Adobe Acrobat vs. Dropbox

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Acrobat
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Acrobat DC is the current version of the well-established document / PDF management solution, part of the Adobe Document Cloud (the other part being Adobe's eSign services based on technology acquired with EchoSign in 2011).
$12.99
per month
Dropbox
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Dropbox is a cloud storage solution, equipped with features that help users to save time, improve productivity, and collaborate with others. Users can edit PDFs, share videos, sign documents, and collaborate with stakeholders without leaving Dropbox.
$9.99
per month
Pricing
Adobe AcrobatDropbox
Editions & Modules
Acrobat Standard for Individuals
$12.99
per month
Acrobat Standard for teams
$14.99
per month per user
Acrobat Pro for Individuals
$19.99
per month
Acrobat Pro for Teams
$22.19
per month per user
Acrobat for Enterprise
Contact sales team
Plus
$9.99
per month
Essentials
$18
per month
Business
$20
per month per user
Business Plus
$26
per month per user
Basic
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe AcrobatDropbox
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe AcrobatDropbox
Considered Both Products
Adobe Acrobat
Chose Adobe Acrobat
We have also used Dropbox, but the features are very different and the capabilities for edits are different. With Dropbox, there is still some wait time and I have to switch to a separate program to make edits to documents. Which makes its ease of use no comparison to Adobe …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
This isn't really a good comparison, but Adobe Acrobat is more of a program that works among all of these, and I'll keep using it as long as it's a part of Adobe CC. Otherwise, I see DocuSign as suitable for secure/private documents, and Dropbox file previews allows a pretty …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I can't recall any specific software, but prior to having Adobe Acrobat DC, I experienced frustrations trying to work with PDF documents, spending a lot of time searching online for alternative software I could use without an Acrobat DC license.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I did not evaluate any other pdf management programs other than Adobe Acrobat DC. I was familiar with other Adobe pdf products and never thought to explore any others. I have been very pleased with Adobe Acrobat DC and have not seen the need to look at other pdf management …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Adobe works for so many other clients who may or may not have Windows or MACs, etc. When I send a Word document I never know who can open it and who can't. That's not the case for Adobe.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I have tried using some online versions of .pdf readers and document extractors, but having the full desktop software is far less clunky and infinitely more secure.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat uses the standard of the best PDF solution we know. It provides the necessary tools to create, edit and sign PDF files anywhere. Get the necessary tools to speed up the installation and manage the updates. You can be sure that the PDF files of the company will be …
Dropbox
Chose Dropbox
Superior. It has the best of each of these options.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox has more capacity and the price is awesome.
Chose Dropbox
Google Drive is not as user-friendly as Dropbox in terms of the shareability of media and its speed and ability to give you certain file details. I also tried to include box.com in the list above, but it didn't find it. Box used to be better than Drobox by a lot, but I think …
Chose Dropbox
Google Drive is an excellent free product, but Dropbox is the best choice when you want to up your game and professionalism. It also offers functionality and integrations that Google Drive does not.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox fares well against the other solutions in the market. We use various platforms across our organization, but Dropbox has been the most widely used. I think the track record and longevity have allowed us not to shop around for other solutions.

