinct compression options: Basic (medium file size with standard resolution) and Strong (smaller file size with lower resolution), both optimized to maintain the highest possible document quality. Users get instant visual feedback—after compression, they can see exactly how much the file size has been reduced in terms of kB and percentage. The process is smooth, letting users download the compressed file, save it to cloud storage, export it in different formats, or share it through many channels.

    Users experience fast and efficient PDF compression with Smallpdf’s Compress tool.
    Users experience fast and efficient PDF compression with Smallpdf’s Compress tool.
    Adobe Acrobat provides advanced optimization settings for file compression via its PDF Optimizer, allowing you to compress specific images by size, unembed fonts, and discard objects as needed. However, these settings require technical knowledge, and the exact file size reduction isn't immediately visible unless you check it manually.

    Adobe Acrobat offers extensive setting for compressing files.
    Adobe Acrobat offers extensive setting for compressing files.
    Foxit PDF Editor compresses PDFs in a balanced way also using its PDF Optimizer feature. Foxit provides both quick compression with the "Reduce File Size" option and more detailed control similar to Acrobat’s through "Advanced Optimization." The feature is hard to find, however, and you don’t see how much your file was reduced right away.

    Format Conversion Tools: Smallpdf covers essential formats with ease, while Adobe and Foxit support more formats but come with more complex settings.

    Smallpdf document conversion is straightforward, with tools easily accessible from the main toolbar. The platform allows you to turn PDFs into other formats, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and image files, and you can also change all these formats into PDFs. The settings let you convert selectable text only or turn text in scans and images into an editable format as well. Your documents retain their structure and appearance during conversion.

    Smallpdf PDF Converter tool offers a user-friendly interface with simple drag-and-drop functionality for easy conversion.
    Smallpdf PDF Converter tool offers a user-friendly interface with simple drag-and-drop functionality for easy conversion.
    Adobe Acrobat converts documents to all standard formats and more, including HTML and RTF, with extensive customization options for each type. For example, Word conversion lets users retain text flow or page layout, comments, and images. Excel conversion includes worksheet creation options and numeric settings. Image conversion supports multiple formats with adjustable compression settings.

    Adobe Acrobat offers various settings for exporting PDFs in different formats.
    Adobe Acrobat offers various settings for exporting PDFs in different formats.
    Foxit PDF Editor also supports various conversion output formats, including RTF, Plain Text, Accessible Text, and XML for structured data. It offers detailed settings similar to Acrobat and even lets you select specific pages for conversion.

    E-Signing and Requesting: Smallpdf provides all essential e-signing and request features with tracking, while Adobe Acrobat and Foxit offer more complex options with advanced authentication.

    Adobe Acrobat offers a free Fill&Sign feature, allowing you to fill in a form and sign using a hand drawn, text, or image-based signature. For e-signature requests there’s a separate feature, where you can set a signing order, collect signatures in bulk, and even request payments. The system supports multiple file types and offers security options like email, password, knowledge-based authentication, and phone verification. Additional controls include deadlines, automated reminders, and language settings for enterprise users.

    Adobe Acrobat's agreement interface offers message customization, file management, security options, signature preferences, and language settings for document signing workflows.
    Adobe Acrobat's agreement interface offers message customization, file management, security options, signature preferences, and language settings for document signing workflows.
    Smallpdf offers all the essential e-signing and requesting features but in an uncomplicated way. You can sign documents directly on the platform with the same signature formats as Acrobat and add fields like text, dates, and checkboxes. For requesting signatures, Smallpdf uses Sign.com, which evolved from Smallpdf’s eSign feature into its own standalone platform. Sign.com allows you to set the signing order, add signer details, and send automatic email notifications. You can track progress with an activity timeline (1), send reminders, or reuse the document (2) as needed.

