Adobe Acrobat Pro DC vs. PDF Expert
Individuals, SMBs, and enterprises use PDF editors to create, edit, and convert PDFs. In a market filled with many different types of PDF editors, it can be difficult to choose the best one for you or your business.
We’ve written this guide to help you understand the main differences between Adobe Acrobat Pro DC vs. PDF Expert. Below, we describe how each solution differs in terms of features, pricing, usability, and the customer type each is best suited for.
All of our recommendations are based upon extensive research, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leading PDF editor software platforms. The details of our research process can be found on our PDF editor category page.
Comparison Summary
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert are two well-known PDF editor solutions. We rated Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 91 out of 100, and PDF Expert 82 out of 100, respectively.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC was rated higher than PDF Expert because its platform is a better all-in-one solution. Its features are also much more robust. PDF Expert was rated lower because its platform is less feature-rich and more basic.
This breakdown shows our review criteria and the ratings that Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert received for each category.
| Criteria | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat Pro DC | 91 | 10 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| PDF Expert | 82 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | 7 |
When compared to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, PDF Expert is more affordable. It offers a monthly plan that costs $12.49 per user per month and a one-time lifetime plan that costs $99.99. In contrast, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC costs $24.99 per user per month.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert offer standard PDF editor features. This includes tools for creating, content editing, and reviewing and annotating PDFs. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is superior to PDF Expert in each of these categories because its features are of higher-quality. Also, unlike PDF Expert, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC lets you convert your PDFs into Word documents, PowerPoints, and Excel spreadsheets.
Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the better option for larger businesses and those who have a large budget. Its platform is more feature-rich and its features are of higher quality. We also recommend Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to those who use other Adobe products.
PDF Expert on the other hand is best for individuals who prefer an intermediate PDF editor solution. It is also recommended to those who have a smaller budget and are newer to PDF editor software.
Here’s a few key differences between the solutions to determine which is best for you:
- You prefer an advanced solution
- You want a solution that lets you request electronic signatures
- You need to convert your PDFs into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files
- You prefer a more affordable solution
- You are an individual or small business
- You want free-hand drawing as a review and annotation tool
Table of Contents
- Comparison Summary
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC & PDF Expert Price Comparison
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC & PDF Expert Feature Comparison
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC & PDF Expert Top Feature Comparison
- Bottom Line
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC & PDF Expert Price Comparison
Overall, PDF Expert is more affordable than Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC costs $24.99 per user per month. In contrast, PDF Expert’s monthly plan costs $12.49 per month.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Pricing Details
Adobe Acrobat’s pricing ranges from $14.99 to $24.99 per month depending on if you purchase an individual or a business plan. You can save up to ~43% if you purchase an individual Acrobat Pro DC or Acrobat Standard DC plan. Adobe Acrobat also offers a 7-day free trial of each of its Acrobat Pro DC.
| Plan | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Individuals |
|
| Business |
|
PDF Expert Pricing Details
PDF Expert’s pricing ranges from $12.49 per month to $99.99, which is a one-time payment. You can also save up to ~67% if you purchase the annual plan. PDF Expert also offers a 7-day free trial.
| Plan | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Monthly | $12.49 per month |
| Lifetime | $99.99 one-time payment |
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC & PDF Expert Feature Comparison
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert offer standard and advanced PDF editor features. This includes creating and converting, content editing, and reviewing and annotating PDFs.
As you can see below, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is much more feature-rich than PDF Expert. The only area where PDF Expert is more feature-rich is in review and annotation. This is because PDF Expert offers freehand drawing and callout boxes as annotation tools, while Adobe Acrobat Pro DC does not.
For a full analysis of each solution’s features, read our Adobe Acrobat Pro DC review and PDF Expert review.
As you can see below, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is much more feature-rich.
| Feature | Adobe Acrobat Pro DC | PDF Expert |
|---|---|---|
| Requesting e-signatures | Yes | No |
| Tracking e-signatures | Yes | No |
| Splitting PDFs | Yes | No |
| Scanning documents into PDFs | Yes | No |
| Integrations | Yes | No |
| Converting PDFs into Word documents, PowerPoints, and Excel spreadsheets | Yes | No |
| Watermarks | Yes | No |
| Callout boxes | No | Yes |
| Freehand drawing tools | No | Yes |
| Creating PDFs from scratch | Yes | Yes |
| Merging PDFs | Yes | Yes |
| Editing & Resizing text | Yes | Yes |
| Editing & Resizing images | Yes | Yes |
| Adding e-signatures | Yes | Yes |
| Commenting | Yes | Yes |
| Highlighting | Yes | Yes |
| Stamps | Yes | Yes |
| Password protection | Yes | Yes |
| Redacting sensitive information | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile PDF editor | Yes | Yes |
| PDF template library | No | No |
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC & PDF Expert Top Feature Comparison
Below we analyze in-depth the three main PDF editor feature categories included in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert – creating and converting, content editing, and reviewing and annotating PDFs.
Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is more robust than PDF Expert in all of these categories except reviewing and annotating. However, it should be noted that both solutions are better for different audiences – i.e. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is better for larger businesses who need an advanced platform and have a large budget and PDF Expert is better for small businesses with a smaller budget.
Creating & Converting PDFs
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert both let you create PDFs – this includes from scratch and through merging PDFs together. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is superior in this category.
As shown above, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC lets you scan documents into PDFs. Unlike PDF Expert, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is that its platform lets you convert your PDFs into Word documents, PowerPoints, and Excel spreadsheets.
Content Editing PDFs
Content editing a PDF involves editing its text, images, including headers and footers, and including e-signatures. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is more robust for all of these features.
Text Editing
It’s very important that your PDF editor can accommodate your text editing needs. When it comes to text editing, Adobe Acrobat offers advanced text editing features and PDF Expert offers basic text editing features.
Both Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert let you adjust the font, color, size and typographical emphasis on your text. However, unlike PDF Expert, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC lets you rotate your text boxes, and create bulleted or numbered lists.
A major advantage of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is that you can also adjust a text box’s line and paragraph spacing. These features allow you to further customize your text to match the aesthetic of your PDF.
Image Editing
Images enhance the readability of your PDF by offering visual breaks and supporting certain pieces of text. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is more feature-rich for image editing than PDF Expert.
Both platforms let you rotate, crop, and replace images. However, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC also offers advanced image editing features including:
- Adjusting the horizontal and vertical orientation of an image
- Arranging whether an image sits in front or in the back of another image or text
- Aligning images based on their left or right side or top or bottom
Electronic Signatures
Oftentimes you can use your PDF editor to insert, request, and track electronic signatures into your PDFs. Overall, we recommend using Adobe Acrobat for electronic signatures rather than PDF Expert.
Both Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert let you insert e-signatures. However, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC also lets you insert a variety of fields – including signature, email, date, and check boxes. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC also lets you request e-signatures, track the progress of them, and send reminders to your signers.
Page Organization
Page organization can affect how others interpret the content within your PDF. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is more feature-rich for page organization.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert let you drag & drop pages to reorder them, and insert, rotate, delete, and split pages into separate files. However, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC also lets you insert page numbers and replace pages without it compromising the positioning of the other pages in your PDF.
Reviewing & Annotating PDFs
Once you’ve finished editing your PDF’s content, you’ll likely need to review and annotate it. In terms of feature-richness, PDF Expert ranks higher. However, in terms of feature quality, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC ranks higher.
Commenting
Comments are an easy tool that you can use to collaborate with others on a PDF document. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC’s commenting feature is more robust than PDF Expert’s.
As shown above, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC’s commenting feature is more advanced because unlike PDF Expert, you can @mention others and reply to other comments. You can also move your comments around your PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, whereas in PDF Expert, once you’ve made a comment, it permanently stays in one location
Highlighting
Both Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and PDF Expert let you highlight text within your PDF to indicate important information. Overall, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC’s highlighting feature is more efficient than PDF Expert’s highlighting feature.
As shown above, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC offers a freehand highlighting tool that lets you highlight text that is already a part of your uploaded PDF. An advantage of this tool is freehand highlights automatically straighten themselves out. This saves you time because you do not have to spend time perfecting your freehand highlight.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC also offers an automatic highlighting feature that lets you highlight text that you’ve inserted using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. An advantage of this feature is you only have to double click the text you want to highlight in your textbox. This saves you time because you do not have to run over text with your cursor.
As shown above, a major disadvantage of PDF Expert highlighting feature is you can only highlight text that you’ve inserted using PDF Expert. Any text you want to highlight that’s been pre-embedded into your PDF should be highlighted before you upload your PDF.
Freehand Drawing Tools
Freehand drawing as an annotation tool allows you to insert handwritten style notes into your PDF document. An advantage PDF Expert has over Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the fact that PDF Expert offers freehand drawing as an annotation tool, while Adobe Acrobat Pro DC does not.
PDF Expert lets you adjust the color, opacity, and size of your freehand drawing tool. However, you cannot resize or move your drawings after you’ve made them.
Bottom Line
Overall Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is better for those who prefer an all-in-one, advanced PDF editor solution. We recommend it especially to larger businesses with a large budget. We also recommend it to those who use other Adobe products like Adobe Sign and Adobe Scan.
In contrast, PDF Expert is a more affordable, intermediate solution. We recommend it for individuals or smaller businesses with a smaller budget who prefer a more basic tool.
If you’re interested, visit Adobe Acrobat Pro DC or PDF Expert today to get started.