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Adobe Acrobat alternatives · PDF Editors

Open-source alternatives to Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is not described as open source on its own site. 4 of the 45 other PDF editors in this directory are open source, according to their own sites.

Adobe Acrobat has a free plan. Paid plans start at $14.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly. All of them are free or have a free plan.

4 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

How each one differs from Adobe Acrobat

  1. Stirling PDF

    Open-source PDF editor you can run on your own machine or server

    • Stirling PDF starts at $99 per month for 100 users (Team). Adobe Acrobat starts at $14.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly.
    • Only Stirling PDF lists a Linux app.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists a browser extension.
    Stirling PDF pricing and details

  2. PDFsam

    Split and merge PDFs offline, with paid Visual and Enhanced editions

    • PDFsam starts at $34.90 per user / year (PDFsam Visual); PDFsam Basic is free. Adobe Acrobat starts at $14.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly.
    • Only PDFsam lists a Linux app.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists a web app.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists iOS and Android apps.
    PDFsam pricing and details

  3. Skim

    Free PDF reader and note-taker for Mac, built for papers

    • Skim is free. Adobe Acrobat starts at $14.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists a web app.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists a browser extension.
    Skim pricing and details

  4. SumatraPDF

    Small, free PDF, eBook and comic reader for Windows

    • SumatraPDF is free. Adobe Acrobat starts at $14.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists macOS, iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Adobe Acrobat lists a browser extension.
    • SumatraPDF is open source, according to its own site.
    SumatraPDF pricing and details

Common questions

Is there an open-source alternative to Adobe Acrobat?

Yes. Stirling PDF, PDFsam, Skim and SumatraPDF are open source, according to their own sites.

Is Adobe Acrobat open source?

Adobe Acrobat is not described as open source on its own site. The listing was checked on Oct 18, 2026 against the pages it cites.

When was this checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Adobe Acrobat: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.