Acrobat is the default choice for reading and processing PDFs, whether you use a Windows PC or one of our favorite Macs. It’s a handy software with an easy-to-use interface and tools that let you edit, share, and sign documents. There’s also a built-in AI assistant that can summarize large files and help you create presentations, blogs, and more. However, if you’re looking for a change or simply don’t want to pay Adobe anymore, there are other options to consider. Start by checking out the top 5 Acrobat alternatives for Windows we’ve listed here.

5 Foxit PDF Reader

Foxit PDF Reader is pretty limited compared to the other options we’re including here. You don’t get editing features or many of the extra tools. It’s a basic PDF viewer that lets you read, share, annotate, and sign documents - either with your own handwriting or through eSignatures. You can also verify digital signatures. These are about the same features you get with Acrobat’s free version. If you want editing tools and extras like file conversion, you’ll need a subscription, which costs $11.99 a month.

4 iLovePDF

iLovePDF isn't available as a desktop app, but you get over 20 PDF editing tools on the website, all without any annoying login prompts. Each tool has its own link, so you can bookmark them for quick access.

It doesn’t offer full-on PDF editing, meaning that you can't insert or remove text directly. But you can get around this by using its PDF to Word tool, edit the document in Word format, and then convert it back to PDF. While Word has a built-in conversion feature, we found that iLovePDF does a better job preserving the original formatting.

iLovePDF’s free version comes with a few other limitations. For example, there are file size limits for each tool, and signatures are restricted to just one person—plus, there’s no certification or auditing. If you want to remove those limits and access more advanced features, you’ll need a subscription, which costs $7 a month or $48 a year.

3 PDFCandy

PDFCandy is a free tool available both online and as a Windows app. It offers tons of features you'd normally pay for. Instead of a unified interface, it uses a grid of individual icons, all accessible from the homepage. The range of tools is impressive—you can edit, mark up, and annotate text, plus watermark documents, add, rearrange, and split pages, extract images, edit file metadata, and more. You can also convert popular file formats to and from PDF.

After finishing one task in a document, you’ll see a list of other tools you can use for different tasks. Once you’re done making changes, you can download the edited document or upload a new one to work on. While most of the app is free, you can pay $99 for lifetime access to PDFCandy on both web and desktop. There's also a $4 monthly subscription option for desktop and web access.

2 UPDF

UPDF is another solid alternative to Acrobat, offering most premium features for free. The app comes packed with tools like page sorting, document splitting, and scanning. You can also edit PDFs by adding watermarks, leaving comments, editing text or images, and adding signatures. Plus, there are plenty of conversion options—you can convert images, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files into PDFs and vice versa.

You can even use UPDF to redact your files, permanently blacking out content on the pages. The app lets you redact specific words or phrases, a selected area, or entire pages. Another cool feature is UPDF AI, which helps you summarize large documents, create outlines for presentations and blogs, and more. Acrobat has a similar tool, Acrobat AI assistant, but you need a monthly subscription to access it there.

1 PDF24

PDF24 is a Windows-only PDF editor, and it’s a complete package. You can either download it as an app on your PC to use offline, or you can access all the tools through the web. PDF24 is free and as straightforward as they come. There are no premium packages, business versions, or tiered pricing — just a single download that’s free for both personal and commercial use.

It’s missing some of the advanced features you’d get with Adobe Acrobat, but if all you need is to view, edit, and sign documents, it does the job. It comes with a handy set of tools that let you create new PDFs, merge files, compress them, convert to other formats, extract specific pages (or split the document), optimize for different environments like the web, and even pull media out of a document.

Unlike most PDF editors that go with an Office-style ribbon, PDF24 uses a grid of 47 tiles, each labeled with tasks like “Merge PDF” and “Sign PDF.” We found the interface super easy to use and functional.

Look beyond Adobe tools

Acrobat, along with other Adobe tools, dominates the market, but there are plenty of other options to consider. For instance, the Acrobat alternatives we discussed offer the same features at no cost. Some of these apps are available both online and as desktop applications. You might also want to explore alternatives to other Adobe apps, like Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. While you are at it, learn about the Adobe tools that you can use without a subscription.