Adobe Acrobat Reader vs. Wondershare PDFelement

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Acrobat Reader is a PDF viewer and converter, available as a free download from Adobe. Users can view, sign, collaborate on and annotate PDF files, or edit and convert PDFs into file formats like Excel and Word.N/A
Wondershare PDFelement
Score 5.0 out of 10
N/A
PDFelement is a document management solution from Wondershare Software headquartered in China.
$79.99
per year per user
Pricing
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
PDFelement
79.99USD
per year per user
PDFelement
129.99USD
one-time fee per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFor Individuals: Yearly Plan: $79.99/user; 2-Year Plan: $109.99/user Perpetual Plan(one-time): $129.99/user For Teams: Yearly plan starts at $109/year for 1 user For Education: Yearly Plan: $47.99/user; Perpetual Plan(one-time): $99.99/user
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
Considered Both Products
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
There aren't many tools that seamlessly work with Adobe products like Acrobat, as it's obviously the same company. But I would say Canva makes it much easier to start a design from scratch, and GIMP is a free way to edit or update PDF files (though it doesn't look as good as if …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I didn't use Chrome Data Autoplanner
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
The Word app included with Office 365 offers similar collaboration functionality when compared to Adobe reader but with the option to fully change the original document while reviewing. This is both an advantage and disadvantage when compared with the Adobe reader app. …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I like Adobe better due to its ease of use and the ability to set it as a default.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Microsoft Excel can seem busy and antique compare to Adobe [Acrobat Reader DC]. Adobe [Acrobat Reader DC] is easier to use and has a modern style [for] the visual eye.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is easier to use, more accessible, and has a stronger functionality than my experience with DocuSign. It's more intuitive for our recipients of the documents.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I use mobi format for reading on Amazon devices. Mobi is better on mobile than Adobe Acrobat but Adobe is better on PC and Mac computers.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
We have reviewed DocuSign in comparison to [Adobe] Acrobat Reader [DC's] e-sign capabilities. We found that DocuSign has more robust options when creating contracts and consent capabilities. DocuSign's online UI is much more suited to this type of task as well. However, we …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the best PDF writer hands down. It is much better in terms of being able to quickly read/do very light editing of PDF's. It tends to do better at conversion of PDF's too, and it's tools within the program tend to be easier to use and more familiar …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I do a lot of work on a second job where I need to create and use forms in PDF format that contain a lot of JavaScript in the backend to make calculations based on values entered into form fields. If I am working on a PC or a MAC computer, these all work great for JavaScript …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Reader DC feels like the complete package. I actually have the Pro version which gives me even more options, but the reader is very impressive as well. The main benefit is the user interface. It's extremely easy to use at all ages and within cross functional teams.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
We have not evaluated other products, as we are primarily an organization that uses Adobe products.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
One of the main appeals of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is that it is part of the Adobe suite of products and works well with all of their other products. Additionally, the support is second to none and given the large backing of Adobe, we can rest assured that the application will …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader [DC] works well with all the other applications in the Adobe Suite but does not replace Adobe Acrobat Pro, which allows detailed editing of PDF documents. Because it's free, it can be installed company-wide and ensures everyone in the organization can read …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC offers so many more features in the free version than its competitors and is way easier to use.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
The Apple Preview app is simplistic and convenient for viewing PDFs, but it lacks the advanced features of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, such as document signing, customizable exporting of individual frames, and document protection. I also chose Acrobat because it comes with my …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I have tried many alternatives and while many of them are definitely useable, I ultimately decided that Adobe Reader DC created the PDF file format and they understand best how to make the format work. The biggest difference to Adobe Reader DC versus the alternatives is …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Both DocHub and Kami are online apps with features similar to Adobe Acrobat Reader DC but required sign-in, and some of Kami's features are locked in the free version. I am not sure if DocHub is free to non-educational institutions.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
While Adobe Illustrator and Indesign are great for graphics and layout work, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC it great for more pdf specifics. There are some exporting options and things in Ai and Id but that's about it. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is great for doing things after it's all …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I have found Abobe Acrobat [Reader DC] to be a niche product that solves a variety of business needs. It does not replace something like DocuSign, but can serve as a light version. It is more secure for sharing than something like Dropbox, and also has the ability to edit PDFs.
