Adobe Acrobat vs. Microsoft 365

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).
$19.99
per month
Microsoft 365
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a Microsoft Cloud subscription service that includes Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access). The software can be installed across multiple devices and ensures that users always have the most up-to-date version of the included Office applications.
$5
Per User Per Month
Pricing
Adobe AcrobatMicrosoft 365
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
Business Basic
$5.00
Per User Per Month
Individual
$5.84
*Per Month
Business - Apps
$8.25
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - F3
$10.00
Per User Per Month
Business Standard
$12.50
Per User Per Month
Business Premium
$20.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E3
$32.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E5
$57.00
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe AcrobatMicrosoft 365
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details*When billed annually.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe AcrobatMicrosoft 365
Considered Both Products
Adobe Acrobat
Chose Adobe Acrobat
We like the interoperability between Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat. Their is native support to export from or to either format, but Adobe Acrobat Reader is free & everyone can view & print PDF documents free of charge.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
DocuSign was the main alternative we looked at seriously. The E-Signature side is comparable, but DocuSign does not give you the broader PDF editing and OCR capabilities, so you would still need another tool alongside it. Acrobat made more sense as a single tool that covered …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I got Adobe Acrobat for free
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is an amazing tool. I chose this one because I did not see any others that I had enough knowledge to give a true review. I am more of a creative user when it comes to Adobe. I am new to marketing.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Only used once, free version. Not nearly as helpful.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Premiere Pro
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Well, Mac Preview is a default app on the Mac. It just works. It comes pre-installed and it is also used for images and various things. The UI, the graphics, the ux, the functionality all seem seamless. The application also feels very light, works very fast and it is easy to …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Better for designers and people that care about layout
Chose Adobe Acrobat
My concern with ChatGPT is that it's harvesting all the data of the documents I send it.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I actually prefer other products over Adobe Acrobat. I think Figma's worst thing ever was actually selling to you guys.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I can easily edit my files from any of the other products with Adobe Acrobat, and it allows for great time management.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator CC
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Really easy and straightforward functions for all users
Chose Adobe Acrobat
For Foxit, the OCR feature enabled me to edit the text within them. However, the accuracy was not always reliable. Personally, I found Adobe Acrobat to be more effective for this purpose, but that's just my preference. For PDF Fusion, did not like support/help/instructions and …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
I have not used any products that is similar to Adobe Acrobat.
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Bottomline is Adobe Acrobat is the standard and full implementation of all that PDF should have. I tried different apps for different reasons to like Apple Preview for quickly viewing the document. However, for final assessment I always prefer to use Acrobat and check if all …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
Preview is a great, quick tool for viewing docs or images but doesn't always show PDF files as they are intended as it doesn't have all the features that Adobe Acrobat does and nor does it attempt to. I't merely a quick route to checking something out for me. I wouldn't use …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
In terms of comparisons, the simple fact is that Adobe Acrobat is known and trusted by clients and print providers throughout industry. Third party PDF editors are often more lightweight but also don't have all the features of Adobe Acrobat, so there is the inevitable point …
Chose Adobe Acrobat
It's secure and easy to use for the user.
Microsoft 365
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 gives us a better offline experience, with the ability to have everything on my local device, but with automatic data sync to OneDrive when connected to the internet. The same with Outlook with a local version of the data. Many other systems use their "online" …
Chose Microsoft 365
Compared to the g-suite Microsoft 365 is so much more universally used. I think it has a way further reach and is easier for everyone to use. It is the basic standard in our business and I’d expect that in most places. I can always transfer my skills and everything is …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 works together well with other apps and performs well as it is the standard setter in many settings. Salesforce is good at what it excels and functions at. The two products do not compete in the same field and are good complementary tools to achieve project …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft is leaps and bounds ahead of these product suites and is an ecosystem unto itself, except for Google Workspace, which offers more features in its online versions than Office Online.
