Adobe Acrobat vs Foxit PDF Editor
The two best-known paid PDF editors.
The short answer
Both remove redacted content, which is rarer in this category than it should be, and both put real editing behind a paid tier. Foxit is the cheaper route to that; Acrobat has the deeper accessibility toolset and the wider ecosystem. Their free tiers are not useless - you can read, annotate and fill forms - but neither is a free editor in the sense the marketing implies.
The difference that decides it
Pick on the job rather than the price. If accessibility work is the reason you are buying, Acrobat is the deeper toolset of the two; if it is redaction at volume, Foxit reaches the same verdict for less. Budget for a licence either way, since neither free tier is an editor.
Side by side
5 of 11 rows differ
| Compared | Adobe Acrobat | Foxit PDF Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Files stay on your device | Mixed - depends on version and feature | Mixed - depends on version and feature |
| Redaction | Removes the content | Removes the content |
| Price | Free · paid from £14.99 a month | From £8.15 a month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web · Windows · macOS | Windows · macOS · Web · iOS · Android · API |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Data residency | Not verified | Multiple regions |
| Programmatic access | None | None |
| Owner | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Website responded | Responded in 72 ms | Responded in 653 ms |
Rows that differ are shown in full contrast; rows where the two agree are dimmed. Every value here comes from the individual records, where each one names the page it came from - and says plainly when something has not been verified rather than filling the gap.
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe's PDF toolkit: free browser tools plus the paid Acrobat Pro desktop app.
Read the full Adobe Acrobat record
Visit Adobe Acrobat Opens the vendor's own site.
Foxit PDF Editor
Commercial PDF editor with OCR, genuine redaction and eSign.
Read the full Foxit PDF Editor record
Visit Foxit PDF Editor Opens the vendor's own site.
Other comparisons
- iLovePDF vs Smallpdf The two biggest browser PDF toolkits, both of which upload your files.
- SnackPDF vs SimplePDF Two browser tools whose editing says the file stays on your device.
- PAC vs axesCheck The same PDF accessibility checker, twice, from the same company.
- iText vs Apryse Two developer PDF libraries, and one company owns both.
- DocuSign vs Dropbox Sign The two best-known e-signature services.
- veraPDF vs PAC Two ways to check a PDF against PDF/UA.