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the most trusted and widely used tool as compared to tools from other competitors. Tools has all the requisite feature needed for an organization such as document storage to the protection of documents using passwords. Pdf files created by the tool …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
I haven't spent any real time looking into alternatives because there is no need. I've used Apple Preview for basic view, which works fine. But when it comes to doing any sort of creation or modification, this is a must. Working in photoshop works... sorta. For visual things at …
Chose Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the fastest and most accurate representation of files compared to the other programs. The only downside in comparison is that Adobe Illustrator CC has the ability to edit PDFs, where the ability to edit PDFs is not available in Adobe Acrobat Reader …
Wondershare PDFelement
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
PDFelement is more intuitive, and snapper, with more wow factors.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
PDFelement is the ideal solution for Adobe Acrobat because of its small size, clean interface, quick start, strong features, light system resource usage, and low pricing.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
They are doing quite aggressive marketing, therefore it is very present everywhere. Pricing is in the range for private users. If features are improved, I probably would buy it again, otherwise think next time would try the competition (e.g., Nitro).
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
I used Adobe Acrobat for around 15 years in different large scale companies. But it is too expensive for single users or small enterprises and Adobe offers only yearly subscription which I personally do not like.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
Both of the programs mentioned above have worked much better for my needs.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
We selected PDFelement because it did the job well and at the lowest cost of our options.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
I don't even remember the name of the products I tried, but none of them worked right. PDFelement does the job and does it well.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
We haven't used any other similar products, and don't feel any desire to stop using PDFelement.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
The experience is different. From a cost perspective, PDFelement is more cost effective and can get things done.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
Adobe PDF is the alternative for me but much more expensive. It has more features but I don’t need them. For a small business PDFelement's affordability makes it a cost effective option.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
I didn't try or buy other programs, but did a good bit of research on them. I went with PDFelement because of the lower pricing, and because of the rich features I learned it had.

I also appreciated the great customer service I received from reps in the community forums, which …
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
I have evaluated Acrobat but found it less user friendly than PDFelement and very expensive on a product to product comparison
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
PDFelement has among the several options available in the market, a productivity solution with relevant acquisition costs associated with the benefits offered. Among the functions available in the application, other companies have the same function with lower performance and …
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
The quality of the images was better (I need to print an A2 or A1 poster)
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
I have not used anything else other than Adobe Acrobat and PDFelement meets all my needs and is easier to use.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
Just as good, and just as clean; but easier to use. Just as many options and an easy to use format and layout.
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
I haven't used any other product besides PDFelement. I found a product that I love and I'm sticking with it. I will say that I went with PDFelement based on reviews and based on the features that this product supplies vs. the others. I trust the company behind PDFelement (been …
Chose Wondershare PDFelement
PDFelement is superior to PDFzilla and comparable in features to Adobe and a better price.
Features
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
PDF Editors
Comparison of PDF Editors features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat Reader
9.1
Ratings
4% above category average
Wondershare PDFelement
-
Ratings
Edit Text and Images9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Merge or Split PDFs9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Add Annotations9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Text Recognition (OCR)8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Page Management8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Form Creation and Editing10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Secure PDFs10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Convert to Different Formats9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Comment and Review Tools9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Undo and Redo Actions8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
Small Businesses
Tungsten Power PDF
Tungsten Power PDF
Score 9.8 out of 10
Square 9 Softworks
Square 9 Softworks
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
pdfFiller
pdfFiller
Score 9.0 out of 10
MSB Docs
MSB Docs
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Bluebeam
Bluebeam
Score 9.1 out of 10
M‑Files
M‑Files
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
Likelihood to Recommend
9.5
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.2
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.5
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.5
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe Acrobat ReaderWondershare PDFelement
Likelihood to Recommend
After creating a document, converting it into Adobe Acrobat Reader is usually very easy for storage in my computer, sending/sharing via emails, etc. This also saves a significant amount of unnecessary printing and paper waste, which is great for reducing waste. I don't have to worry about not having the right software/app to view, edit, and share with anyone.
