PDF has been the most preferred document format used in business transactions, which makes PDF editors an essential tool on a day-to-day basis.

PDF editors allow you to edit a document text, make annotations, make business plans, add images and even export files. There are many PDF editors that you can use based on their functionalities and features.

Today, we bring you a list of the best PDF editors that can help you in your daily business activity and would make your life easier.

Adobe Acrobat

Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, IOS &
Accessible online via Web Browser.

Owned and created by Adobe, Adobe Acrobat is the leading PDF editing software today since its release on the year 1993. This PDF editor is a multi-platform editor that offers users its top-notch features and easy to use with user interface. It also built with OCR technology that lets users edit their scanned PDF documents.

The only disadvantage of this software is that the trial version lasts for only 7-days. You need the buy its license for $14.99/month or $299 as a one-time payment to fully use this software.

Foxit Phantom PDF

Compatible with: Windows, Mac

Another great PDF editor is Foxit PhantomPDF. Phantom PDF lets users edit their files in a windows & mac system. It also helps users to create better documents and manage their work after publishing which automatically saves their file in the cloud storage.

The cons of using this software are : the trial version is limited for only 14-days plus the user interface of this software is quite complicated to navigate.

Due to its trial version, Phantom PDF offers 3-types of subscription for users to experience its full features. Standard 9 that costs: $13.99/month or a one-time fee of $129, Business 9 that costs: $14.99/month or a one-time fee $159, and Mac that costs: $13.99/month or a one-time fee of $129.

PDFelement

Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, IOS

PDFelement is one of the best PDF editors that can be an alternative to Adobe Acrobat. This software lets users edit, comment and convert their files. PDFelement can also be the right solution for your company or business, it is trusted by many companies like Hitachi, Gentex Corporation, Deloitte and many more.

The only downside of this software is that its trial version only has limited features and will add watermarks to your work. If you want to remove the watermark you have to buy its license.

PDFelement offers 3-types of subscription options for users to fully experience its features. PDFelement Standard that costs: $59/year or a one-time fee of $69, PDFelement Pro that costs: $79/year or a one-time fee of $119, and PDFelement Pro Team that costs $3190 as a one-time fee. They also offer PDFelement Business but you have to call or coordinate with their sales team to avail of this subscription.

Nitro Pro

Compatible with: Windows

Another PDF editor that suits well for businesses is Nitro Pro. Nitro Pro offers a number of PDF editing features compared to other PDF editors. Its features include the ability to edit, create and merge, review and collaborate among others.

In Addition, the Nitro editor will allow you to sign and secure your PDF files. This software is very fast and easy to use plus it has OCR technology for users to edit their scanned PDF files.

The disadvantage of using this software is that its trial version will only last for 14-days and it has a limitation in features. You can buy its license for $159/user.

Microsoft Word

Compatible with: Windows, Android, IOS

Many people think that the only use of Microsoft Word is only for creating and typing documents, but many of us don’t know that we can also use this software to edit PDF files. Microsoft Word is the simplest yet effective editor. It lets users import their PDF files to this software and export the file again to PDF when finished.

This software is a very easy method for employees and students to use without having to learn a new tool.

The only thing to hate about this software is that when you import PDF file formats the formatting of the content of the file is not correctly aligned based on the PDF, and its licenses costs are: $99.99/year For Families, $69.99/year For Individuals, and one-time fee of $249.99 For a single device subscription.

PDFpenPro

Compatible with: Mac, IOS

If you are a Mac OS or IOS user and looking for a PDF editor that has outstanding features? You should try PDFpenPro. PDFpenPro is one of the best PDF editors that is built exactly for Mac. It features an outstanding OCR engine that lets users create their PDF files from scratch, edit scanned PDF files and create table contents for their PDF documents.

Some of the disadvantages of using this software are: editing OCR’d text is not always clean and has an expensive license subscription that costs: $124.95 for a Single User, $149.95 for the Family Pack that can register up to 5 computers in one household, and their IOS App costs: $4.99.

Sejda PDF Editor

Compatible with: Windows

Sejda Editor is one of the best free PDF editors that offer impressive features. It allows users to edit their files easily, add a signature to their PDF files and offers basic editing text for the files they uploaded. It also enables users to upload unlimited documents that they can edit. This software provides very clear instructions that can help you or your co-worker to understand all the features of this software.

The cons of using this editor are : this software doesn’t have an OCR technology in the online editor, it is not as secure as the other PDF editors and the user-interface of this software is not user-friendly.

If you want to use this software for personal use Sejda offers 3-types of subscription, Web Week Pass that costs a one-time fee of $5 for 7-days, Web Monthly that costs $7.50/month, and Desktop+Web Manual that costs: $5.25/month ($64 annually).

AbleWord

Compatible with: Windows

AbleWord is not a popular software but this PDF reader and writer is one of the best free PDF editors that are worth having today. This software is also a word processor which means users can easily edit their files like they always do on a word document. AbleWord features reformat images, add or edit headers and footers, and also tables.

The only disadvantage of this editor is that it has limited features and the output of the file is not as good as the result on the other editors.

Soda PDF

Compatible with: Windows

Another reliable PDF editor is Soda PDF. Soda PDF is the complete PDF management solution for you and your business. This software allows users to read, write, edit, annotate and create PDF files on a desktop or online, and features extra functionalities like e-signature and OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

The full desktop program of this software is only available for windows and the online version is available to all operating systems like Mac & Linux.

There really aren’t any bad things related to using this software, but the free desktop installation process involves some opting-out of third-party software and toolbars. If you want to have this software, they offer 2 types of subscriptions that you may choose from: Soda PDF Home which costs $48/yearly; and Soda PDF Premium that costs: $84/yearly.

Sumatra PDF

Compatible with: Windows

Sumatra PDF is a free PDF editor that perfectly fits users that love eBooks(ePub, Mobi) and Comic Books. Sumatra PDF is also available in a portable edition so users can be able to use their USB to primarily save their work and use it on another computer.

One of the cons of using this software is that its advance options are very tricky to edit which can affect the user’s workflow.


We can admit that many businesses and individuals use PDF editors on their day-to-day basis. The most important thing that really matters is whether what type of PDF version you use, either paid or not, it will be your choice to pick whatever software to use that could help you ease your daily productivity.