Adobe Acrobat vs. Ironclad

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Acrobat
Score 8.8 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).
$29.99
per month per seat
Ironclad
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Ironclad, from the company of the same name in San Francisco, is designed to streamline every part of the contract process—so users can focus on legal work, not paperwork.N/A
Pricing
Adobe AcrobatIronclad
Editions & Modules
Acrobat Pro for Individuals
$19.99
per month
Acrobat Pro for Teams
$23.99
per month per user
Acrobat Studio for Individuals
$24.99
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe AcrobatIronclad
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 AcrobatIronclad
Features
Adobe AcrobatIronclad
Contract Authoring
Comparison of Contract Authoring features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Ironclad
6.4
5 Ratings
23% below category average
Contract creation00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Contract templates00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Clause library/saved fields00 Ratings3.34 Ratings
Guided logic00 Ratings3.93 Ratings
Contract Collaboration
Comparison of Contract Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Ironclad
7.7
5 Ratings
5% below category average
Contract sharing00 Ratings8.35 Ratings
Contract editing00 Ratings7.15 Ratings
Collaborating on contracts00 Ratings8.35 Ratings
MS Word plug-in00 Ratings7.14 Ratings
Approval process00 Ratings7.75 Ratings
Interdepartmental workflows00 Ratings7.75 Ratings
Contract Monitoring
Comparison of Contract Monitoring features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Ironclad
5.1
5 Ratings
47% below category average
Contract database00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Contract search00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Contract milestone reminders & alerts00 Ratings2.74 Ratings
Custom contract reports00 Ratings5.04 Ratings
Tracking contract status00 Ratings4.44 Ratings
Compliance check00 Ratings3.33 Ratings
Contract Management
Comparison of Contract Management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Acrobat
-
Ratings
Ironclad
7.7
2 Ratings
2% below category average
Contract Storage00 Ratings9.42 Ratings
Advanced Search and Filtering00 Ratings7.62 Ratings
Customizable Contract Templates00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Workflow Acceleration00 Ratings8.92 Ratings
E-Signatures00 Ratings9.42 Ratings
Reminders and Alerts00 Ratings5.72 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting00 Ratings5.72 Ratings
Integration with other Systems00 Ratings6.72 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Adobe AcrobatIronclad
Small Businesses
Square 9 Softworks
Square 9 Softworks
Score 9.7 out of 10
airSlate WorkFlow
airSlate WorkFlow
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
MSB Docs
MSB Docs
Score 9.4 out of 10
PandaDoc
PandaDoc
Score 8.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Tungsten Capture
Tungsten Capture
Score 8.0 out of 10
Conga CLM
Conga CLM
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe AcrobatIronclad
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(811 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(45 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.2
(254 ratings)
7.4
(5 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.7
(10 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.2
(63 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.8
(15 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
4.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
1.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
1.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe AcrobatIronclad
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
When preparing artwork for print production from an application like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign, the best way to preview and preflight the work is to export to PDF and use Adobe Acrobat's output preview to check process colors, spot colors, dielines, and any special requirements, like foil stamping or varnish. Adobe Acrobat is also where you make any needed final adjustments to ensure correct reproduction on press. Documents intended for screen viewing must be exported to PDF and edited in Adobe Acrobat so as to add and edit needed accessibility features critical for legislative compliance.
Read full review
Ironclad
I think it worked realllly well at my previous company where we used it for a very simple form that just required one simple signature from both sides- this was a form used to record custom pricing/discounts for a product that typically was not discounted. In my current role, there are many more required fields on the form/contract, and can be multiple levels of approvals on one side, and then possibly multiple levels of approvals/signatures on the other side. I've never used another solution in the exact same way (like DocuSign) to be able to compare experiences, but on Ironclad, understanding where I am in the completion process can be confusing. Within the app, I wish it was more of just a checklist or schedule of what needs to happen, but it's not written out that clearly. Lastly, there is something wrong with our notifications (I'm not sure if this is specific to my company's settings)- I frequently get 'contract completed' or 'contract signed' email notifications even if that hasn't occurred. They seem to correlate with updating the form or refreshing the sync from SFDC.
Read full review
Pros
Adobe
  • Ability to manipulate a PDF in various ways.
  • Print production is incredibly helpful for checking off and making sure PDFs are ready for print.
  • Commenting in Adobe Acrobat is awesome! So nice to be able to hand off a PDF and get it back with edits that are easy to navigate and resolve!
Read full review
Ironclad
  • Keep track of legal documents versions
  • Approve legal workflows
  • Forward email threads to the legal workflow
Read full review
Cons
Adobe
  • More printing settings, like being able to adjust the margins and place the print area on the page when the file size is larger than the page, and I only want to print one section. Illustrator has this feature. Often, we print from Illustrator instead, because of this limitation.
