Foxit PDF Editor vs SumatraPDF (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Foxit PDF Editor and SumatraPDF share a 2.8 GPA, and only SumatraPDF has a free plan.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Foxit PDF Editor grades higher on features and platforms. SumatraPDF grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Foxit PDF Editor
PDF editor for Windows, Mac and web, yearly or as a one-time license
Which one is for you
Pick Foxit PDF Editor if
- Fits if you're leaving Acrobat and want the same jobs done for $129.99 a year
- Makes sense if you'd rather pay once, as a $209.99 perpetual license is still sold
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to edit on your phone on the base plan, as mobile needs PDF Editor+ at $159.99 a year
- Watch out: the $10.99 and $13.99 monthly prices are annual plans billed monthly; there's no month-to-month plan
- Tight if you lean on the AI, as 300 credits a month is it before a $49.99-a-year add-on
- Pricey if you send lots of documents to sign: PDF Editor+ has 150 envelopes a year, and unlimited is Foxit eSign, sold separately
- Not for you if you only fix a typo now and then, since free editors here do that
Pick SumatraPDF if
- Fits if you want a light Windows viewer for PDFs, ebooks and comics
- Works for people who keep a portable reader on a USB stick
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for editing, as the pages list no way to change text or pages
- Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux, since the FAQ says there is no version for them
- Not for you if you want phone apps, as none is listed
- Watch out: support is a GitHub discussions forum and documentation, not a help desk
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFoxit PDF EditorGood | 2.8GPASumatraPDFGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$129.99 a year for PDF Editor, the plan that edits text on Windows, Mac and web. That's the dear end of normal for PDF editors. Spread over three years, the $209.99 perpetual license costs less, but still sits in the middle. | AFree and open source, with no ads or bundled software, and anyone can download and run it. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial of PDF Editor+ with no card needed. After that you pay or stop. | AThe whole app is free to download and use, with nothing held back. |
| Features | BEdits text and images, converts to and from Office, OCRs scans, builds forms with JavaScript, redacts, compares versions and adds Bates numbers. It covers the whole job. Smart Redact and the phone apps wait for PDF Editor+, and heavy AI use costs extra. | DIt opens many document formats but the pages list no editing, so for a PDF editing category it covers one narrow function, viewing. |
| Ease of use | B4.5 from 4,763 App Store ratings for the Foxit PDF Editor app. On a computer it's an editor you install and start using, with nothing to set up first. | BNo store rating is on record, but you install or unzip it and open a file, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, web, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and Salesforce. Just note the phone apps come with PDF Editor+, not the base plan. | CA Windows desktop app in 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 builds, plus a browser version. There is no Mac, Linux or phone app. |
| Best for | an Acrobat-style editor you can still buy outright | opening PDFs and ebooks quickly on Windows |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Foxit PDF Editor and SumatraPDF. How we grade
Price against what you get
Foxit PDF Editor starts at $10.83 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SumatraPDF has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Foxit PDF Editor scores higher, and starts $10.83 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other PDF editors on the chart, none scores higher than Foxit PDF Editor for less, and none scores higher than SumatraPDF for less.
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
Where they differ
- Foxit PDF Editor can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- SumatraPDF is open source, according to its own site.
- Foxit PDF Editor also covers forms and pDF editing.
At a glance
| Foxit PDF Editor | SumatraPDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $129.99 per user / year | Free |
| Free plan | None | Everything: the app is free and open source, with no ads or bundled software. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of PDF Editor+, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Foxit Software Incorporated | Krzysztof Kowalczyk |
| Price read from | foxit.com | sumatrapdfreader.org |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Foxit PDF Editor
- The iOS and Android apps, AI Smart Redact and the 150 eSign envelopes a year come only with PDF Editor+; PDF Editor covers Windows, macOS and web.
- Both subscriptions are annual; the $10.99 and $13.99 monthly figures are an annual plan billed monthly, not a monthly plan.
- More AI use costs extra: the AI Assistant add-on is $49.99 a year for 2,000 credits a month and access to Foxit Workspace.
- Unlimited e-signature sending needs Foxit eSign, a separate product sold per user by the year.
SumatraPDF
- Windows only for the desktop app; the FAQ says there is no Mac or Linux version.
- The home page presents it as a reader; the pages read do not list editing features such as changing text or pages.
- Support is through a GitHub discussions forum and documentation.
Key features
Foxit PDF Editor
- Editing and page tools
- Edit text and images, add, delete and reorder pages, merge and split files, compare two versions, add Bates numbering and reduce file size.
- Conversion and OCR
- Converts PDFs to and from Word, Excel and PowerPoint, exports images, turns scans into searchable text and checks PDF/A and accessibility.
- Forms and signing
- Create fillable forms with JavaScript, fill and sign, and add certificate signatures; PDF Editor+ can also send for e-signature through Foxit eSign.
- Redaction and protection
- Password protection, copy and edit restrictions and manual redaction on both plans, with AI Smart Redact to find personal data on PDF Editor+.
- AI Assistant
- Summarizes, translates, rewrites and answers questions about documents, with 300 credits a month included in every subscription.
- Foxit DMS
- Every subscription includes Foxit's document management system with unlimited cloud storage, shared workspaces, check-in and check-out and version history.
SumatraPDF
- Many document formats
- Opens PDF, EPUB, MOBI, CBZ and CBR comics, DjVu, XPS, CHM and common image formats, including JPEG XL and HEIC.
- Light and fast
- The site describes an app that opens documents instantly with minimal memory use.
- Portable option
- Can run without installation, for example from a USB drive.
- Customization
- Keyboard shortcuts, themes and the toolbar layout can be changed.
- Windows builds
- Native 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 builds for Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11.
- Web version
- A browser version is linked from the site's main navigation at web.sumatrapdfreader.org.
Plans
Foxit PDF Editor
PDF Editor$129.99
per user / year ($10.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly)
Windows, macOS and web apps: editing, conversion, OCR, forms, compare and security, with Foxit DMS and 300 AI credits a month.
PDF Editor+$159.99
per user / year ($13.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly)
Everything in PDF Editor plus the iOS and Android apps, AI Smart Redact and Foxit eSign Essentials with 150 envelopes a year.
Foxit PDF Editor 14 (Perpetual)$209.99
one-time purchase per user
A perpetual license for version 14 of the editor, paid once instead of a subscription.
Volume LicensingCustom
Quoted for 30 or more licenses, subscription or perpetual, with discounts of up to 30% and one renewal date.
SumatraPDF
Free$0
Free and open source, with no ads, bundled software or subscription.
Ways to pay less
Foxit PDF Editor
- Other savings
Volume discounts from 30 licenses
Foxit's pricing page gives discounts of up to 30% on orders of 30 or more licenses, for subscriptions or perpetual licenses, quoted by its sales team.
SumatraPDF
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Foxit PDF Editor or SumatraPDF?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SumatraPDF is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $10.83 a month when paid by the year for each person for Foxit PDF Editor. Foxit PDF Editor starts at $129.99 per user / year, and SumatraPDF is free.
Which has a free plan, Foxit PDF Editor or SumatraPDF?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SumatraPDF has a free plan. Foxit PDF Editor does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Foxit PDF Editor and SumatraPDF run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Foxit PDF Editor lists macOS, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app and a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.