Read full review
PDFelement Pro is well suited for all of our needs and our clients' needs. I bought the Windows version and liked it so much that I purchased the Mac version at the discount that I was offered at checkout. It performs well and is easy to learn and use. Companies could save so much money by using PDFelement instead of Adobe Acrobat Standard/Pro
Read full review
Pros
  • Edit PDFs. One of the biggest challenges faced in document heavy workflows is editing a PDF. Adobe Reader DC does a fantastic job of allowing you to edit pdfs on the fly without having to go back to the original form and reconverting it.
  • Sign PDFs. I spend a lot of time signing contracts and approval forms. Adobe Reader DC allows me to do that quickly without having to use my mouse or another third party platform. I can do all I need right in the Adobe Reader DC workflow.
  • Merge PDFs. I find quite often that I need to put two or more documents together in one form. I can do that with just a few clicks in the Adobe Reader DC merge workflow.
Read full review
  • It does a great job of turning paper forms into digital documents via the advanced OCR technology.
  • The price point of PDFelement is extremely competitive considering that it is feature rich.
  • The available support from documentation and videos make PDFelement a tool that is quick to implement.
Read full review
Cons
  • Accurately exporting all fields correctly (including UI design) of a PDF into various formats. There tend to be quirks with some exports.
  • Choosing the right encryption type. This can get a little tricky.
  • Getting picky with Acrobat custom fields when you're trying to do something out-of-the-box (during PDF creation).
Read full review
  • I wish there was a lighter program for just reviewing a document and then to transition seamlessly to an editing mode. It takes a few seconds longer to load than Preview on my Mac, and based on that frustration, I use Preview to view documents.
  • A lower price for upgrades.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
To be honest, I do not have any say in the renewal of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. It is managed at an enterprise level, and the decision to renew or not renew is handled well above my pay grade as an external consultant.
Read full review
Excellent, easy to use product
Read full review
Usability
Again, Adobe Creative Suite is widely used and backed by an industry leader, making the experience very familiar and common for anyone who has used a PDF and wants more features to interact with it. It also makes copy text a lot easier than just previewing the file.
Read full review
I am a novice and I am using it like a pro because it is so easy to work with
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
No issues. Works perfect
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
There is a lot of learning. Although some of the functions you can probably pick up relatively quickly, some of them, including compressing the size or using a different language, remains a myth to me.
Read full review
Support Rating
No answers on this topic
Recently I have had a problem with introducing another laptop to the same license. I wrote an email to the Support Team of Wondershare Software and they successfully fixed the issue in less than 24 hours. Very unusual and impressive.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
The application is pretty much "plug and play"
Read full review
Just pay, download, activate and start using it
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
The Word app included with Office 365 offers similar collaboration functionality when compared to Adobe reader but with the option to fully change the original document while reviewing. This is both an advantage and disadvantage when compared with the Adobe reader app. Documents left in the Microsoft Word format also have a tendency to appear different depending on screen size and device used and this can be frustrating for some users. Basically, if you need what you have created and formatted to stay put and to appear as you intended and be printed as you intended if needed, use the Adobe PDF format.
Read full review
I haven't used any other product besides PDFelement. I found a product that I love and I'm sticking with it. I will say that I went with PDFelement based on reviews and based on the features that this product supplies vs. the others. I trust the company behind PDFelement (been using Wondershare Ultimate Video Converter for years), so I trusted the name
Read full review
Scalability
No answers on this topic
Super easy Word style layout and format.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • It has had positive impact in that it has save considerable costs vs. investing in cloud-based/subscription based software.
  • In terms of security, it also has had a positive impact, in that it doesn't really require IT staff to take the time to patch the software or work on issues with the software.
  • It has also had a positive impact in that it has not required formal training for users to be able to use the software.
Read full review
  • Positive impact. PDFelement is one of my principal tools for the visualization and editing of any kind of PDF documents.
  • Size optimization of documents is also a very good tool, it helps me to send presentations in an adequate size, especially for top customers.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Wondershare PDFelement Screenshots

Screenshot of AI-powered support for chatting with PDFs/summaring/proofreading/rewriting/explaining/translating the PDF file content.Screenshot of file conversion to and from PDF format in high quality.Screenshot of PDF generation, which can be done from images, Word documents, and various formats, including batch create.Screenshot of certificate-based legal signatures, and documents can be sent to bulk signers, and signatures collected and tracked from anywhere, on any device.Screenshot of text recognition, from scanned PDFs and images.Screenshot of the PDF text editor, with images, forms, and pages.