Read full review
Ironclad
  • Contract link feature in the case of amendment/addendum.
  • Auto document retention feature (expiration and deletion).
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
Adobe Acrobat works seamlessly with the other Adobe products we use that are industry-standard. We will certainly continue to use Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, meaning it will always be convenient to work seamlessly with Adobe Acrobat for our organization. We are happy with the performance of Acrobat and it's meets our expectations.
Read full review
Ironclad
No answers on this topic
Usability
Adobe
It’s a very easy app to learn and software is essential. I feel like the app could load a bit faster but overall, is one of my go to apps. Makes reading and editing pdfs easy and I enjoy the usability of the app. It is definitely something I make sure to have downloaded on any computer I’m working from
Read full review
Ironclad
Ironclad is the best tool I have used to date, to manage workflow and tickets. It was very easy to use and navigate from the very first time I used it. My time is very valuable and I don't have time to sit in training sessions, simply to use a new product. I'm happy to say that I was never formally trained on Ironclad as it simply wasn't necessary.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Adobe
We have not had availability issues with Adobe Acrobat, or at least none that I am personally aware of. Some may encounter crashes of the software during outages of electricity in their city or neighborhood, which no one can plan for, but with generators in our organization, we have been lucky not to have outages
Read full review
Ironclad
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
Ironclad
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Adobe
For a while, Acrobat DC crashed pretty frequently. I contacted Adobe Acrobat support about the problem. At first support was unable to provide a solution. After about a month Adobe's software engineers provided a fix. I just wish it had taken less than a month to solve the problem.
Read full review
Ironclad
I haven't used the support services for IronClad, but I understand from our legal team, the support is very good, they have replied and provide solutions quickly and effectively. I have used the documentation and support pages which are very complete and which have been updated given the user interface updates.
Read full review
Online Training
Adobe
Answered basic questions.
Read full review
Ironclad
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Adobe
I was not involved with the implementation process, so I cannot answer this question. However, when it was installed on my computer system, they did so virtually. I just sat there while they took control of my computer over the network and watch them install it, lickety split
Read full review
Ironclad
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
In my opinion, both complement each other. Microsoft clearly has with Copilot the AI Edge. However, the visual dynamics of Adobe Creative are Outstanding and provide a balanced approach to creativity, utilizing both Excellent, user-friendly Tools.
Read full review
Ironclad
Miles ahead of LinkSquares
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Adobe
I am not responsible for sales or purchasing
Read full review
Ironclad
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
Ironclad
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Adobe Acrobat has saved us time in managing documents. In this day, everything is fast, moves fast, and keeping up with that pace demands software that functions at the same level. Adobe Acrobat does that. It has streamlined the steps I need to take to edit and create documents we need to manage our customers.
  • Adobe Acrobat removes the worry and stress associated with managing a large influx of documents. Something as simple as a document featuring an image that was sent to us upside down. Using the old method, I would have to open other software, click 'Edit', find the 'Rotate Image' button, click it a couple of times, save it as a JPEG, then attach it to Word, and finally save it as a PDF. It was a grueling process that consumed a great deal of time. Now, I simply open the image, and Adobe automatically recognizes it is upside down and fixes it for me. I can save and move on; it literally takes me seconds. Amazing.
  • Adobe Acrobat is intuitive and easy to use, and the additional apps are relevant to the needs that come up. If I have an idea, I can go to the available apps and find exactly what I need. Impressive and speaks to the years of experience this company has had to fine-tune its product and make it obvious that it is aggressive in staying on top.
Read full review
Ironclad
  • At Gusto, where we operated on no contracts for many years, Ironclad allowed us to create a very simple process for getting approval for, and keeping records of, customized pricing on our new, high-end plan.
  • Wasn't part of the buying committee, but in my current role it's been heavily utilized externally for customer contracts, but also internally for employee agreements.
  • I don't have any actual numbers, and don't have a way to compare it to any prior e-signature setup.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Adobe Acrobat Screenshots

Screenshot of where to create, edit, convert, and share PDF files all from within Microsoft Teams – as part of Acrobat integrations with Microsoft 365 apps.Screenshot of Liquid Mode in Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app, where 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 where to fill and sign PDF forms from anywhere and on any device. Here, users can collect signatures, digitally track progress, and automatically archive the signed document.Screenshot of the Adobe Scan mobile app, used to capture and convert documents into high-quality, interactive PDF documents that can be filled out, signed, and shared. This eliminates the hassle of finding a printer, filling a form by hand, and scanning it again.