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Adobe Acrobat vs. MasterControl Quality Excellence vs. PaperTrail

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe Acrobat

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AAdobe 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

    MasterControl Quality Excellence

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AMasterControl Quality Excellence is a Quality Management System (QMS) for the life sciences. It enables life-sciences companies to enable flexible quality event management, simplified document management, and automated training management that work together to close the loop on quality.

    $25,000

    per year

    PaperTrail

    Score10 out of 10
    N/APaperTrail is a document management software offering from Egis Software. It includes features such as storage and retrieval find any document instantly and routing and workflow streamline processes with automated routing and a rule-based workflow.N/A
    Pricing
    Adobe AcrobatMasterControl Quality ExcellencePaperTrail
    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
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe AcrobatMasterControl Quality ExcellencePaperTrail
    Free Trial
    YesNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe AcrobatMasterControl Quality ExcellencePaperTrail
    Considered Multiple Products
    Adobe
    No answer on this topic
    MasterControl
    Chose MasterControl Quality Excellence
    MasterControl Quality Excellence is better than Veeva Vault because it's easier to use, faster to implement, and built specifically for highly regulated industries. It offers more flexibility, better integration with manufacturing systems, and strong tools for audits and …
    Incentivized
    Chose MasterControl Quality Excellence
    I don’t remember the names of the other two I’ve looked into. It MasterControl stand high above their others. The user interface is not only visually appealing but user friendly. We also love the continuous improvement approach and looked forward the updated implemented …
    Incentivized
    Chose MasterControl Quality Excellence
    The training and document modules are by far superior
    Incentivized
    Egis Software
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    897 Answers
    96%
    Would buy again
    158 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    768 Answers
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    123 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    899 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    157 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    594 Answers
    90%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    72 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    99%
    Implementation went as expected
    683 Answers
    75%
    Implementation went as expected
    80 Answers
    No answers on this topic
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    User Ratings
    Adobe AcrobatMasterControl Quality ExcellencePaperTrail
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (967 ratings)
    7.9
    (166 ratings)
    8.5
    (5 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.9
    (46 ratings)
    8.2
    (11 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (382 ratings)
    7.2
    (161 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    8.6
    (4 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    5.2
    (11 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.6
    (64 ratings)
    6.3
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.9
    (16 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    7.7
    (5 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    3.9
    (3 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (9 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    7.2
    (5 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    5.7
    (3 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe AcrobatMasterControl Quality ExcellencePaperTrail
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    In my opinion there isn't a better document program that works with everyone. In a previous role; I had advocated for staff across departments to get Adobe Acrobat licenses because they kept sending every little thing to me since I had the main Adobe license. It really made their departments (sales & finance) run much smoother for a very minimal cost.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    The MasterControl Quality Excellence suite is well suited for the life sciences and biotechnology as well as manufacturing companies that could benefit from the regulatory compliance that this suite of products offer. This product is highly recommended for industries that want to reduce paper overhead and digitally transform their QMS into a singular location
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    It is very easy to use. We utilize it to save and show the logs for as many apps as we want. You can use it as an addon on Heroku.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Adobe
    • It is easy to sign and send a document.
    • It makes it easy to scan and save a document.
    • It is easy to add text to any document.
    • You can create an editable PDF form for others to complete based on the questions you include.
    • You can create and send a secure document to a client for their signature.
    • It is easy to add photos to any document.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    • Organization - the layout and idea behind how the website is displayed and functions.
    • Compliance - ensuring our documents are kept up to date and accurate.
    • Quality - by having a platform with all documents with all standards set out at once, quality standards are easily accessed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    • PaperTrail is less expensive than many of its competitors.
    • PaperTrail is very easy to set up; you can start collecting logs in no time.
    • It is easy to configure email alerts and Slack integrations with PaperTrail.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Adobe
    • I wish the backward compatibility was a little more friendly. PDFLyer had to be updated sooner that we would like when we updated from Adobe 2017 to Adobe 2026.
    • I wish it had list processing like Excel where it could remove duplicates, change formatting, etc.
    • Sometimes after an update we lose our plugins and have to restablish the connection to the plugin or reinstall.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    • License model can become very expensive for small startup businesses.
    • More development with validation and more transparent information on how the improvements and or fixes may impact the current configuration. Currently, everything is listed, but it is not tailored to my system.
    • More information regarding the transition of previous processes to new processes. i.e., FBS to AQEM. I am currently working on the ADV/FBS forms and will eventually transition to AQEM/ADAPT. Still, I would like more information regarding the transition to inform current stakeholders about the improvements on the horizon.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    • Interface is aging and in need of a re-write. It's functional, but not all that nice to work with
    • While the logs are near-real-time, they could greatly improve the speed at which logs are available in the UI
    • Pricing plans are not all that competitive with newer offerings with other companies
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    would rate MasterControl Quality Excellence a 7 out of 10 because, while it offers strong compliance tools, centralized document control, and effective audit readiness features, there are still areas that could be improved to enhance the overall user experience. The platform can sometimes feel complex and unintuitive, especially for new users, and customizing workflows to fit specific organizational needs can be challenging. Additionally, integration with other enterprise systems isn't always seamless, which can slow down processes. Despite these drawbacks, the system remains a reliable and valuable tool for maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Adobe
