Best PDF Editor Software

pdfFiller Competitors & Alternatives

Are you considering using pdfFiller to manage your PDF documents? Before choosing a software, it’s important to learn about other PDF editor software platforms for small businesses. The top four alternatives are listed below, along with valuable insights about their features, pricing, and usability.

The information in this article is based on our research, interviews with customers, as well as dozens of hours hand-testing PDF editor software. The details of our review process and research methodology can be found in the Why You Should Trust Us section on our PDF editor category page.

pdfFiller is our second highest rated PDF editor platform. It is advanced and very feature-rich. Overall, it’s best for individuals who need an advanced platform and have a larger budget. We also recommend it for those who need a wide range of review and annotation tools and also use signNow.


There are four PDF editor solutions that are worth considering before you purchase pdfFiller. They primarily differentiate based on the features offered and ease of use. Understanding these differences will help you determine which platform will work best for your business.

  • If you prefer an advanced, all-in-one PDF editor and also use other Adobe products like Adobe Sign and Adobe Scan, then we recommend Adobe Acrobat
  • If you need a semi-robust platform that is priced reasonably for those who want to long-term invest, then we recommend PDFelement
  • If you need a beginner platform and have a smaller budget, then we recommend Smallpdf
  • If you prefer an intermediate solution with high-quality customer support tools, then we recommend PDF Expert

Here’s a breakdown of our review criteria. We rate each piece of software based on its features, usability, pricing, and customer support availability. Here is how pdfFiller and it’s competitors rank in each category.

Software CompanyAnalyst RatingFeaturesUsabilityPricingCustomer Support
pdfFiller8998.7598.75
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC919.59.589
PDFelement86898.759.5
Smallpdf8479.59.58.5
PDF Expert82898.57

In this article, we’ll provide an overview of pdfFiller as a PDF editor platform. Afterwards, we’ll compare and contrast pdfFiller against its top competitors. If you’d like a full description of pdfFiller, check out our in-depth pdfFiller review.

Table of Contents

pdfFiller Top Features

pdfFiller offers standard and advanced features that help individuals, SMBs, and enterprises create, edit, review, and overall manage their PDFs. This includes tools for PDF creation and conversion, content editing, and PDF review and annotation. Below we describe the 13 most important features in pdfFiller.

pdfFiller FeatureDescription
PDF CreationpdfFiller offers a wide range of methods for creating a PDF. This includes uploading Word documents, text files, JPEGs, and PNGs, and merging, and splitting documents into PDFs. pdfFiller also lets you create templates of your most used PDFs.
PDF ConversionpdfFiller lets you convert your PDFs into multiple document types. This includes Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoints, JPEGs, and text files.
Text EditingText is one of the most important components of your PDF, therefore it’s important that your PDF editor can accommodate your text needs. pdfFiller lets you change the font, color, size, and typographical emphasis of your text. pdfFiller also lets you change the background and outline color of your text boxes and link the text within your boxes.
Image EditingImages enhance the readability of your PDF documents by providing visual breaks and supporting certain sections of text. pdfFiller lets you insert and resize your images easily, without it interfering with your PDF’s content.
Electronic SignaturesSome PDF editors will let you insert, request, and track electronic signatures in your PDF document. pdfFiller lets you perform all of these actions, as well as insert legally binding signature, date, email, and phone number fields. pdfFiller also integrates with signNow.
Page OrganizationPage organization can affect how people interpret your PDF’s content. pdfFiller lets you drag & drop your pages if you need to reorder them. You can also add, rotate, and duplicate pages, and insert pages anywhere within your PDF.
CommentingCommenting is one of the easy ways you can collaborate on a PDF document. pdfFiller’s commenting feature lets you and those in your organization reply to any other comment.
HighlightingHighlighting is an easy way to indicate important information. To highlight in pdfFiller, all you need to do is click and drag a highlighted box over the desired text. You would perform this action for text you embed using pdfFiller and text that is already embedded in your PDF.
Freehand DrawingFreehand drawing lets you write handwritten notes and markings on your PDF. An advantage of pdfFiller’s freehand drawing tool is that you can resize your drawing after you’ve created it.
Callout BoxesCallout boxes make important pieces of information visually stand out, more so than highlighting. pdfFiller’s callout box feature comes in the form of post-it sticky notes, which are very easy to use.
IntegrationspdfFiller lets you integrate with third-party platforms to expand the functionality of your PDF editor. pdfFiller integrates with applications like Zapier, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft 365.
Mobile PDF EditorA mobile PDF editor lets you create, edit, review, and manage your PDFs anywhere. With pdfFiller, you can include text, signatures, and images, and highlight and redact information using blackout.
Security FeaturesProper security and data protection for your PDFs is critical for your PDF editor. pdfFiller offers a wide variety of security features — including watermarks, password protection, and sensitive information redaction.

pdfFiller Competitor Overview: Features

The chart below shows you the main features found in PDF editor software, and ones offered by each solution. You’ll notice that many solutions offer the same features, therefore it’s important that when analyzing each option, you focus on the quality of each feature.

pdfFiller feature comparison chart vs. competitors

pdfFiller Competitor Overview: Pricing

pdfFiller’s pricing ranges from $20 to $50 per month. You can also save 67% if you purchase an annual plan. pdfFiller also offers a 30-day free trial for each paid plan. Overall, pdfFiller’s pricing is fair considering the quality of its platform.

