Alternatives · PDF Editors
PDFelement alternatives
PDFelement compared with 9 alternatives: Adobe Acrobat, Foxit PDF Editor, UPDF, Nitro PDF Pro, PDF Expert and 4 more.
PDFelement is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $11.99 per quarter for one platform. 6 of the 9 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 3 more offer a free trial.
9 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 18, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFelementThis tool | 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 |
| Foxit PDF Editor | Free trial · from $129.99/yr | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| UPDF | Free trial · from $49.99/yr | Trial only | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Nitro PDF Pro | Free trial · from $15/mo | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS |
| PDF Expert | Free plan · from $79.99/yr | Yes | macOS, iOS |
| LightPDF | Free plan · from $5.99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| PDFgear | Free | Free | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Soda PDF | Free plan | Yes | Web, Windows |
| Xodo | Free plan · from $7.99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
Price against what you get
PDFelement starts at $4 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 8 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.
Adobe Acrobat and Foxit PDF Editor score higher without starting lower. PDFgear starts lower without scoring higher.
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 PDFelement
- 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. PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- Adobe Acrobat has a free plan. PDFelement does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Adobe Acrobat lists a browser extension.
- PDFelement can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Adobe Acrobat also covers documents.
Suits: Offices that exchange PDFs with clients who also use Acrobat
- 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. PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- Foxit PDF Editor also covers documents.
Suits: Offices replacing Adobe Acrobat on Windows and Mac machines
- 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). PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- Only PDFelement lists a web app.
Suits: People who work on PDFs across a computer, a phone and a tablet
- Free trial · from $15/mo
Nitro PDF Pro
Desktop PDF editor for Windows and Mac with AI tools, billed yearly
- Nitro PDF Pro starts at $15 per user / month, billed annually. PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- Only PDFelement lists an Android app.
- PDFelement can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Nitro PDF Pro also covers documents.
- PDFelement also covers forms.
Suits: Windows offices that want an Office-style PDF editor
- Free plan · from $79.99/yr
PDF Expert
PDF reader and editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad from Readdle
- PDF Expert starts at $79.99 per year. PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- 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: Mac, iPad and iPhone users who want one subscription across all three
- Free plan · from $5.99/mo
LightPDF
Online PDF editor and converter with AI tools paid for in credits
- LightPDF starts at $5.99 per month. PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- LightPDF has a free plan. PDFelement does not, though it has a free trial.
- PDFelement also covers forms.
Suits: People who translate or summarize PDFs with AI on a small budget
- Free
PDFgear
Free PDF editor for desktop, mobile and web with an AI copilot
- PDFgear is free. PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- PDFgear has a free plan. PDFelement does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only PDFgear lists a browser extension.
- PDFelement can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Suits: Anyone who wants a full PDF editor without paying or signing up
- Free plan
Soda PDF
Windows PDF editor with an online version, sold by subscription
- Soda PDF has a free plan. PDFelement does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only PDFelement lists macOS, iOS and Android apps.
- PDFelement can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Suits: Windows offices that deploy a PDF editor across many PCs
- Free plan · from $7.99/mo
Xodo
PDF tools on web, desktop and mobile, sold separately or as a suite
- Xodo starts at $7.99 per month, billed annually ($10.99 billed monthly). PDFelement starts at $11.99 per quarter for one platform.
- Xodo has a free plan. PDFelement does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Xodo lists a Linux app.
- PDFelement also covers forms.
Suits: Linux users who need a full desktop PDF editor
Limits worth knowing in PDFelement
- Prices are shown against much higher crossed-out figures with a countdown; the one-platform price covers Windows or Mac, and both cost more.
- The perpetual license covers PDFelement 13 only, and its mobile and web access lasts for a limited time.
- Heavier AI use is a separate AI plan: $3.99 a month for 1,000 uses or $39.99 a year for 12,000.
- The free trial adds a watermark when saving and allows only a few uses of tools such as eSign and AI.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to PDFelement?
The alternatives to PDFelement in this directory are Adobe Acrobat, Foxit PDF Editor, UPDF, Nitro PDF Pro, PDF Expert, LightPDF, PDFgear, Soda PDF and Xodo. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with PDFelement.
Is there a free alternative to PDFelement?
Yes. PDFgear is free to use. Adobe Acrobat, PDF Expert, LightPDF, Soda PDF and Xodo have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which PDFelement alternatives work on Linux?
The PDFelement listing does not include a Linux app. Xodo lists 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.