--- title: Adobe Acrobat canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/adobe-acrobat/ category: PDF Editors points: 81 rank: 5 of 9 facts_checked: 2026-10-08 --- # Adobe Acrobat Adobe's PDF editor for Windows, Mac, mobile and the web, sold only by subscription, with e-signature requests on every paid plan. 81 points out of 100. #5 of 9 PDF editors. Vendor: Adobe Inc.. Website: https://www.adobe.com/acrobat.html - Acrobat Standard, the cheapest plan that edits existing text, costs $179.88 a year, or $14.99 a month on an annual plan [1]. - Redaction, comparing two PDFs and turning scans into editable text need Acrobat Pro, at $239.88 a year [1]. - Every paid plan can send documents for signature and track the responses [1]. - The free Acrobat Reader views, comments, fills and signs PDFs, but cannot edit text [4]. - Adobe stopped selling perpetual Acrobat after Acrobat 2020; Acrobat Pro 2024 buys three years of desktop access [1]. Verdict: Acrobat suits people who want one PDF editor on Windows, Mac, phones and the web, with signature requests built in [1][4]. Standard edits text and sends documents for signing, but redaction, OCR and file comparison need Pro [1]. There is no perpetual licence, and cancelling an annual plan billed monthly after 14 days costs up to half the remaining commitment [1]. Best for: People who want PDF editing and signature requests on every device. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Editing | Edit existing text | Yes | 6/6 | Acrobat Standard and above edit text and images in PDFs [1]. | | Editing | OCR | Yes | 6/6 | Acrobat Pro turns scanned documents into editable, searchable PDFs [2]. | | Editing | True redaction | Yes | 6/6 | Acrobat Pro redacts sensitive information from PDFs [1][2]. | | Editing | Create fillable forms | Yes | 6/6 | Every paid plan can create, fill, sign and send forms [1][3]. | | Editing | Compare two PDFs | Yes | 6/6 | Acrobat Pro compares two PDFs to show the differences [2]. | | Systems | Apps | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web | 15/15 | Desktop apps for Windows and Mac, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and a web app [4][5][6][7]. | | Signing and security | Request e-signatures | Yes | 8/8 | Every paid plan requests signatures and tracks responses [1]. | | Signing and security | Password protection | Yes | 6/6 | Password-protects PDFs and can restrict editing, printing and copying [3]. | | Signing and security | Certificate-based signatures | Yes | 6/6 | Signs PDFs with a certificate-based digital ID, from a provider or self-signed [8]. | | Price | Free version without watermarks | Not published | 0/8 | Acrobat Reader is free but cannot edit text [4]. Whether saved files carry a watermark is not published. | | Price | First-year price for text editing | $179.88/yr | 1/7 | Acrobat Standard, $179.88 a year prepaid or $14.99 a month on an annual plan [1]. | | Price | One-time licence | No | 0/5 | Adobe stopped selling perpetual Acrobat after Acrobat 2020; Acrobat Pro 2024 gives three years of access [1]. | | Privacy | Edits files on your computer | Yes | 8/8 | Desktop apps for Windows and Mac edit files on your computer [5]. | | Privacy | SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Yes | 7/7 | Adobe's compliance list names an ISO 27001:2022 certification [9]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Acrobat Reader | Free [4] | $0 | | Acrobat Standard | $179.88/year [1] | $14.99 | | Acrobat Pro | $239.88/year [1] | $19.99 | | Acrobat Studio | $299.88/year [1] | $24.99 | Prepaid annual plans have no refund after 14 days; annual plans billed monthly charge up to half the remaining commitment if cancelled after 14 days [1]. Month-to-month plans cancel without a fee [1]. ## Strengths - Apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, plus a web app [4][5]. - Signature requests with response tracking come with every paid plan [1]. - Signs PDFs with certificate-based digital IDs, including self-signed IDs [8]. - Adobe lists an ISO 27001:2022 certification [9]. ## Limits - No perpetual licence: Adobe stopped selling them after Acrobat 2020 [1]. - Redaction, file comparison and OCR of scans need Pro, at $239.88 a year [1]. - Cancelling an annual plan billed monthly after 14 days costs up to half the remaining commitment [1]. - The free Acrobat Reader cannot edit text or images [4]. ## Vendor claims (not scored) - Adobe says Acrobat Pro includes more than 70 features [3]. ## Concerns - In June 2024 the US Justice Department, on referral from the FTC, sued Adobe over hidden early termination fees on annual plans billed monthly; the FTC lists the case as pending [10]. ## Sources 1. [Acrobat plans and pricing](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/pricing.html), Adobe, accessed 2026-10-08 2. [Compare Acrobat versions](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/pricing/compare-versions.html), Adobe, accessed 2026-10-08 3. [Acrobat features](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/features.html), Adobe, accessed 2026-10-08 4. [Acrobat Reader](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/pdf-reader.html), Adobe, accessed 2026-10-08 5. [Acrobat free trial download](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/free-trial-download.html), Adobe, accessed 2026-10-08 6. [Acrobat Reader: PDF Editor App - App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/adobe-acrobat-reader-edit-pdf/id469337564), Apple, accessed 2026-10-08 7. [Adobe Acrobat Reader: Edit PDF - Apps on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.reader), Google Play, accessed 2026-10-08 8. [How to add digital signature to PDF | Acrobat for business](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/business/resources/digital-signature-pdf.html), Adobe, accessed 2026-10-08 9. [Compliance list](https://www.adobe.com/trust/compliance/compliance-list.html), Adobe Trust Center, accessed 2026-10-08 10. [Adobe, Inc., U.S. v.](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/222-3055-adobe-inc-us-v), Federal Trade Commission, accessed 2026-10-08