    Sign.com's document status page allows users to monitor signature progress, view activity, track signees, and take action on documents.
    Sign.com's document status page allows users to monitor signature progress, view activity, track signees, and take action on documents.
    Foxit PDF Editor includes a standard signing and requesting tool comparable to the other two tools but emphasizes security. You can password-protect your own signature, and for signature requests, it offers authentication options like SMS, email, mobile, and phone verification. You can also enable in-person signing, enforce a signing order, and track progress with a timeline.

    Foxit’s eSignature tool offers extensive security features like authentication and in-person signing.
    Foxit’s eSignature tool offers extensive security features like authentication and in-person signing.
    Verdict: Adobe Acrobat provides the most complete document tools with advanced customization, ideal for tech-savvy professionals needing precise control. Foxit PDF Editor balances functionality, usability, and security with robust features. Smallpdf prioritizes simplicity, offering an intuitive solution for quick and efficient document tasks—perfect for administrative staff, small businesses, and everyday users.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: Usability and Learning Curve

    Smallpdf features a simple, easy-to-use interface, Foxit offers a familiar design with moderate complexity, and Adobe Acrobat has the most complex interface with the steepest learning curve.

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Smallpdf

    How easy a tool is to use and learn greatly affects productivity, especially for teams with different tech skills. A PDF tool's design, menu system, and approach to everyday tasks can mean the difference between working fast and wasting time.

    User Interface Design and Organization: Smallpdf offers an intuitive design made for everyone, Foxit’s interface will be familiar to Microsoft Office users, while Acrobat follows the Adobe suite interface design, suitable for tech-savvy professionals.

    Smallpdf follows the "less is more" philosophy with a very clean, focused interface that puts ease of use first. When users log into Smallpdf, they see a home page that shows the most popular PDF tools along with a big upload button for adding documents. The left sidebar shows the main features in a clear, logical order: Compress, Convert, Organize, Edit, Sign, AI PDF, More, and Documents. This simple layout helps users quickly find the tool they need without searching through complex menus or ribbons.

    Smallpdf's main dashboard highlights popular PDF tools like compress, convert, and edit, along with a sidebar for navigation and a header for account management.
    Smallpdf's main dashboard highlights popular PDF tools like compress, convert, and edit, along with a sidebar for navigation and a header for account management.
    What really sets Smallpdf's interface apart is its focus on visual clarity. Each tool page uses the same design style with plenty of white space, clear buttons, and clear steps from start to finish.

    Foxit PDF Editor takes a middle path for its design, making features easy to access while having some complexity. The menu bars at the top are organized like in Microsoft Office, with tabs for main features and toolbars below for each chosen feature. A new Format toolbar opens when you try to edit any of the added elements. This familiar layout helps users who know Office tools to quickly learn Foxit.

    Foxit PDF Editor shows the user interface with vertical navigation panel on the left and horizontal toolbars at the top.
    Foxit PDF Editor shows the user interface with vertical navigation panel on the left and horizontal toolbars at the top.
    Adobe Acrobat has the most complex interface of the three programs. We chose to showcase the web app version as it’s the more intuitive option. The top navigation bar has several sections (Home, Documents, Edit, Convert, E-sign, and All Tools), and the interface changes depending on which one you choose.

    Adobe Acrobat Pro's web interface features a top navigation bar, app selection sidebar, and tools for document management and editing.
    Adobe Acrobat Pro's web interface features a top navigation bar, app selection sidebar, and tools for document management and editing.
    Adobe's interface prioritizes functionality ahead of simplicity. Tools and options are organized in many menu levels, which allows access to all its features but can make basic tasks harder to complete, especially for new users. Adobe suite users, however, will find Acrobat’s desktop app interface familiar and, thus, easy to navigate.

    Learning Resources and Support: Smallpdf's straightforward design means you need less help, Foxit has strong documentation with built-in guidance, while Adobe offers the most thorough learning materials because it has so many complex features.

    Smallpdf's approach to help materials shows its focus on simplicity and ease of use. The program is built to reduce the need for long manuals or training by making interfaces user-friendly and workflows simple to follow.