Dropbox works well in the …
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox has better features overall than these alternatives.
Chose Dropbox
speed, NO problem of synchronization (versioning conflict happening often with MS OneDrive), flexibility
Chose Dropbox
quite many more features and usability and much more space
Chose Dropbox
Prefer Dropbox to 365. I use 365 at work and it does not have as many features that operate with the ease of Dropbox. I don’t feel as protected by 365 as I do by Dropbox.
Chose Dropbox
This is the first time I use a product like this.
Chose Dropbox
Inertia has been one of the reasons we're reluctant to switch. But that's a caution for us AND Dropbox.
Chose Dropbox
Many of the tested platforms are very usable, however for our specific use case of large files, all of them were left wanting. Upload or download speeds were often slow, available file space was low for the subscription tier, or simply getting a successful upload or download …
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox as far superior to both Google Drive and Apple’s iCloud due to its ease of use and ability to handle multiple file types and regardless of device type Google Drive, always tries to open files in their native apps. And it is hard to share files from Apple iCloud
Chose Dropbox
Affordability is the most important to me as a small business owner. I used Brandfolder for almost 2 years but it got too expensive. Dropbox gives me the basic tools and capabilities I need to share and save files without worry.
Chose Dropbox
I thought they were very similar but liked the overall user experience with Dropbox better
Chose Dropbox
I think Dropbox is the best out of all of these because of its storage capabilities. I do like, however, how Adobe products, sync across different computers, phones, and tablets.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox has better design and seems to be faster.
Chose Dropbox
iCloud is a good service from Apple, but I prefer Dropbox because of the clarity Dropbox has given when syncing files from your desktop. iCloud was confusing and I ended up with files on my iMac that were supposed to be iCloud only. This did not meet my expectations of freeing …
Chose Dropbox
I think Dropbox does a lot of things better than Google Drive. The link-sharing functionality makes it very easy for me to share with my clients vs Google Drive. I also think Microsoft products are excellent at compatibility with each other. Google Drive doesn't seem to compare …
Chose Dropbox
I used to hate Dropbox in college, but now I use it from a business standpoint and love the ability to share with people, I know why my professors used it!
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Adobe AcrobatDropbox
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Dropbox
8.0
1168 Ratings
5% below category average
Versioning00 Ratings7.8957 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings8.2947 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings8.6853 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings7.61019 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings7.91082 Ratings
File search00 Ratings7.71118 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings8.41078 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Dropbox
8.3
1106 Ratings
4% below category average
User and role management00 Ratings8.2990 Ratings
File organization00 Ratings8.31091 Ratings
Device management00 Ratings8.2964 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Dropbox
8.3
1100 Ratings
3% below category average
Performance00 Ratings8.31091 Ratings
Reliability00 Ratings8.71097 Ratings
Storage Reports00 Ratings8.0830 Ratings
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User Ratings
Adobe AcrobatDropbox
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(543 ratings)
8.6
(1191 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(27 ratings)
7.2
(35 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(238 ratings)
8.6
(345 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
7.5
(3 ratings)
Performance
8.8
(8 ratings)
6.3
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(57 ratings)
6.3
(34 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.2
(10 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Configurability
8.5
(2 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
6.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(2 ratings)
7.1
(4 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
4.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
5.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe AcrobatDropbox
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
In Human Resources, hiring new employees has many steps that can easily be forgotten about. Adobe Acrobat is a tool to make onboarding not only easier, but more efficient, and a great way to keep record of all pre-employment requirements. When hiring a candidate quickly, there is not always time for in-person onboarding. You can send policies and agreements out for signature using Adobe Acrobat. It is easy for the recipient to navigate, and they are able to keep a record for themselves. All changes are time-stamped, making for great record keeping and capturing of this process.
Read full review
Dropbox
If I need a specific file or want to access certain movies or music tracks, I download and store it on one device (e.g., PC), where DB is integrated into the file system. I can then effortlessly access this file on any device, like a tablet, where DB is integrated into the file system.
Read full review
Pros
Adobe
  • The edit PDF tool is a game changer for our business. There is no other tool that is as easy to use for small, quick PDF edits.
  • Adobe Acrobat makes adding, deleting, and combining PDFs very simple and seamless.
  • The comment tools, and the function to share for my comments with my colleagues, makes it easy to collaborate with my team on the same PDF document.
Read full review
Dropbox
  • It is secure. I haven't had any breaches whilst using Dropbox.
  • Its search functions helps me find relevant files and images quickly.
  • It backups on a frequent basis that I can take it for granted that my files are being backed up.
Read full review
Cons
Adobe
  • When editing text, it can sometimes get a little tricky getting paragraphs to line back up if too much is added
  • Paragraph grouping needs to be a little better when editing. Often times sentences with be split into two separate text blocks
Read full review
Dropbox
  • I’d like to be able to hover over an image/document and have it expand/enlarge without actually opening it
  • I’d love to see a carousel that lets me thumb through more quickly
  • I’m almost always in thumbnail view. I’d like to see them re-organize automatically when something is moved or deleted instead of leaving an empty space.
  • AI options for photo editing.
  • Easier pdf markups
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
I bought a perpetual license to Acrobat some time ago, but if the software ever stopped being supported in my version of windows or other solution that makes me need to buy another license I would not hesitate to do so since it saves me a lot of headaches. There are workarounds to merge files and edit pdfs with an online interface but I dont think those are a good usage of time when Acrobat exists.
Read full review
Dropbox
Dropbox is a user-friendly, easy tool which requires little to no skill and they offer a free version with a good amount of storage available. There are other file sharing tools available however at a cost. Dropbox free version I have used for years and it serves every purpose I need.
