We've tested the best PDF readers for Windows, the best PDF readers for Android, and the best PDF readers for Mac. You don’t want to be constantly reminded of other Adobe apps you can purchase that would allow you to use most of the tools Acrobat Reader displays, but restricts. You want a PDF reader that offers you a few basic functions that work well, while constantly reminding you its paid-for alternatives have more advanced tools available. The activity, linked to a document, will show you who has read it and signed it - an easy to follow digital paper trail (Image credit: Adobe) Buy it if. It is frustrating to see this, especially since Adobe’s professional tools are so exceedingly good. This leaves 7 tools (8 if you count ‘Request a Signature’) free for you to use. Puzzlingly, ‘Request a Signature’ has such an icon, yet you can use it for free. Thankfully, those ‘premium’ tools have a small blue asterisk next to their icon to help you discern them. Very useful tools like ‘Scan & OCR’, ‘Convert to PDF’, ‘Redact a PDF’, ‘Combine Files’ and many more are there for you to look at, but not for you to use. Why offer tools you can’t actually use unless you upgrade to a different piece of Adobe software?Īdobe Acrobat Reader showcases 28 different tools, which sounds fantastic, but the vast majority of these can only really be accessed by upgrading the app to Standard or Pro.Sadly, Adobe thinks you must subscribe in order to gain access to those. These should be seen as basic functions, not premium ones. Apple Preview for instance allows you to combine PDFs, reorder pages, take pages out, place pages into new documents, and convert any file it can open into a PDF. It’s a shame that many of the other best free PDF editors and readers offer more tools without charge. We found this saves a lot of time - your mileage may vary, but we found that automatic detection to be almost flawless. When it comes to filling in and signing a form yourself, Adobe Acrobat Reader will automatically highlight the sections that are designed for you to fill in, and if they haven’t been set for you by the sender, you can click on a button and Acrobat Reader will detect the fields automatically. This can be most useful.Īcrobat Reader can detect fields that need to be filled in, making it easy for you to complete and sign a digital form (Image credit: Adobe) The recipients do not need an account themselves. Once you’ve signed up and signed in, it’s really easy to add text and signature fields to a document which can then be sent to other people, all handled through Adobe’s Cloud Storage. We have to say, though, this is some of the best eSignature software in a PDF reader. No need to pay for anything in order to get it. Adobe very generously offers you 2GB of free storage. The most obvious bonus is gaining access to your ‘Adobe Cloud Storage’. This can be done any time you select a tool that cannot work without being online, or simply by clicking on the ‘sign in’ button, top right of the interface, just above the large blue ‘Try Acrobat Pro’ button. What’s not to like?Īdobe Acrobat Reader really wants you to sign in, so let’s sign in. A generous amount of online storage, and an easier way to request e-signatures. Once you’ve logged in, you can easily set up documents and send them for others to fill in and sign - all for free (Image credit: Adobe) In fact, the interface feels way too big for the small amount of features you actually have access to with Acrobat Reader. There are many enticing tools offering you to Convert a PDF into a Microsoft format, or Edit a PDF for instance, but none are actually available unless you pay for Standard or Pro.Īll of this must be great from a marketing point of view, but is far from user friendly. It’s a great tool, for sure… except this isn’t actually available for free: you would have to upgrade to either Standard or Pro to take advantage of such a feature.īut that’s not the only hidden prompt to upgrade you’ll find dotted around the interface. This is where you’ll find one of the best Word to PDF converters - but it also works with images. You’ll also find a small ‘Create’ tab, top left. Top right and lower left are also permanent adverts for you to “try Acrobat Pro, free for 7 days”. The ‘Online Cloud Storage’, which takes up a fair chunk of the sidebar, is only effective when you've signed in with your Adobe ID.
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