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Top 6 PDFelement Alternatives for Windows, Compared (2026)

Explore 6 alternatives to PDFelement — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

A side-by-side look at 6 PDFelement alternatives

Quick answer

For a quick answer, the leading PDFelement alternatives are Adobe Acrobat DC, pdfFiller and PDF Reader Pro. Adobe Acrobat DC ranks highest with a SpotScore of -1 and a 4.5★ rating. The table below lines up all 6 on score, rating, and price.

If you're weighing whether PDFelement still fits, this shortlist helps. These 6 document creation software alternatives are the top contenders, ordered by SpotScore, a measure of verified satisfaction and market presence, plus star ratings and pricing model. Each one passes editorial review. Use the table to compare, then explore the breakdowns below.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
Adobe Acrobat DCStreamline your document process with electronic forms and e-signatures.—★★★★★ 4.5(310)Freefrom $16.14/moteams of all sizes
pdfFillerTransform your forms with ease.—★★★★★ 4.77(3405)Freefrom $8/moteams of all sizes
PDF Reader ProStreamline your PDF experience with PDF Reader Pro.—Not yet ratedFreefrom $59.99/moteams of all sizes
Foxit PhantomPDFRevolutionizing PDF editing for businesses.—★★★★★ 4.6(289)from $8.25/moteams of all sizes
LightPDFStreamline your PDF conversions and editing.—★★★★★ 4.76(71)Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
EaseUS PDF EditorStreamline your PDF editing process with EaseUS.—Not yet ratedFreefrom $19.95small & mid-size businesses
Adobe Acrobat DC - Document Creation Software

Adobe Acrobat DC

Streamline your document process with electronic forms and e-signatures.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.5

310 verified reviews

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What is Adobe Acrobat DC?

Acrobat DC is the complete, trusted solution for creating, editing, signing, and managing electronic documents. With Acrobat, create forms of all types with ease. Convert and fill out PDF forms on digital devices that look exactly like their paper equivalents. User can also edit PDF forms in ...

Read more about Adobe Acrobat DC
Free TrialTry Free →·

Adobe Acrobat DC offers custom pricing plan

pdfFiller - Document Creation Software

pdfFiller

Transform your forms with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.8

3405 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is pdfFiller?

pdfFiller allows users to quickly and easily create PDF files on their Windows PC. Users can fill a PDF form with their own data, or upload an existing Microsoft Word template. Once filled, a PDF document can be saved for printing later or emailed directly from the program's interface. Save and ...

Read more about pdfFiller
Free TrialTry Free →

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PDF Reader Pro - New SaaS Software

PDF Reader Pro

Streamline your PDF experience with PDF Reader Pro.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is PDF Reader Pro?

PDF Reader Pro is an all-in-one PDF software solution for PC and Mobile. It is the best platform for reading, editing, annotating, signing, filling forms, converting, creating, OCR scanning, securing, TTS, Bates numbering, adding headers and footers, adding page numbers, adding stamps, making ...

Read more about PDF Reader Pro

PDF Reader Pro offers custom pricing plan

Foxit PhantomPDF - PDF Editor Software

Foxit PhantomPDF

Revolutionizing PDF editing for businesses.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Get Pricing Details

4.6

289 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Foxit PhantomPDF?

Foxit PhantomPDF is a comprehensive PDF editor that caters to the diverse needs of businesses. With its powerful editing tools, this online software allows users to create, protect, manage, review, and share documents seamlessly. Its intuitive interface works like a word processor, making ...

Read more about Foxit PhantomPDF
LightPDF - PDF Editor Software

LightPDF

Streamline your PDF conversions and editing.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Get Pricing Details

4.8

71 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is LightPDF?

LightPDF is the top PDF editor and converter, offering users a seamless online experience. With a powerful and efficient conversion capability, LightPDF can easily turn your PDF files into commonly-used formats like Microsoft Office documents, JPG images, and PNG images. This user-friendly tool ...

Read more about LightPDF

LightPDF offers custom pricing plan

EaseUS PDF Editor - PDF Editor Software

EaseUS PDF Editor

Streamline your PDF editing process with EaseUS.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is EaseUS PDF Editor?

Introducing EaseUS PDF Editor, the perfect solution for all your PDF editing needs. A versatile software that lets you convert PDFs to multiple formats like doc, xls, ppt, png, bmp, tiff, and more without affecting the original fonts, images, or formatting. With its intuitive features, you can ...

Read more about EaseUS PDF Editor
Free TrialTry Free →

Why each PDFelement alternative is here

Adobe Acrobat DCBest for teams of all sizes

Comprehensive PDF editing

Watch for: Subscription-based pricing

pdfFillerBest for teams of all sizes

Easy PDF form filling

Watch for: Limited to Windows PC

PDF Reader ProBest for teams of all sizes

All-in-one PDF solution

Watch for: May be resource-intensive

Foxit PhantomPDFBest for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface and feature-rich functionality, comparable to more expensive PDF readers.

Watch for: Learning curve for first-time users due to extensive feature set, complexity in adjusting settings for specific needs, and overwhelming toolbar in some cases.

LightPDFBest for teams of all sizes

Handles PDF conversion, compression, and editing in one tool.

Watch for: Limited functionality and advanced features in the free version, requiring a paid subscription for full access.

EaseUS PDF EditorBest for small & mid-size businesses

Why teams look for a PDFelement alternative

If you're considering a PDFelement alternative, you're probably running into one of these:

  • Limited advanced features
  • Occasional performance issues
  • Not suitable for large enterprises
  • Learning curve for new users

How to pick the right PDFelement replacement

Looking at the 6 document creation software alternatives through the data: 4 offer a free tier; paid plans run $8–$59.99, with pdfFiller the cheapest entry point; and pdfFiller is the highest rated at 4.77★ across 3405 reviews.

How we score these.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to PDFelement are pdfFiller (4.8★), LightPDF (4.8★), Foxit PhantomPDF (4.6★). Compare all 6 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to PDFelement, prioritize: Document Management, Templates, Drag and Drop, Document Storage, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply PDFelement is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

Finding the right PDFelement alternative for your team

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — Adobe Acrobat DC, pdfFiller and PDF Reader Pro let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: pdfFiller has the strongest star rating (4.77★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: Adobe Acrobat DC has the highest Spotsaas Score (-1) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Planning your switch from PDFelement

Leaving PDFelement is mostly about avoiding surprises. Export your data, check the new tool can import it, and confirm feature parity for what you actually use. Run a pilot before the full switch, and keep your PDFelement account open until migration wraps. The free tiers above let you trial without spending.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].