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft is the most business friendly especially in the business sector. In the education sector it is not as popular but still wield a ton of respect. Microsoft has their strengths and often has more features than the typically user would need, which is both a strength and …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is better in the fact that it doesn't try to upsell you daily. Adobe is always trying to get me to go premium.
Chose Microsoft 365
Typically I prefer working with companies with Microsoft 365 as their main tool because they're usually a fast growing company with a global presence. I like using it for work because it's easy to collaborate, share, review, comment, reply in any of the tools. The mobile app …
Chose Microsoft 365
I chose Microsoft 365 because the license includes cloud storage, which OpenOffice, even though it's free, doesn't offer. I also chose it for its customization capabilities for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other types of internal documents. In addition, it has …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsofts teams is far better than google meet application. It is easy to use. Better voice and video quality on teams application. Seamlessly it will work for online meetings. Mobile app is also very good.
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 has a strong incumbency moat, where it can be more readily assumed that people know how to use it relative to other options in market.

Chose Microsoft 365
Reduced compatibility with Office documents.
Chose Microsoft 365
It is one of a kind in my eyes.
Chose Microsoft 365
BTE, this search bar is not the best; I couldn't find Google Suite. In any case, it's challenging to find a suite with advanced tools that serves as an office. Google comes close, no one uses OpenOffice (hyperbole), and there isn't much else to use. If you add to that the …
Chose Microsoft 365
In my opinion Microsoft 365 is the most complete out of the bunch because of the cloud and desktop apps, the easy expandability it brings in combination with Azure and Entra/Intune. I must say that Google Workspace is a close contender but the desktop apps are less complete in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Thunderbird is very nice tool but in my case not used because I have several issues with his calendar.
Zoom is very good tool, providing you low band usage and good video and sound quality.
I have tested OpenOffice but not nice UI experience.
Chose Microsoft 365
Its very user-friendly, collaborative and efficient that boosts productivity using cloud tools. their security is strong and it provides data protection. There are regular updates that shields us from attackers too. It offers a wealth of learning resources, including tutorials, …
Chose Microsoft 365
All the features in Microsoft Office 365 are better than any other product in the market except the protection feature. This is the only weakness in Microsoft 365 where had to stop their protection and buy Proofpoint Advanced Threat Protection.

The Exchange Online feature is …
Chose Microsoft 365
Device compatibility and enterprise level voice isn't as readily available with Google Voice.
Chose Microsoft 365
Google sheets is better for sharing and collaborative editing. Versioning of the same file is also one of Google Sheets strong points.
Microsoft 365 is better for working with local files. It is much easier to store the file in multiple places and backup multiple versions in …
Chose Microsoft 365
I really don't know of anything that is a competitor for Microsoft 365 - that's both good and bad.
Chose Microsoft 365
I used to like Google more than Microsoft because I used it more, but now I think they are very similar. I am able to use both on my phone, both have Clouds, and both have synced calendars, documents, and sheets. The reason I use Microsoft is [that] my company uses it, and I …
Chose Microsoft 365
Google Sheets, doesn't give me the same flexibility that Excel does. I have been frustrated when trying to work in Sheets to build complex spreadsheets. It is easier to manipulate and the spreadsheet can still be shared with a team member when cooperation needs to be had in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Compared to Docs & Sheets, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Sheets offer more functionality. Notepad is almost always pre-installed on Microsoft Word-enabled computers. This alternative to Microsoft Word isn't as robust, but it's free. Microsoft Publisher is incompatible with Adobe …
Chose Microsoft 365
I was not in charge of choosing Microsoft 365, but I have used Google Drive extensively in the past. Google Drive and OneDrive are VERY similar. you can hook them up to your file explorer and share links, auto-sync files, and access them on your mobile/tablet, etc. Google Docs …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and Google Drive have a very similar structure. Both have apps that can provide the same performance. For example, Google Docs and Microsoft Word are alike. Likewise, Google Sheets and Excel, Google Meet and Teams, Google Slide and …
Best Alternatives
Adobe AcrobatMicrosoft 365
Small Businesses
Square 9 Softworks
Square 9 Softworks
Score 9.3 out of 10
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
MSB Docs
MSB Docs
Score 9.4 out of 10
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
M‑Files
M‑Files
Score 8.9 out of 10
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe AcrobatMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(0 ratings)
8.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.3
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.5
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.8
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe AcrobatMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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Microsoft 365 would be well suited for medium to large enterprises. This is where there are several hundreds or thousands of people. Since most everyone has used one of the applications the learning curve would be reduced. Another reason would be the ability to implement security measures to prevent access to sensitive data. This could justify the cost of an Enterprise license.