    For users who need help, Smallpdf offers guidance with clear tool descriptions, smart tips, and helpful messages across the interface. You can also find some very useful guides on the blog. The customer support mostly handles account issues rather than questions about using the program, which shows the design is so clear that users rarely need help with the features.

    Smallpdf presents helpful smart tips across the platform.
    Smallpdf presents helpful smart tips across the platform.
    Foxit PDF Editor mixes an easy-to-understand but complex interface with more structured help materials. Foxit builds help into the interface using tooltips, "Tell me more" links, and clear labels that help users understand what each button does. For faster learning, Foxit offers user manuals and instructional videos that walk through common tasks step by step.

    Foxit’s text formatting panel displays font settings, alignment options, and numerical input fields, alongside a vertical toolbar and document content.
    Foxit’s text formatting panel displays font settings, alignment options, and numerical input fields, alongside a vertical toolbar and document content.
    Adobe Acrobat gives the most detailed learning resources, which makes sense because it's the most complicated. It offers a help center, built into the top menu, with guides about the program’s functionality. Adobe also has many tutorials, including walkthroughs, videos, and step-by-step guides for common tasks.

    Adobe Acrobat has a knowledge hub built into the software.
    Adobe Acrobat has a knowledge hub built into the software.
    Verdict: Smallpdf has outstanding usability with an interface that takes little time to learn, making it perfect for business users who need to do PDF tasks quickly without special training. Foxit PDF Editor combines a familiar interface with medium complexity, fitting users who need more powerful features but want a reasonable learning curve. Adobe Acrobat has the most complex interface with advanced features that are harder to learn, making it best for professional, tech-savvy users.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: Accessibility Across Devices

    All three tools offer high accessibility across devices; however, Smallpdf shines with its cloud integration adoption rates, Acrobat with its full-featured mobile app, and Foxit with its enterprise-level integrations.

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Smallpdf

    Accessibility in PDF software refers to how easily users can access, share, and work with documents across desktop, web, and mobile platforms. This includes integrations for easy file access, mobile capabilities for on-the-go productivity, and flexibility in working both online and offline.

    Mobile Apps: Smallpdf offers streamlined mobile capabilities focusing on key tasks, Adobe provides full mobile functionality with advanced AI features, and Foxit delivers a feature-rich mobile experience with many tools and templates.

    All three tools provide web, desktop, and mobile versions, ensuring flexibility across devices. The desktop versions allow offline functionality, making it possible to work without an internet connection. Since we've covered web and desktop functionalities throughout this article, this section focuses on mobile.

    Smallpdf's mobile app has a clean design, including the most important PDF tools for use away from your desk: compress, merge, organize, delete, rotate, convert, edit, and sign. A top feature of the Smallpdf mobile app is its built-in document scanning, which helps users take pictures of paper documents and make them into PDFs right away. This function is particularly valuable in industries and regions where paper documents are still common.

    Adobe Acrobat offers a mobile app that provides users with the essential PDF tools: edit, create, combine, reduce, and sign PDFs. It also includes AI capabilities, with the AI Assistant available through both text and voice inputs. Adobe's scanning and signing tools are separate from the Acrobat app, but they work with the same subscription.

    The Foxit PDF Editor mobile app provides a complete set of PDF tools, including editing, converting, merging, scanning, compressing, and signing features. Like Acrobat, it also offers a mobile AI Assistant, which can summarize documents, translate content, improve writing, and explain the meaning of the text. The most unique feature of the Foxit app is its extensive selection of pre-made templates for creating PDFs.

    Integrations: Smallpdf leads with excellent cloud service integration and high adoption rates, Adobe provides solid business-focused connection options, and Foxit offers enterprise-level system integration.

    Smallpdf's integration is a key part of how people use it. The platform connects easily to popular cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox so users can access and save files directly without downloading and re-uploading.

    What sets Smallpdf's cloud integration apart is its high adoption rates. Smallpdf has over 4 million installations on Google Workspace, with more than half of those installed by administrators for entire organizations. The platform's Chrome extension, with 3 million downloads, further improves cloud accessibility by letting users work with PDFs directly in the browser.

