Alternatives · PDF Editors
PDF Expert alternatives
PDF Expert compared with 5 alternatives: UPDF, PDFelement, Adobe Acrobat, PDFgear and Foxit PDF Editor.
PDF Expert has a free plan. Paid plans start at $79.99 per year. 2 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 3 more offer a free trial.
5 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 18, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF ExpertThis tool | Free plan · from $79.99/yr | Yes | macOS, iOS |
| UPDF | Free trial · from $49.99/yr | Trial only | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| PDFelement | Free trial · from $11.99 | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Adobe Acrobat | Free plan · from $14.99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| PDFgear | Free | Free | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Foxit PDF Editor | Free trial · from $129.99/yr | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
Price against what you get
PDF Expert starts at $6.67 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 3 of the 5 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: UPDF, PDFelement and PDFgear.
Adobe Acrobat and Foxit PDF Editor score higher without starting lower.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from PDF Expert
- Free trial · from $49.99/yr
UPDF
PDF editor with AI chat, one license across desktop and mobile
- UPDF starts at $49.99 per year (US App Store). PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year.
- PDF Expert has a free plan. UPDF does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only UPDF lists Windows and Android apps.
- UPDF can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Suits: People who work on PDFs across a computer, a phone and a tablet
- Free trial · from $11.99
PDFelement
Wondershare's PDF editor, by subscription or a one-time license
- PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform. PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year.
- PDF Expert has a free plan. PDFelement does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only PDFelement lists a web app.
- Only PDFelement lists Windows and Android apps.
- PDFelement can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Suits: Windows or Mac users who want to pay once for a PDF editor
- Free plan · from $14.99/mo
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe's PDF editor for desktop, web and mobile, with an AI tier
- Adobe Acrobat starts at $14.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly. PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year.
- Only Adobe Acrobat lists a web app.
- Only Adobe Acrobat lists Windows and Android apps.
- Only Adobe Acrobat lists a browser extension.
- Adobe Acrobat also covers documents.
Suits: Offices that exchange PDFs with clients who also use Acrobat
- Free
PDFgear
Free PDF editor for desktop, mobile and web with an AI copilot
- PDFgear is free. PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year.
- Only PDFgear lists a web app.
- Only PDFgear lists Windows and Android apps.
- Only PDFgear lists a browser extension.
Suits: Anyone who wants a full PDF editor without paying or signing up
- Free trial · from $129.99/yr
Foxit PDF Editor
PDF editor for Windows, Mac and web, yearly or as a one-time license
- Foxit PDF Editor starts at $129.99 per user / year. PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year.
- PDF Expert has a free plan. Foxit PDF Editor does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Foxit PDF Editor lists a web app.
- Only Foxit PDF Editor lists Windows and Android apps.
- Foxit PDF Editor can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Suits: Offices replacing Adobe Acrobat on Windows and Mac machines
Limits worth knowing in PDF Expert
- Runs on Apple devices only: there is no Windows, Android or browser version.
- Editing, converting, merging, compressing, redaction and PDF Copilot all need Premium; the free app reads, annotates and signs.
- The education discount is stated as 30% off the annual plan in one place on the pricing page and as 50% in another.
- The Mac App Store also sells an in-app purchase named PDF Expert for $139.99 without saying what it covers; pdfexpert.com does not list it.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to PDF Expert?
The alternatives to PDF Expert in this directory are UPDF, PDFelement, Adobe Acrobat, PDFgear and Foxit PDF Editor. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with PDF Expert.
Is there a free alternative to PDF Expert?
Yes. PDFgear is free to use. Adobe Acrobat has a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which PDF Expert alternatives work on Windows?
The PDF Expert listing does not include a Windows app. UPDF, PDFelement, Adobe Acrobat, PDFgear and Foxit PDF Editor list one.
Which PDF Expert alternatives work on Android?
The PDF Expert listing does not include an Android app. UPDF, PDFelement, Adobe Acrobat, PDFgear and Foxit PDF Editor list one.
When were these prices checked?
Every listing on this page was checked on Oct 18, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.