Foxit PDF Editor Review: Is It Worth the Switch from Adobe?

If you're tired of paying Adobe's prices for PDF editing, Foxit is probably on your radar. It's been around since the early 2000s and has built a solid reputation as one of the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives.

I've dug through real user reviews, tested the interface, and compared the pricing to help you figure out if Foxit is the right fit for your workflow. Here's the honest breakdown.

What Is Foxit PDF Editor?

Foxit is a full-featured PDF editor that handles text editing, image manipulation, page organization, annotations, OCR, and electronic signatures. It works across Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and has a web version too.

The company claims Foxit saves you up to 44% over Adobe without sacrificing features. That's the pitch. Let's see if it holds up.

Foxit Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

Foxit has two main plans for individuals and teams:

PDF Editor (Standard)

• $129.99/year paid annually, or $10.99/month billed annually
• Includes desktop and web access
• AI assistant included
• Advanced editing and OCR
• PDF to Microsoft format conversion
• Document comparison tools

PDF Editor+ (Pro)

• $159.99/year paid annually, or $13.99/month billed annually
• Everything in standard plus:
• Legally binding eSign with 150 envelopes/year
• Smart Redaction
• Full mobile app access
• 150GB cloud storage

There's also a cloud-only version at $59.99/year if you don't need the desktop app, and education pricing starting at just $4.99/year for students.

Important: The essential plan does NOT include electronic signatures. If you need eSign capabilities, you'll have to spring for PDF Editor+. That's a dealbreaker for many business users.

For full pricing details, check out our Foxit pricing breakdown.

Key Features That Actually Matter

Text Editing

Foxit uses a drag-and-drop system for editing text. Click the Edit tab, select Edit Text, and click on the text block you want to modify. You get full control over fonts, size, color, alignment, bold, italics, spacing—the works.

One common PDF editing headache: text is usually trapped in separate boxes that don't flow together. Foxit solves this with a "Link & Join Text" feature that lets you connect multiple text boxes so content flows naturally between them. It's a small thing, but it makes a big difference when you're doing heavy edits.

Annotation Tools

The Comment tab gives you everything for document review: highlighting, callouts, sticky notes, and drawing tools. Each annotation is customizable through a properties panel on the right. If you're collaborating on contracts or reviewing documents with a team, this works well.

Page Organization

You can drag and drop page thumbnails to reorganize documents, plus delete, insert, swap, flatten, crop, extract, and split pages. There's also a document comparison feature that highlights differences between two versions—useful for contract revisions.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

Foxit's OCR gets strong reviews. You can scan physical documents and extract text, images, and graphs. One user mentioned that with "just a single click, all the text is recognized and can be easily copied and transferred into a digital format." If you deal with scanned documents regularly, this is a major time-saver.

AI Assistant

Like everyone else, Foxit has added AI features. The assistant can summarize documents, rewrite content, translate into 30+ languages, and answer questions about how to use the software. It's genuinely useful for long documents, though some users report occasional quirks (like getting responses in the wrong language).

What Foxit Does Well

• Price vs. Adobe: You'll save real money compared to Acrobat. Foxit claims up to 44% savings, and the pricing backs that up.
• Speed: Multiple reviewers note Foxit runs faster than Adobe Acrobat, especially with large files. Adobe is notorious for being sluggish.
• Cross-platform: Desktop, web, and mobile apps that actually work together. You can access documents from Foxit Cloud anywhere.
• Integrations: Works with Dropbox, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and various enterprise content management systems.
• Security: Password protection, redaction tools, and document encryption. TechRadar rated it their #1 PDF Editor for Security.

What Sucks About Foxit

• No eSign on basic plan: This is frustrating. Electronic signatures are table stakes for business use, but Foxit gates them behind the more expensive plan.
• Free version is basically useless: The basic/trial account limits you to editing just the first three pages, and every page you save displays a Foxit logo. It's more of a demo than a real free tier.
• Interface complaints: Some users find the UI dated or clunky. It's not as polished as Adobe Acrobat.
• Occasional crashes: Multiple reviewers mention crashes when working with large files. Not a constant problem, but it happens.
• Language support: The software officially supports English only. Other languages are community-translated with no quality guarantee.

Foxit vs. Adobe Acrobat: Quick Comparison

Foxit wins on price and speed. Adobe wins on polish and unlimited eSign. If you're sending dozens of documents for signature every month, Adobe's unlimited envelopes might be worth the premium.

What Real Users Say

Foxit has a 4.6 rating on G2 (compared to Tungsten's 3.8, for example). Here's the pattern I see in reviews:

Positive feedback: Users consistently praise the value proposition. One reviewer noted they "love and appreciate the cost advantage that Foxit provides over Adobe with enticing features." The OCR functionality gets particular praise for accuracy.

Negative feedback: The main complaints are about the subscription model, occasional crashes with large files, and the gap between desktop and web/mobile versions. Some users also find the interface needs work.

Who Should Use Foxit?

Good fit for:

• Small businesses that edit PDFs regularly but don't want to pay Adobe prices
• Teams that need collaboration features and shared document access
• Anyone dealing with scanned documents who needs solid OCR
• Users who work across multiple devices and need cross-platform access

Not ideal for:

• Casual users who just need to view PDFs (use the free Foxit Reader instead)
• Heavy eSign users who need unlimited signature requests
• Anyone who needs non-English language support

The Verdict

Foxit PDF Editor is a legitimate Adobe Acrobat alternative that delivers on its core promise: similar functionality at a lower price. It's faster, cheaper, and has all the editing tools most businesses need.

The dealbreaker for some will be the eSign situation. If you need signatures regularly, you're either paying for Editor+ or sticking with Adobe. And the basic plan's limitations make the free trial feel more like a marketing tactic than a genuine test drive.

But if you're editing PDFs, organizing documents, and need solid annotation tools, Foxit does the job well. It's earned its reputation as one of the best PDF editors on the market.

If you're looking for other PDF solutions, check out our guide to the best PDF editor software or browse free PDF editor options if budget is tight.