    Adobe Acrobat gives solid cloud integration designed for business needs. The platform connects with major cloud storage services, including Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box, enabling document access across company networks. It also offers a Chrome and Edge extension.

    Foxit provides good cloud integration with major platforms, presenting its abilities as part of a bigger business system ecosystem. The software connects with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Box to help document workflows. Additionally, it provides Salesforce, Sharepoint, and Zapier integrations. 

    Foxit prioritizes full business system integration, making it ideal for organizations needing PDF tools within automated workflows or content management systems.

    Verdict: Smallpdf is the best for simple, streamlined PDF tasks with strong cloud integration, ideal for individuals, small businesses, and casual users. Adobe Acrobat balances advanced mobile features, AI tools, and business-friendly cloud connectivity, making it perfect for professionals, teams, and businesses needing powerful cross-device collaboration. Foxit PDF Editor excels in enterprise integration with a feature-rich mobile app, suited for enterprises and power users who require extensive customization, security, and workflow automation.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: Security and Compliance

    Adobe Acrobat provides the most advanced security tools with detailed permissions and encryption, Foxit excels in AI-powered redaction and business security, and Smallpdf offers essential protection with a user-friendly approach.

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Smallpdf

    Security and compliance are key factors when picking a PDF solution, especially for companies dealing with private information. Good document encryption, protection tools, and redaction features can be the difference between safe data and expensive leaks.

    Encryption and Data Protection: Smallpdf focuses on clear security certifications and global privacy rules, while Adobe and Foxit take it a step further with Protected View features.

    Smallpdf has a direct, open way of protecting data, clearly showing its security strengths. The service uses safe 128-bit AES encryption to keep data secure always, from when a file is sent to the servers until it's received by users.

    What makes Smallpdf's security special is its official certifications and how it follows worldwide rules. The software has ISO/IEC 27001 certification, which means it follows strong information security practices. Smallpdf also follows big privacy rules like GDPR, CCPA, and nFADP.

    Adobe Acrobat has complete security tools with a focus on strong protection methods. The software uses 256-bit AES encryption, giving standard protection for private document information.

    One of Adobe's special security tools is Protected View, which opens PDFs in a limited, read-only mode that works like a safe testing area. This protection stops harmful files from hurting the user's computer, a key safety measure when opening files from sources you don't know.

    Foxit PDF Editor aims at business security, with many protection features for companies that care about security. Foxit uses strong encryption standards, including 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), 128-bit AES, and 128-bit ARC-FOUR, which you can choose between. 

    Foxit has a Protected View feature like Adobe's, making a limited space for opening possibly unsafe documents. The software's security features are especially attractive to rule-following industries and government offices. Foxit is often picked for highly sensitive departments because of its strong security tools.

    Document Protection and Permissions: Adobe and Foxit have fine-tuned permission controls with thorough access management, while Smallpdf gives basic protection with key security features.

    Adobe Acrobat leads in document protection and permission handling, providing very thorough control over document access and use. The software lets users enforce using certificates and lock documents with passwords, making multi-level security that fits various situations.

    The permission controls in Adobe are very detailed, allowing limits on exact actions like printing, copying, editing, changing, and screen reader use. This detailed control helps companies create exact security rules based on user jobs and document privacy needs.

    Adobe Acrobat's Permissions panel displays controls for document printing, editing, copying, and accessibility, with password protection and strength indicator for security settings.
    Adobe Acrobat's Permissions panel displays controls for document printing, editing, copying, and accessibility, with password protection and strength indicator for security settings.
    Foxit PDF Editor has strong document protection tools, including certification protection, granular password protection settings that block unwanted access, and strict permission settings that set exact rules for actions like editing, printing, or copying content.

    Foxit offers granular permission and restriction settings.
    Foxit offers granular permission and restriction settings.
    Smallpdf provides some basic document protection features like password protection for PDFs, letting users block access to private documents without using complicated security settings.

