PDFelement vs Readiris (2026): which should you pick?

Pick PDFelement if

• Fits if you want to pay once, $129.99, and skip the subscription
• Works for people who switch between a computer, a phone and a browser, with 20GB of cloud to sync

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if crossed-out prices and countdown timers put you off
• Not for you if you want a proper trial, as tools allow a few uses each and saved files get a watermark
• Tight if you lean on the AI, as paid plans include 50 uses before a $3.99-a-month AI plan
• Watch out: the perpetual license covers version 13 only, and its phone and web access lasts a limited time
• Pricey if you use both Windows and Mac, as each price covers one platform and both cost $10 more

Pick Readiris if

• Fits if you scan paper and need searchable PDFs on Windows or Mac
• Works for people who would rather pay once

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a web or phone version, as it is desktop only
• Tight if you need redaction, form design or PDF/A, which are Elite at $149
• Watch out: version 27 is a version-specific license and the cost of upgrading later is not stated
• Watch out: each price is shown beside a crossed-out higher one with no end date
• Watch out: the trial's limits are not stated

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.

Readiris

• It is desktop software for Windows 10 or 11 (64 bit) and macOS 11 and later; there is no web or mobile edition.
• Form design, redaction, multiple e-signatures, PDF/A and cloud sharing need the Elite edition.
• The store shows each price beside a crossed-out higher one with no end date.
• Version 27 is a version-specific license; the page does not say what upgrading to a later version costs.

PDFelement

Edit, convert and organize

Edit text and images, convert to and from Office formats, compress, combine, split, crop and reorder pages, and process files in batches.

OCR and data extraction

Turns scans into searchable, editable text, recognizes tables and pulls form data and receipt details out of PDFs.

Forms, signing and redaction

Create and fill forms, including XFA, sign with digital certificates, request e-signatures, redact and set passwords.

AI tools

Chat with a PDF, summarize, translate, rewrite, check grammar and detect AI-written text; paid plans include 50 AI uses.

PDFelement Cloud

Paid plans include 20GB of cloud storage for files and signatures, synced across the desktop, mobile and web apps.

Measuring and Bates numbering

Measure distance, perimeter and area on drawings, and add Bates numbers, headers, footers and watermarks.

Readiris

Scan and OCR

Scans paper into searchable PDFs, with OCR in 138 languages and driverless network scanning through eSCL and WIA, plus TWAIN.

Edit and organize PDFs

Merge, split, rotate and delete pages, compress files, and add markups, annotations and highlights.

Forms

Fills interactive forms in Essential; Elite adds designing forms with labels, text fields, check boxes and combo boxes.

Batch conversion

Converts files to and from PDF, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, many at a time, and exports to PNG and JPG.

Elite security and automation

Elite adds protection, multiple e-signatures, redaction, PDF/A archiving, smart page separation and automatic naming.

Cloud sharing

Elite shares documents to Dropbox, OneDrive and SharePoint.

PDFelement

• Quarterly Plan$11.99

  per quarter for one platform, renews automatically

  Shown against a crossed-out $49; $21.99 a quarter for the cross-platform version. All features, 20GB of PDFelement Cloud and no watermark.

• Yearly Plan$79.99

  per year for one platform, renews automatically

  Shown against a crossed-out $129; $89.99 a year cross-platform. A year of updates and all features on desktop, mobile and web.

• 2-Year Plan$109.99

  for 2 years for one platform, renews manually

  Shown against a crossed-out $149; $119.99 cross-platform. Two years of updates and all features.

• Perpetual Plan$129.99

  one-time purchase for one platform

  Perpetual use of PDFelement 13, shown against a crossed-out $159; $139.99 cross-platform. Mobile and web access are included for a limited time only.

Readiris

• Readiris PDF 27 Essential$79

  one-time, perpetual license

  Scan and OCR, PDF editing, annotation, forms, Office export, batch conversion; shown as $129 crossed out, no end date.

• Readiris PDF 27 Elite$149

  one-time, perpetual license

  Essential plus form design, multiple e-signatures, redaction, PDF/A, auto-naming, barcode extraction, cloud sharing; $189 crossed out.

PDFelement

• Other savings

  Black Friday prices

  The Windows store page, under a Black Friday 2026 banner, shows the Yearly Plan at $67.99 for one platform ($76.99 cross-platform) and the Perpetual Plan at $110.49 ($118.99). No end date is shown.

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual license for PDFelement 13

  Wondershare sells a one-time license for version 13 at $129.99 for one platform or $139.99 for Windows and Mac together.

Readiris

No public discounts listed.