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Pros
  • For the business account, the Adobe Acrobat rep assigned to your account will actively look for ways to save you money.
  • We have found that our rep from Adobe Acrobat Business Account reviews our usage and related apps and has offered helpful tips on better ways to complete tasks we historically undertake with their software. They have saved us a great deal of time and money. They make us efficient.
  • The apps they offer that combine with the primary program are relevant to the tasks our business performs, and they function at a high level and never fail. It's really quite remarkable.
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  • Chat with teams and the integrations with the other apps, and many more smaller ones, like to-dos, news, and the recent Outlook integration.
  • Easy embedding on SharePoint to broadcast all the content created in the different tools.
  • The office package is still robust with the good things from the past and new additions.
Read full review
Cons
  • 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
  • Fix Outlook. It crashes constantly, uses way too many resources, and freezes to the point that I need to shut it down in the Task Manager.
  • Excel could use an easier numbering function. I used to drag down, and it would number the cells ascending. Somewhere, it lost this function and just copied the same number down the column, which is kind of useless.
  • Someone needs to create (and include) a quick and easy cheat sheet for commonly used formulas. It would be nice if a drop-down would let you choose a formula (without all the prior programming).
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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I am completely satisfied with the product, and helps me on a daily basis. I do not the exact cost (it is not a cheap suite) but on the medium and long term the return on investment is guaranteed.
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Usability
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
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Because it's efficient and cost effective. I can work offline even when there is no Internet or I'm travelling. I am able to meet deadlines because it is user friendly which makes it easy to use. I make good use of the cloud storage as well so I have all my files in one place.
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Reliability and Availability
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
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No answers on this topic
Performance
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.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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.
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Over the past 8 years of using Microsoft 365, I have noticed that they change vendors often. This always leads to a poor experience in the beginning, then levels out after some time for the company to get things worked out. As a customer, it is really frustrating because I don't have time when something isn't working to have them "look into my issue" and get back with me. They have even closed a ticket I specifically told them to keep open. Your applications are only as good as the support.
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Online Training
Answered basic questions.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
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
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Everything works and I use it all the time.
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Alternatives Considered
DocuSign was the main alternative we looked at seriously. The E-Signature side is comparable, but DocuSign does not give you the broader PDF editing and OCR capabilities, so you would still need another tool alongside it. Acrobat made more sense as a single tool that covered document editing, OCR, and signature without stitching multiple products together
Read full review
Microsoft 365 works together well with other apps and performs well as it is the standard setter in many settings. Salesforce is good at what it excels and functions at. The two products do not compete in the same field and are good complementary tools to achieve project management goals and tasks.
Read full review
Scalability
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.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Again, the ability to make multiple versions of a PDF has helped speed up getting them to the warehouse and making it easier to print for them!
  • In marketing, there are multiple uses of Adobe Acrobat where it speeds up our process making us more efficient.
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  • 1600+ users have adopted Microsoft 365 in our company. We even created enablement sharepoint pages for every department and for new hires to go to as the source of truth or see what ERGs to join.
  • Huge time saved with the meeting scheduling assistant especially when trying to book time with busy leaders.
  • Copilots meeting summaries and email summaries are amazing. We can even use your own AI within Teams and ask it questions about our customer accounts, HR questions, etc. right within the Teams platform.
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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.