    Smallpdf’s password protection interface showcases a document preview, password input fields, and clear information about 128-bit AES encryption.
    Smallpdf’s password protection interface showcases a document preview, password input fields, and clear information about 128-bit AES encryption.
    Redaction Capabilities: Foxit offers AI-powered Smart Redact for automatic redaction, Adobe has extremely thorough tools that remove even metadata, and Smallpdf provides simple redaction tools for hiding information.

    Foxit PDF Editor’s redaction capabilities are completely unique thanks to its AI-powered Smart Redact feature, which automatically finds and removes private information from PDF documents. This tool greatly speeds up the redaction process, especially for many documents. However, to avoid any potential security risks, users may want to consider how their data is processed, since Smart Redact uses AI to analyze document content, and review Foxit's security measures before use.

    Foxit's redaction method makes sure that private information is fully removed from the document, not just hidden from view. For big documents, Foxit's Search and Redact tool is really useful, as it allows users to find specific information like names or social security numbers and hide them all at once. You can also completely customize the redaction properties.

    Foxit's Redaction Properties offer customization options including fill color, overlay text settings, and FOIA code entries for marking sensitive content.
    Foxit's Redaction Properties offer customization options including fill color, overlay text settings, and FOIA code entries for marking sensitive content.
    Adobe Acrobat also has strong, customizable redaction tools with similar properties to Foxit’s. It also offers a ‘Find Text & Redact’ feature and includes a 'Sanitize and Remove Hidden Information' option, which removes visible content, metadata, bookmarks, and other sensitive data.

    A comparison of an Adobe Acrobat document before and after redaction, showing how marked text is converted to permanent black rectangles to protect sensitive information.
    A comparison of an Adobe Acrobat document before and after redaction, showing how marked text is converted to permanent black rectangles to protect sensitive information.
    Smallpdf has simple redaction tools made to safely hide private information in documents. The Redact tool helps users hide secret content by putting black boxes over areas they want to cover. What makes Smallpdf's redaction different from the highlighting is that you can’t undo it in the editor. The hidden areas can't be seen or brought back, unlike with highlighting or markup.

    Smallpdf's Redact feature highlights the document preview with sensitive information redacted, along with page organization tools and a confirmation button.
    Smallpdf's Redact feature highlights the document preview with sensitive information redacted, along with page organization tools and a confirmation button.
    Verdict: Adobe Acrobat has the most complete security tools with very detailed permissions control and strong encryption, making it perfect for big companies with strict compliance needs and different security demands for various document types. Foxit PDF Editor stands out with its AI-powered Smart Redact feature and strong business security focus, making it just right for companies in rule-heavy industries where automatic private information protection is vital. Smallpdf has well-designed key security features with great ease of use, creating a good balance for small-to-medium businesses that need strong protection without complex security.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: AI Capabilities

    All three tools offer similar AI capabilities, but Smallpdf stands out with extensive translation features, no limitations, and inclusion in every plan.

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Smallpdf

    AI features are changing how users work with and get value from PDF documents. These smart features can do tasks that take a lot of time like summarizing, translating, and analyzing content, which greatly boosts productivity.

    Note: As awareness of AI-related privacy practices grows, we examined Adobe, Foxit, and Smallpdf’s policies on using user documents for AI training. While all three state that user documents are not used for AI training, the approaches to this policy vary. Adobe states that content isn’t used without consent, Foxit temporarily stores inputs for performance but doesn’t train AI with them, and Smallpdf maintains a strict no-AI-training policy.

    Document Summarization and Analysis: All three tools offer similar AI features, but Smallpdf includes them in all plans, while Acrobat and Foxit require separate subscriptions with certain limitations.

    Adobe Acrobat's AI Assistant offers document analysis features like chatting with PDFs, generating summaries, and extracting key takeaways. It works on desktop, web, and mobile, supporting documents up to 100MB, 600 pages, and various formats. It can analyze up to 10 documents at once, identifying key themes and connections. For contract analysis, it simplifies legal language, highlights key terms, and compares agreement versions. Access to the AI Assistant requires an additional subscription.