    I would say overall, the product is great and as someone who has used it for many years now, I'm quite familiar with the ins and outs of the application. However, we found that when users were shown it for the first time and a bit after, they would feel a bit overwhelmed by the options and what everything meant. I think the UI could be simplified or an option to have a simplified mode and an advanced mode added.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    Some tasks require the users and SysAdmin to access multiple modules at a time. For example: to create a training course and an exam for a document in the system, the user needs to finish creating the document in the doc module, then go to the training module to create a course and an exam separately. Ideally, from the document page we should be able to access the training course, which could have some fields auto-populated. And from there, also create and link an exam, all without leaving the document page.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    PaperTrail has become a basic app for me to save and see app logs. It is very easy to use, very intuitive and easy to customize. The feature I like most is that we can use it with several apps at same time.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
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    MasterControl
    they are good about keeping it running
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    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.
    Incentivized
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    MasterControl
    some reports take time to filter and to get them to give the correct information. This is usually because of inputs.
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    PaperTrail's live-tailing performance is adequate and searches over the recent history load quickly. Searching over long periods of time can be extremely slow, however.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    The Technical Support team has grown exponentially over the last couple years. Some front line support staff are new to the system and so know less than the clients do. Back line staff are more seasoned and provide immediate assistance to the front line staff. They have an extensive knowledge bank to assist them as well as client access to most KB articles. Annual user group conference gives us chance to meet the support staff an also to resolve any outstanding issues. Any critical vendor notices are emailed immediately when found and a patch offered at the same time. These are rare, but quickly resolved.
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    MasterControl
    I rated the MasterControl in-person training a 10 because it was clear, practical, and well-paced. The trainer explained concepts thoroughly and answered questions effectively. I appreciated the hands-on walkthroughs, which made it easier to understand how to apply the system in real scenarios. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience that boosted my confidence in using MasterControl.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Adobe
    Answered basic questions.
    Incentivized
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    MasterControl
    transparent and immediate when the documents are updated. Easy to check on training and customizable to the company's expectations. Allows easy exam creation with GXP assist and the correlation between job codes and courses has proven reliable. What i would advocate is that you see who has trained on the course in the Course Infocard, to the document infocard
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    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
    Incentivized
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    MasterControl
    The implementation of MasterControl Quality Excellence was largely successful, earning an 8 out of 10. The project was well-structured, and the implementation team provided solid guidance throughout the process. Key milestones were met on time, and the system was configured to meet most of our core requirements. One of the most valuable aspects was the hands-on training and support during go-live, which helped ensure user adoption. However, there were some challenges around data migration and aligning the system’s capabilities with our existing workflows, which required more time and effort than anticipated. Overall, the experience was positive, and the lessons learned have positioned us well for future system enhancements.
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    Adobe Acrobat has the most premium features that other software can't offer. The seamless UI is consistent on any device, and the ease of use. The security and the advanced AI features are what you won't get on any other platforms or apps.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    The products we evaluated were considered as potential replacements for MasterControl Quality Excellence. At this time, we continue using MasterControl Quality Excellence primarily due to the significant volume of data in our system and the operational impact of a platform transition. Intellect QMS emerged as a strong alternative, offering extensive, intuitive business process development tools and a wide range of built-in QMS processes out of the box. MasterControl Quality Excellence currently maintains the advantage solely because of the logistical and business burden associated with migrating to a new system.
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    I only used Logz.io for a very brief time. It seemed a bit more difficult to setup than Papertrail.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Adobe
    I am not responsible for sales or purchasing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    MasterControl
    No answers on this topic
    Egis Software
    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.
    Incentivized
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    MasterControl
    there are many updates
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    MasterControl
    they are excellent
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Egis Software
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • Definitely a positive ROI when I can receive clear notes/direction on edits for a PDF via Acrobat's comment system, rather than chicken scratch on a printed document.
    • The ability to password-protect my PDFs so I can make sure only the workforce I want to see the information has been priceless!
    • As I mentioned before, a huge positive impact is the ability to edit PDFs without having to return to the original file's native software.
    Incentivized
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    MasterControl
    • Helped me keep up to date on any knowledge pertaining to my workflow.
    • Sometimes, using it for lesson plans with minor adjustments to review it again can be repetitive.
    • Helped with scheduling classes and keeping up to date with when they occur.
    Incentivized
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    Egis Software
    • Free plan is sufficient for development and small services, and the paid plans are very cheap at low log volume. For us, the price is right with PaperTrail - though I can't speak to how their pricing compares at very high volumes.
    • Adding cloud-logging to your apps can really speed up development and debugging - the impact to engineering productivity cannot be understated.
    Incentivized
    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.