PDF-XChange Editor vs PDFill PDF Editor (2026): which should you pick?

Pick PDF-XChange Editor if

• Fits if you are on Windows and want a one-time purchase
• Works for people who can live with the free edition for markup

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use a Mac, Linux or a phone, as it is Windows only
• Tight if you need forms or compare, because those need Editor Plus at $79
• Watch out: licensed features add watermarks in the free version
• Watch out: updates cover 1 year, then renewals cost about 25% of the license price a year
• Not for you if you want a refund, as none is given once license keys are released

Pick PDFill PDF Editor if

• Fits if you want to fill and mark up PDFs on Windows for nothing
• Works for people who prefer paying once

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use a Mac, Linux or Android
• Watch out: the free edition shows an advertisement link
• Tight if you need to edit original text, redact or scan, which are paid-edition features
• Watch out: the download page lists version 15.0 updated in March 2021, and it needs Ghostscript
• Watch out: evaluation copies of the paid editions watermark edited PDFs

PDF-XChange Editor

• It runs on Windows 10 and later only; there is no Mac, Linux or browser edition.
• The vendor gives no refunds after license keys are released, so test the free version first.
• Maintenance (updates) covers 1 year; renewals within 30 days of expiry cost about 25% of the license price per year.
• Form creation, document compare and the enhanced OCR need Editor Plus, not the standard license.

PDFill PDF Editor

• Windows only; the vendor says it does not support Mac, Linux or Android.
• The free evaluation copies of Professional and Enterprise watermark the edited PDFs.
• The download page lists version 15.0 Build 3 updated in March 2021, and it needs Ghostscript.
• Original-content editing, redaction and OCR are listed only on the paid-edition comparison, not the free Basic edition.

PDF-XChange Editor

Editing and markup

Edit text and images and annotate PDFs, with over 400 features in all, 145 of them licensed.

OCR

Built-in OCR makes scanned documents searchable; Editor Plus uses a more accurate engine.

Forms (Plus)

Editor Plus creates and edits fillable forms and can turn non-interactive PDFs into forms with Identify Forms.

Compare documents (Plus)

Editor Plus compares two documents and summarizes insertions, deletions, replacements and style changes.

AI Assistant

Analyzes and answers questions about PDFs using OpenAI, Anthropic or Google models; it needs your own API key.

Signing tools

The FreeSign tool adds signatures and initials, and Plus can add placeholders where signers should sign.

PDFill PDF Editor

Fill and type on forms

Fills interactive forms with spell check and an autofill list, and types formatted text, checks or images onto any page.

Form maker

Creates fillable text, check box, radio, combo, list and button fields with keystroke, format, validate and calculate actions.

Editing of original content

Paid editions list deleting or replacing original text, images, form fields and comments, and redacting content; see the comparison page.

Page and document tools

Inserts, extracts and replaces pages, adds bookmarks, headers, watermarks, Bates numbers, signatures, and runs OCR.

Markup and ink

Markup tools cover stamps, text boxes, highlights and shapes; a pen-input ink annotator is listed for the paid editions.

Free PDF writer and tools

The package includes a virtual printer that creates PDFs or images from printable programs, plus merge, split, encrypt and watermark tools.

PDF-XChange Editor

• Free$0

  Free for private and commercial use; features marked as licensed add watermarks to saved output.

• Editor, single user$62

  one-time purchase per user

  Perpetual license with 1 year of maintenance; 2 or 3 years can be added at purchase.

• Editor Plus, single user$79

  one-time purchase per user

  Adds a more accurate OCR engine, form creation, document compare, Identify Forms and dynamic stamps.

• Editor, 3 user pack$168

  one-time purchase for 3 users

  Perpetual licenses for 3 users; larger packs run up to 1000 users and site licenses.

PDFill PDF Editor

• Free Basic$0

  Form filling, typewriter text, form maker and markup tools; an advertisement link is shown.

• Professional$19.99

  one-time per user, with free lifetime upgrade

  Removes the advertisement link and unlocks the paid features; the comparison page marks which tools need Enterprise.

• Enterprise$39.99

  one-time per user, with free lifetime upgrade

  Adds 170 Office shapes, custom shapes and fill mode; the comparison page lists the editing, redaction and scanner tools.

PDF-XChange Editor

• Education

  Charity and academic offers

  PDF-XChange lists a page of registered charity and academic offers; the free version may also be used in academic settings.

• Other savings

  Cheaper extended maintenance at purchase

  Adding 2 or 3 years of maintenance when buying costs less than renewing later; the pricing page shows examples.

PDFill PDF Editor

• Other savings

  Multi-license discount

  The order page gives extra free licenses on bulk purchases, such as 8 licenses at $19.99 each with 2 more free.