    Adobe’s AI Assistant offers generative summaries of documents.
    Adobe’s AI Assistant offers generative summaries of documents.
    Smallpdf's PDF AI is simple yet powerful, offering chat with PDF, document summarization, question generation, and multi-language support—without limitations. It allows users to summarize over 10 files at once, across various formats and devices. It also suggests context-based questions to help users explore documents more easily. PDF AI features are included in all pricing plans and do not require a separate subscription.

    Chat with your PDF documents in Smallpdf with features for asking questions, receiving answers, and downloading the conversation.
    Chat with your PDF documents in Smallpdf with features for asking questions, receiving answers, and downloading the conversation.
    Foxit PDF Editor features Foxit AI, providing chat with PDF, text summarization, and writing enhancements, similar to Acrobat and Smallpdf. It can process up to 10 files at once and accept only PDF, JPG, and PNG files. Foxit uses a credit-based system: new users get 20 free AI credits, and further usage requires a separate subscription starting at $49.99 per year.

    Foxit AI allows you to ask questions about your documents.
    Foxit AI allows you to ask questions about your documents.
    Language Translation and Processing: Smallpdf offers the most extensive AI translation with 24 languages, Adobe translates within chat but lacks a dedicated feature, and Foxit supports 16 languages with a 2,000-character limit.

    Smallpdf's AI translation capabilities are the most extensive among the three tools, supporting 24 languages—the highest of any platform. Additionally, it offers two translation options: a summarized translation for quick understanding or a full document translation. This flexibility allows users to choose based on their needs. The translated document appears in a convenient side-by-side view with the original, making it easy to compare the original document with the translated one.

    Smallpdf's AI Translate tool quickly and efficiently translates a document, with the translation process and languages visible.
    Smallpdf's AI Translate tool quickly and efficiently translates a document, with the translation process and languages visible.
    Adobe Acrobat's AI Assistant doesn’t have a dedicated translation feature, but it can translate entire documents and operate in multiple languages (20+) during chat, including but not limited to English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese.

    Foxit PDF Editor's AI has translation features that work with 16 languages including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese. However, it limits translations to 2,000 characters and does not support full document translation.

    Verdict: Adobe Acrobat provides advanced AI features for document analysis, summarization, and contract review, making it ideal for professionals who need deep insights and structured content extraction. Foxit PDF Editor offers strong AI features with a focus on summarization and writing enhancements, making it a great fit for business users who need to refine and clarify documents efficiently. Smallpdf excels in user-friendly AI features for quick document processing, especially in translation with 24 languages, making it perfect for international teams that prioritize multilingual communication and ease of use.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: Pricing

    Smallpdf offers the simplest, most affordable pricing with all features included, Foxit provides competitive pricing with feature distinctions, and Adobe has the most complex and expensive plans.

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Smallpdf

    Pricing and licensing models have a big effect on the total cost of ownership and return on investment for PDF software. Besides the main subscription cost, organizations must think about usage limits, feature availability across tiers, and the structure of team licensing.

    Smallpdf stands out with a clear, simple pricing structure, available as a monthly or yearly subscription. It offers three tiers: Free, Pro (individual), and Pro for Teams (business). The free version gives access to all tools but with usage limits.

    Free

    Pro

    Pro for Teams

    Price

    $0/month

    $15/month

    $10/month per year

    $10/month per seat

    $7/month per seat per year (minimum 2 seats)

    Description

    All your basic document management needs met in one place.

    Take your productivity to the next level with unlimited downloads and access to all Pro features.

    For teams of two or more looking for extra savings and priority support.

    Key Features

    • 30+ document management tools

    • Mobile app access

    • Limited usage

    • Pro features (strong compression, OCR, etc.)

    • Unlimited downloads

    • Unlimited access to 30+ tools

    • Unlimited mobile app access

    • Everything in Pro

    • Special discounted pricing

    • Priority support

    • Centralized billing

    • Member management

    Note: eSign and Sign.com features are included in the Pro plan, while Sign.com also exists as a standalone product with its own pricing and a free plan.

