# PDF-XChange Editor review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Windows PDF editor with a free edition and perpetual licenses Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. PDF-XChange Editor, from PDF-XChange Co Ltd, is a Windows PDF editor with more than 400 features. A free version leaves about 70% of features unrestricted. Licensed features, such as OCR, form creation and document comparison, add watermarks to output until you buy a perpetual license for Editor or Editor Plus. - **Category:** PDF Editors - **Made by:** PDF-XChange Co Ltd - **Website:** https://www.pdf-xchange.com - **Runs on:** Windows - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use a Mac, Linux or a phone, as it is Windows only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, PDF-XChange Editor has a free plan, and paid plans start at $62 per user, one-time purchase. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Free version with about 70% of features unrestricted; licensed features add watermarks to output. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor/pricing on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with PDF-XChange Editor before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Charity and academic offers** (Education): PDF-XChange lists a page of registered charity and academic offers; the free version may also be used in academic settings. Source: https://www.pdf-xchange.com/charity-academic-discounts - **Cheaper extended maintenance at purchase** (Other savings): Adding 2 or 3 years of maintenance when buying costs less than renewing later; the pricing page shows examples. Source: https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor/pricing ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Windows users who want to pay once rather than subscribe - People whose needs are covered by the free edition's unrestricted features - Teams buying packs of 3 to 1000 licenses ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. PDF-XChange Editor is a Windows PDF editor with a free edition and a $62 one-time license. It runs on Windows only, and form creation, compare and the better OCR need the $79 Editor Plus. - **Value for money: A.** $62 one-time is under a year ($80) of the category's middle subscription, with one year of updates included. - **Free plan and trial: B.** The free version leaves about 70% of features unrestricted; licensed features add a watermark to output. - **Features: C.** Editing, markup, OCR, signing tools and an AI assistant. Form creation, compare and the enhanced OCR need Editor Plus. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record; a program you install and use, with nothing to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Windows 10 and later only: no Mac, Linux, browser or phone version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from PDF-XChange Co Ltd's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among PDF editors - PDF-XChange Editor's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 11 of the 28 other PDF editors we grade, and level with 6. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 21 of 28) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/pdf-editors ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Nothing PDF-XChange Editor does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company. It costs $62, paid once. - You could not: Editing the text inside a PDF without breaking its layout. - You could not: A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** PDF editing, One-time purchase, Works offline, AI features ## Alternatives - [Foxit PDF Editor](https://toolgpa.com/tools/foxit): PDF editor for Windows, Mac and web, yearly or as a one-time license. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foxit-vs-pdf-xchange-editor) - [Master PDF Editor](https://toolgpa.com/tools/master-pdf-editor): Desktop PDF editor sold as a perpetual license. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/master-pdf-editor-vs-pdf-xchange-editor) - [Tungsten Power PDF](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kofax-power-pdf): PDF editor with an Office-style ribbon, formerly Kofax Power PDF. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kofax-power-pdf-vs-pdf-xchange-editor) - [PDFelement](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pdfelement): Wondershare's PDF editor, by subscription or a one-time license. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/pdf-xchange-editor-vs-pdfelement) - [Nitro PDF Pro](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nitro): Desktop PDF editor for Windows and Mac with AI tools, billed yearly. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nitro-vs-pdf-xchange-editor) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor/pricing - https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor - https://www.pdf-xchange.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor/demo-limitations - https://www.pdf-xchange.com/charity-academic-discounts Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/pdf-xchange-editor Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).