PDF Software

[Clone83]

I use a product called PDF XChange Editor from Tracker Software. I haven't compared it to Acrobat feature-for-feature but there are numerous versions of it, from fairly basic on up to as full-featured as I could imagine you'd ever need. Pay $56 or $72 up front for a one-year license then a much more modest price for annual licenses after that.

PDF-XChange Co Ltd :: Products

PDF-XChange Products Page, View Available Applications, Download Free Versions of the Software,

www.tracker-software.com

I bought and used this a couple of years a decade or more ago, I believe. I also thought it was pretty good. I have never paid for Adobe though I used it a long time.

Maybe there is some kind of security feature or something, but frankly, Adobe seems just to costly relative to others that are available.

 

[Clone83]

When I first got an iPad a long time ago (the iPad II), I found the free PDF software on it far superior to Adobe. All have improved, including Adobe quite a bit, but I still use and prefer PDF Expert and GoodReader to Adobe.

I also used one or two other free programs for awhile that were also good. Besides features and what is important to you, sometimes they can improve and leapfrog each other somewhat. The third one on iPad (should mention, all are on iPhone as well) that I recall using was iAnnotate.

On Adobe, it appears that much that you might have to pay for on the Windows version is free on the iPad version. Again, Adobe has improved. And its features are comparable to what else is available on the iPad (rather than Windows). Still, although I have stuff there and am set up to use it, I use primarily PDF Expert and GoodReader instead.

PDF Expert is available now on the Mac I believe (probably have to pay). I had a Mac for awhile, but it wasn't then. Preview was available free though which let you do a lot of things, like extract or add pages to a PDF. I can do similar things in the free version of PDF Expert for iPad--though I haven't used this feature a lot, say to add or combine files (at all I don't think, so not certain here, but something I did a lot in Preview). I've extracted a lot with PDF Expert, though, the free version on iPad and iPhone. When it was made available on the Mac, PDF Expert also planned a Windows version as well, but I don't believe they ever did it.

 

[CascadeClone]

IMO, GIMP is a powerful program but overkill for PDF's. I think most browsers support some annotation, these days. If not enough, take a look at Foxit.

We rolled out Foxit to the whole company and its way better than Adobe. Easier to use imho. Cheap and or free even maybe, not sure.

 

[Clone83]

Adobe (free, desktop) came out with a much improved, cleaner design:

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/new-acrobat-experience.html#

I haven't seen any changes this major by Adobe in the 3 years that I've had this computer--and I believe going back much longer before that. I noticed it on one of my user accounts, and wondered how I could do it on the others.

The step below doesn't show as an option yet on my other accounts. It automatically changed somehow on just the one. So it seems it is still being rolled out.

From the link ("Last updated on May 24, 2023"):

"Note:
Currently, the new experience is being rolled out as an experiment and available for Acrobat (64-bit) English locale only with no third-party plug-ins installed. The feature may not be available to all users.

Steps to enable the new experience​

• To enable the new experience, go to View > Enable new Acrobat and click Restart.
• To disable the new experience,
  • Windows: Click the hamburger menu ( ) at the upper left corner and choose Disable new Acrobat.
  • macOS: Go to View > Disable new Acrobat.

 

[ZRF]

Pdfescape, pdfcandy, sejdapdf. I like sejda for editing but find conversions better with pdfcandy.