    Foxit PDF Editor offers competitive mid-range pricing with clear distinctions between its two main tiers: Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Editor+. It only provides yearly plans, though billing can be monthly. A feature-limited free version is also available.

    Foxit PDF Reader

    Foxit PDF Editor

    Foxit PDF Editor+

    Price

    $0/month

    $10.99/month per user or $129.99/year per user

    $13.99/month per user or $159.99/year per user

    Key Features

    • View, print, and annotate PDFs

    • Convert

    • Fill and sign forms

    • Request a signature with eSign

    • Basic PDF security features

    • No editing§ or merging tools

    • Mobile app

    • Create, edit, and convert PDFs

    • Edit text and images

    • Create, fill, sign, and send forms

    • OCR for scanned documents

    • Compare two versions of a PDF

    • Add security and password-protect PDFs

    • Mobile app- 20GB of cloud storage

    • Everything in Foxit PDF Editor

    • Legally binding eSignatures

    • AI-powered Smart Redact to identify and remove sensitive information

    • Mobile app

    • 150GB of cloud storage

    Note: Foxit eSign product for requesting and tracking e-signatures can be bought separately. AI Assistant is an optional add-on at $49.99/year or $4.99/month.

    Adobe Acrobat has the most complicated pricing structure, with multiple tiers and options for different user types. Its free Adobe Reader plan has very limited functionality.

    Individual

    Acrobat Reader

    Acrobat Standard

    Acrobat Pro

    Price

    $0/month

    $12.99/month per year or $155.88/year, prepaid or $22.99/month per monthly payments

    $19.99/month per year or $239.88/year, prepaid or $29.99/month per monthly payments

    Key Features

    • View, print, and annotate PDFs

    • Fill and sign forms

    • Comment and highlight text

    • Basic PDF security (view protected PDFs)

    • Limited cloud storage access

    • Works across desktop, web, and mobile

    • Create, edit, and convert PDFs

    • Fill, sign, and send forms

    • Basic e-signature capabilities

    • Password-protect PDF files

    • Everything in Standard

    • Advanced editing and conversion

    • Compare two versions of a PDF

    • Validate PDFs for ISO and accessibility standards

    • Redact sensitive information

    Team

    Acrobat Reader

    Acrobat Standard

    Acrobat Pro

    Price

    /

    14.99/month per license or $179.88/year per license

    $22.19/month per license or $266.28/year per license

    Key Features

    /

    • All features in Acrobat Standard

    • Admin console for license management

    • Advanced 24/7 tech support

    • Integration with Microsoft 365 and other enterprise apps

    • Everything in Standard for Teams

    • Advanced e-signature features

    • Microsoft 365 and enterprise integration

    • Volume discounts for 10+ licenses

    Adobe's pricing structure has big price increases for monthly versus annual billing—for individual plans, monthly billing costs 77% more for Standard and 50% more for Pro compared to the annual rate.

    Note: The AI Assistant tool costs extra: $4.99/month or $59.88/year for individual and business users.

    Verdict: Smallpdf gives great value with the lowest pricing and simple structure, making it ideal for small businesses, administrative departments, and cost-conscious organizations that need essential PDF capabilities without premium pricing. Foxit PDF Editor gives good mid-range value with many features and flexible choices, great for businesses that need more advanced features than Smallpdf but find Adobe's pricing difficult to justify. Adobe Acrobat costs more but offers the best value for expert users who make full use of its advanced tools, particularly design professionals, legal departments, and organizations already invested in the Adobe ecosystem.

    Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit vs Smallpdf: Pros & Cons

    Adobe Acrobat Pros

    Adobe Acrobat Cons

    Provides comprehensive PDF editing with advanced formatting and customization options

    Features complex interface with multi-level menus that complicate basic tasks

    Supports merging multiple file types (PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, audio, video)

    Requires some training with steepest learning curve among PDF tools

    Offers granular security controls with detailed permissions management

    Costs significantly more with monthly billing (77% higher for Standard, 50% for Pro)

    Includes thorough redaction tools that remove metadata and hidden information

    Requires separate subscriptions for AI Assistant ($4.99/month)

    Integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box

    Segments scanning and signing features into separate apps

    Delivers AI-powered document analysis for comprehensive content insights

    Requires technical knowledge for compression with no visual size reduction feedback

    Foxit Pros

    Foxit Cons

    Offers Microsoft Office-like interface reducing learning curve for Office users

    Provides only yearly subscription plans (though with monthly billing option)

    Features AI-powered Smart Redact for automatic sensitive information removal

    Requires separate AI Assistant subscription at $49.99/year

    Provides enterprise-level integrations with Salesforce, SharePoint, and Zapier

    Limits AI translation to 2,000 characters with no full document translation

    Delivers advanced security with multiple encryption standards (256-bit AES, 128-bit AES)

    Compression feature has no immediate file size reduction feedback

    Includes unique Link & Join feature for editing complex multi-column layouts

    Presents feature-dense interface that can feel overwhelming

    Contains feature-rich mobile app with extensive pre-made templates

    Restricts free version with limited functionality for basic PDF tasks

    Smallpdf Pros

    Smallpdf Cons

    Provides all features across all pricing plans

    Limited usage on the free version

    Delivers intuitive, clean interface with minimal learning curve

    Provides limited security features focused on password protection

    Shows instant visual feedback on file size during compression

    Supports most extensive AI translation with 24 languages and no character limits

    Includes AI features in all pricing plans without additional subscriptions

    Integrates seamlessly with cloud services (4M+ Google Workspace installations)

    Final Verdict: Adobe vs Foxit vs Smallpdf and Who It’s Best For

    Adobe Acrobat

    Foxit

    Smallpdf

    Best for:

    Professionals and existing Adobe suite users requiring advanced PDF manipulation, extensive formatting controls, and detailed permissions management within larger organizations.

    Best for:

    Security-conscious enterprises in regulated industries needing robust document protection, automated redaction capabilities, and seamless integration with existing business systems.

    Best for:

    Small-to-medium businesses, administrative departments, and international teams seeking an intuitive, affordable PDF solution that handles essential tasks efficiently across all devices.

    Here’s our final verdict: The best PDF editor is the right PDF editor for your needs. Power users will thrive with Adobe Acrobat, security-conscious enterprises will benefit from Foxit, while teams valuing simplicity and efficiency will excel with Smallpdf. 

    Many organizations strategically deploy multiple PDF solutions to balance feature needs against budget constraints—using Smallpdf for general staff who need quick, intuitive document handling while reserving Adobe licenses for specialized departments requiring advanced capabilities or Foxit for teams handling highly sensitive information. This hybrid approach optimizes costs while ensuring every department has appropriate tools, for more complex and for everyday document workflows alike.

    Use Adobe Acrobat if:

    • You need precise control over document formatting with advanced text and image editing capabilities

    • You require complex permission settings and detailed security protocols for regulatory compliance

    • You work with specialized document formats beyond standard conversions and need extensive customization options

    • You're already invested in the Adobe ecosystem and want seamless integration with other Creative Cloud applications

    Click here to get started with Adobe Acrobat!

    Use Foxit if:

    • You require advanced security features with strict permission controls for sensitive documents

    • You work in an environment where automated redaction of sensitive information is critical

    • You need PDF tools that integrate with enterprise systems like Salesforce, SharePoint, and Zapier

    • You prefer a familiar Microsoft Office-like interface with robust editing capabilities

    Click here to get started with Foxit PDF Editor!

    Use Smallpdf if:

    • You need essential PDF functionality with maximum simplicity and affordability

    • You value intuitive interfaces and need to minimize training time for your team

    • You work with international clients and require comprehensive document translation across 24 languages

    • You need affordable, transparent pricing with all essential PDF features available across all plans

    • You prioritize cloud integration and cross-device accessibility for flexible document workflows

    Click here to get started with Smallpdf!