PDF editor SoftwarePlan Pricing
pdfFiller
PlanPricing
Basic (1 user)$20 per month
Premium (Up to 5 users)$40 per month ($8 per user)
airSlate Business Cloud (Minimum 5 users)$50 per user per month
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
PlanPricing
Individuals
  • Acrobat Standard DC: $22.99 per month
  • Acrobat Pro DC: $24.99 per month
Business
  • Acrobat Standard DC for teams: $14.99 per license per month
  • Acrobat Pro DC for teams: $16.99 per license per month
PDFelement
Plan TypeYearly Plan PricingPerpetual License
Individual
  • PDFelement Pro Half-yearly plan: $49.99 per half-year
  • PDFelement Pro Yearly plan: $79.99 per year
PDFelement Pro: $129.99
TeamPDFelement Pro: $109 per yearPDFelement Pro: $139
Education
  • PDFelement Standard: $34.50 per year
  • PDFelement Pro: $64.50
  • PDFelement Standard: $39.50
  • PDFelement Pro: $79.50
Bundle
  • Windows + IOS + Cloud: $129.99 per year
  • Mac + IOS: $99.99 per year
  • Mac + IOS + Cloud: $129.99 per year
  • Windows + IOS: $99.99 per year
  • Windows + Mac: $139.99 per year
  • Windows + Cloud: $99.99 per year
  • Windows + IOS + Cloud: $179.99
  • Mac + IOS: $159.99
  • Mac + IOS + Cloud: $179.99
  • Windows + IOS: $159.99
  • Windows + Mac: $219.99
  • Windows + Cloud: $159.99
Smallpdf
PlanPricing
Free$0 per month
Pro$12 per month
Team$10 per license per month
BusinessContact Smallpdf
PDF Expert
PlanPricing
Monthly$12.49 per month
Lifetime$99.99 one-time payment

Top pdfFiller Competitors

pdfFiller is an advanced, feature-rich PDF editor solution. It’s best for individuals with a large budget, who prefer to use a robust PDF editor. Overall, it is the most similar to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC in terms of platform cost and advancedness.

The top pdfFiller competitors are:

  • Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
  • PDFelement
  • Smallpdf
  • PDF Expert

1. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is an advanced, all-in-one PDF editor. Its tools are robust and the platform is overall very feature-rich. Compared to pdfFiller, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is better suited for large businesses who need a PDF editor for team collaboration. We also recommend Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to those who use other Adobe products like Adobe Scan and Adobe Sign.

You'll prefer Adobe Acrobat Pro DC if:

  • You prefer an advanced, all-in-one solution
  • You want a robust mobile PDF editor
  • You want to include personalized headers and footers
You'll prefer pdfFiller if:

  • You use signNow
  • You want to create PDF templates
  • You want freehand drawing and callout boxes as review and annotation tools

2. PDFelement

PDFelement is a well-rounded, intermediate PDF editor platform. Compared to pdfFiller, PDFelement is better suited for individuals and SMBs who need a more affordable PDF editor for personal use.

You'll prefer PDFelement if:

  • You want a free PDF editor plan
  • You want access to a free template library
  • You want to insert personalized headers and footers
You'll prefer pdfFiller if:

  • You prefer an advanced solution
  • You want a PDF editor that integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Dropbox or Zapier
  • You want to assign e-signature fields in your PDF

3. Smallpdf

Smallpdf is a basic PDF editor solution that is best suited for beginners. Compared to pdfFiller, Smallpdf is more affordable and more user-friendly. However, pdfFiller as a platform is much more robust.

You'll prefer Smallpdf if:

  • You are a beginner when it comes to PDF editor solutions
  • You prefer a more basic platform
  • You need a more affordable solution or a free PDF editor plan
You'll prefer pdfFiller if:

  • You prefer an advanced PDF editor solution
  • You use signNow
  • You want to create templates of your most used PDFs

4. PDF Expert

PDF Expert is an intermediate PDF editor solution. Compared to pdfFiller, PDF Expert is more affordable and better for personal use. It’s best for individuals and smaller businesses who prefer a more basic tool.

You'll prefer PDF Expert if:

  • You prefer a more affordable solution
  • You prefer a more basic tool
  • You want to replace images without it interfering with your PDF’s content structure
You'll prefer pdfFiller if:

  • You prefer an advanced PDF editor
  • You want a solution that lets you request and track electronic signatures
  • You need to convert your PDFs into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files

Amy Yang

Amy Yang is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where she conducts in-depth analyses on software markets and products. Amy has expertise in content production and managing digital and social platforms. She has a Bachelor of Science in Communication & Media, and a Minor in Web Programming and Applications from NYU. You can connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

Amy is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Course creation software
  • Electronic signature software
  • Social media software
  • Website builder software

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