Best PDF viewers and editors 2024 for Windows

It's a selection of the most popular, accessible and functional software for viewing and editing the content of PDF documents. The solutions listed all perform the basic task of opening the files of this format and reading texts, viewing images, etc. However, different products support different toolsets, and some are more diverse than others.

Price  
Free trial  
Adding digital signatures  
Comment with text-to-speech technology   ? Add comments while speaking
Splitting, merging, rotation  
Compression  
Batch edit tags  
Data extraction  
Image import  
HTML support  
Text editing  
Freehand drawing  
Background editing  
Watermarking  
Hotkeys for quick feature access  
OCR  
Batch conversion  
Works with CAD, Photoshop files  
Drag & Drop editing  
Cloud storage access  
Compatibility with EPUB  
Compare files  
Available for Mac  
Multiple interface languages  
$12.99
7 days
$149.99
30 days
$159.99
14 days
$109.00
30 days
$19.95
7 days

Price

$12.99

$149.99

$159.99

$109.00

$19.95

Free trial

7 days

30 days

14 days

30 days

7 days

Adding digital signatures

Comment with text-to-speech technology

Splitting, merging, rotation

Compression

Batch edit tags

Data extraction

Image import

HTML support

Text editing

Freehand drawing

Background editing

Watermarking

Hotkeys for quick feature access

OCR

Batch conversion

Works with CAD, Photoshop files

Drag & Drop editing

Cloud storage access

Compatibility with EPUB

Compare files

Available for Mac

Multiple interface languages

Adobe Acrobat Professional
Adobe Acrobat Professional
28 (68%) 13 (32%)
Download
Acrobat X is the ultimate solution for reading, writing, converting, compiling, splitting and merging PDF files. It is the most feature-rich entry on the list and does virtually anything you might need with a PDF, from editing texts, importing and exporting data to watermarking and setting up a password for accessing the content.

Price: $12.99
Trial: 7 days
Screenshot
Main window
Features
  • Combines files from multiple applications.
  • Automates file management.
  • Supports online document reviews.
  • Supports freehand drawing.
Advantages
  • Edit tables and batch edit tags.
  • Deletes images from the image field.
  • Convert any document to PDF.
  • Compare two files.
  • Automatically find documents among your photos.
Disadvantages
  • The interface may react slowly when working with large documents.
Nuance Power PDF Advanced
Nuance Power PDF Advanced
13 (87%) 2 (13%)
Download
Nuance Power PDF Advanced delivers most of the standard features of a competent PDf editor, from the option to modify texts, import and export images, add watermarks and convert the documents to and from a variety of formats. It isn't the most diverse solution in terms of international appeal, but its interface is intuitive enough to be accessible to any user.

Price: $149.99
Trial: 30 days
Screenshot
View tab
Features
  • Extensive PDF cusomization.
  • Leave notes with the text-to-speech technology.
  • Integration with MS Office.
Advantages
  • “Find a Tool” option for interface customization.
  • Comment input by dictation.
  • Delete and hide private info.
  • A variety of tutorials on topics how to merge, convert to Word\Excel, etc.
Disadvantages
  • Sometimes Advance Edit doesn't work.
  • Formats texts.
Nitro Pro
Nitro Pro
8 (100%) 0 (0%)
Download
Nitro Pro is a comfortable program for quick access to PDFs and a solid set of options for modifying it, copying the content, converting files and exporting or importing information. Where it lacks in multi-platform compatibility, it makes up with its speed and stability of work.

Price: $159.99
Trial: 14 days
Screenshot
Main window
Features
  • Supports hotkeys for quick feature access.
  • Supports all Office formats.
  • Supports native extensions.
  • Fast validation of digital signitures.
Advantages
  • Multiple content viewing modes.
  • Compatible with CAD drawings.
  • Optimized speed.
  • Drag-and-drop texts.
  • Shares files via OneDrive and other cloud services.
Disadvantages
  • Bate stamping doesn't work.
Official website:
gonitro.com
Foxit PhantomPDF
Foxit PhantomPDF
10 (100%) 0 (0%)
Download
Foxit PhantomPDF is a solution for those who want to automate as many processes as possible. It features reorganizing and reflowing options and merges or splits all types of content blocks. Extensive editing toolset is combined with a wide array of customization by size and format.

Price: $109
Trial: 30 days
Screenshot
Main Window
Features
  • Extensive file customization.
  • One-click PDF creation from Internet browsers.
  • Decryption of RPM protection in PDFs.
  • Available for Mac, Android, iOS.
Advantages
  • Features a side-by-side comparison mode.
  • Supports a read-out loud voice feature.
  • Supports Windows indexing of PDFs.
  • Automatically removes web links.
Disadvantages
  • OCR has trouble recognizing symbols in complex documents.
Movavi PDF Editor
Movavi PDF Editor
5 (83%) 1 (17%)
Download
This is the most lightweight solution on the list which nonetheless supports most of the features its heavyweight counterparts provide. While lacking in the area advanced compatibility, it boasts virtual printing and image-to-text data transfer capabilities.

Price: $19.95
Trial: 7 days
Screenshot
version
Features
  • Saves CAD, Photoshop files as PDF.
  • Quick file creation.
  • Customizable file size compression.
  • Leightweight.
Advantages
  • Editing of PDF elements as sheets and objects.
  • Creation of document catalogues for quick access.
  • Option to browse the history of previous actions.
  • Multi-platform virtual printing.
Disadvantages
  • Limited number of supported formats.
  • Limited conversion options.

Conclusion

Concluding the list, we can clearly see that Adobe Acrobat Professional is the most diverse, functional and stable solution of the ones reviewed above. However, its competitors all have something unique to offer. There are many more solutions for viewing, editing and converting PDF files. If you have suggestions of your own, feel free to post them in the comments below and share your opinion.

Comments

T
Tracker 4 years ago

Xchange Editor is better than several listed here, why not include it?

Reply Was it helpful? yes | no (+10)
G
Girmay G/Hiwot Arefaine 5 years ago

l use this software for cumulative percents.

Reply Was it helpful? yes | no (-2)