Read full review
Usability
Adobe
My overall experience with Adobe is great because because the it has almost all of the tools in one place and it can be used it for most of my work without going anywhere else. Because the tools are available right there in the main interface, it makes it very easy to use.
Read full review
Dropbox
Because the program is simpler, it does not use large resources to run, and there are no problems on older operating systems. It is easy to use for both private and business use. It's a bit annoying that the same texts have to be rewritten multiple times. Consider whether you want the truth or for users to actually answer quickly and easily.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Adobe
The software is readily available and rarely has application errors.
Read full review
Dropbox
No answers on this topic
Performance
Adobe
One of the best features of Adobe Acrobat is its speed and stability. When dealing with massive multi-page files, having to reload a crashed program over and over again would slow down progress unnecessarily. And expanding on that, having the table of contents generated allows me to skip to different pages with ease, a necessary feature with exceptionally long files. word searches are even more helpful with text recognition.
Read full review
Dropbox
Dropbox is really useful, you can access any file from anywhere and you can upload and even edit files online, but, sometimes it can be slow. Downloading, uploading, and syncing is a bit slow, it can take several minutes. Furthermore, the search engine for large amounts of data can be slow too and it is not powerful.
Read full review
Support Rating
Adobe
Because I don't need it. Used it years ago for account management/billing issues but they have changed the user experience so more of that can be managed online. If I have a question the knowledge base or a video that Adobe has posted answers
Read full review
Dropbox
They immediately responded like in an example that I gave where one of our staff members accidentally deleted the whole Special Hope Network Dropbox, we immediately contacted Dropbox they walked us through the steps of how to retrieve the information and luckily enough we were able to retrieve the entire Dropbox and we have had back and forth with Dropbox on what to do when an employee leaves how to remove them how to add another employee.
Read full review
Online Training
Adobe
Easy to follow and understand
Read full review
Dropbox
I did not personally take any training for Dropbox so I am self taught but I know when our Vice President selected Dropbox, he personally did do some training modules on it and I'm assuming it was very easy and simple to understand since he now acts like he is a pro at it!
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Adobe
Works well with JamF and SmartDeploy. These are our Enterprise imaging solutions for Mac's and PC's. The Enterprise installer is required when pushing out this app.
Read full review
Dropbox
I needed to stay current in improving my daily operations. Dropbox
was suggested to me by a former colleague two-years ago and I've been using it just fine ever since.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
There really is no comparison. Although we use other PDF programs, we mainly utilize Adobe. Not only because we find it to be a better program but also because everyone is more familiar with it. However, the other products are implemented for various reasons, such as a feature or 2 that we find necessary to use at times.
Read full review
Dropbox
Dropbox stands out for its simple interface, reliable file syncing, and strong version history compared to other storage platforms. While Google Drive is better for real-time collaboration and OneDrive integrates well with Microsoft Office, Dropbox offers faster file sharing, better organization, and smoother cross-platform access. We chose Dropbox because it’s easy to use, works across different devices, and keeps our files secure and accessible.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Adobe
The only thing I can think of that may be helpful would be a more flexible tiered pricing options based on usage or document volume.
Read full review
Dropbox
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Adobe
I find that many users aren't aware of many features of the software they use, nor may they be comfortable with learning multiple-step processes. For the simplest of PDF purposes (scanning, downloading, exporting), it gets a thumbs-up. For anything involving electronic signatures, meh--causes eyes to glaze over, or forgetting what all is involved.
Read full review
Dropbox
bc i think box.com is better and more affordable
Read full review
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Savings of time trying to format documents correctly; PDFs hold their format.
  • Ease of transfer for print-ready or larger file types.
  • It has empowered multiple "non-designer" users to manipulate PDFs in minor ways, saving our design team time and allowing them to use their resources/time on other, more complex projects.
Read full review
Dropbox
  • Being a small business, the pricing is a little steep for my organisation, specially when it's not directly reimbursable to my clients. But the confidence of being able to access all my years of work in a few clicks saves me huge amounts of stress and effort. It's true power comes to light when an unfortunate incident causes panic about probable loss of access to valuable data. It is delightful when it gets resolved without breaking a sweat. Hence, I would say that it is eventually worth every penny.
  • I am a designer, and I like to create a lot of options for my work. Each of these options is a potential asset which can be potentially monetised directly, or at a future date. Hence, being able to retrieve it at the right time is priceless.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Adobe Acrobat Screenshots

Screenshot of Create, edit, convert, and share PDF files all from within Microsoft Teams – as part of Acrobat integrations with Microsoft 365 apps.Screenshot of With Liquid Mode in Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app, users can read PDFs on phones and tablets without having to pinch and zoom. Navigate lengthy documents with intelligent outline and search tools, while maximizing readability and comfort with font size and line spacing that are adjustable.Screenshot of Fill and sign PDF forms from anywhere and on any device.  Collect signatures, digitally track progress, and automatically archive the signed document.Screenshot of With Adobe Scan mobile app, capture and convert documents into high-quality, interactive PDF documents that can be filled out, signed, and shared.  Eliminates the hassle of finding a printer, filling a form by hand, and scanning it again.

Dropbox Screenshots

Screenshot of the action bar, that sits across the browser page can be used to record the screen, edit PDFs, upload files, create folders, get signatures, or send and track documents.Screenshot of Dropbox Replay, that lets collaborators leave frame-accurate feedback and markups directly on project files.Screenshot of Dropbox Capture, which can be used to take screen recordings, screenshots, and GIFs with one click and share them with a link.Screenshot of the interface where Dropbox lets users upload, edit, send, and sign PDFs in one place.