Adobe’s most recognizable product, Adobe Acrobat, has been available since 1993 and is considered by many to be the father of PDF program. This versatile software is essential in many industries. It is used by architects, engineers, and accounting clerks, among others.

Programs similar to Adobe Acrobat

Not many people can afford to buy programs like Adobe Acrobat Pro. However, more and more alternatives are appearing on the market. Similar programs have most of the functions necessary for PDF management but are much cheaper or completely free. Here is our list of the most interesting alternatives to Acrobat.

Basic editor functions

When looking for a program that will allow us to edit this type of document, it must have a good variety of tools so that we can have complete control over its content. In this way, it should allow us to move website elements, edit them, delete them, and even add new elements. We should also not forget that it is important that we can organize the pages the way we need and even delete them if they do not interest us.

Interestingly, the program we will use is capable of opening all kinds of documents, even those that have a digital signature or are password protected. The ability to combine several documents into one or convert a document to another format, while maintaining and respecting its structure, is also highly appreciated.

To do this, we will be able to find both free programs with the most basic functions and much more complete paid ones, so it will depend to some extent on how we intend to use it, deciding on for any of these options.

SwifDoo PDF

Adobe Reader may be a popular PDF reader for many people, but it is clunky, constantly updated, and often targeted by malware traffickers. If you only need basic features, use SwifDoo PDF  instead.

SwifDoo PDF for Windows doesn’t have the fancy extras found in many full-featured PDF readers, but when it comes to simply reading Portable Document Format files, It is blazing fast and completely accurate. And because it’s less ubiquitous than Adobe’s offering, hackers tend to stay away from this PDF editor.

Advantages

1. Free Online Converter services
2. Full-featured PDF editing
3. Multi-language support
4. Friendly interface

Defects

No fallible form is supported

PDFescape

PDFescape is packed with features and is as powerful as some desktop PDF editing programs. It is free if your PDF file is less than 10MB and limited to 100 pages.

Advantages

1. Works well in most web browsers.
2. Include rich tools to highlight text in PDF, add text and images, etc.
3. Free without watermark or other restrictions.

Defects

1. This PDF highlighter cannot modify existing text.
2. It often asks you to download the desktop version.

PDF Bob

If you don’t want to leave your personal information on the Internet, this PDF highlighter is a good solution. You can upload a PDF file and highlight any text without a user account.

Advantages

1. Suggest several colors for the highlighting tool.
2. Zero ads and no watermark in the PDF file.
3. Provide some free PDF editing tools.

Defects

1. Cannot upload encrypted PDF files.
2. There is only one upload source.

Sejda

Sejda is one of the few PDF highlighters that can edit existing text in a PDF file. It runs entirely in your web browser and allows you to download the final PDF to your computer or share via URL.

Advantages

1. Highlight text in PDF in different colors.
2. Include rich PDF editing tools.
3. Integrate a friendly user interface.

Defects

1. You can only handle three PDF files per hour.
2. The maximum number of pages is 200.

PDFfiller

PDFfiller is another online PDF highlighter worth using. You can upload a PDF from your hard drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox and use the Select tool on the top ribbon to highlight important words.

Advantages

1. The PDF editing tools offer includes highlighting.
2. No registration or viewing of advertisements required.
3. Quickly modify pages in a PDF file online.

Defects

1. You must subscribe to it after the free trial period.
2. There are no custom options for the Highlight tool.

Final Words

Now you should have mastered some of the greatest PDF editors available for Microsoft Windows and online. Don’t waste your time testing every single PDF program yourself.

Just read the above review and find the most suitable tool for your device. They all have unique advantages. For example, SwifDoo PDF is not only easy to use but also allows you to highlight texts without compromising quality. We hope our recommendations will be helpful to you.