Best PDF Software in US

What is PDF Software?

PDF software is a versatile digital tool for creating, editing, and managing PDF files. It ensures document integrity across platforms while offering a range of features such as merging, splitting, OCR, and encryption for enhanced usability and security. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

PDF software refers to computer programs designed to create, edit, view, and manage PDF (Portable Document Format) files. PDF is a file format developed by Adobe that preserves the formatting and layout of documents across different platforms, making it ideal for sharing documents while maintaining their original appearance.

PDF software allows users to create PDF files from various sources, including word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and scanned documents. Users can also edit existing PDF files by adding or removing text, images, annotations, links, and digital signatures. The software also enables users to merge multiple PDF files into a single document, split large PDF files into smaller ones, and extract specific pages from PDF files.

In addition, PDF software provides tools for viewing and navigating PDF files, such as zooming in and out, searching for text, highlighting, underlining, and adding comments. Some PDF software also offers advanced features such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for converting scanned documents into editable text, encryption and password protection for securing sensitive information, and form filling capabilities for completing interactive PDF forms.

How do we evaluate and select the best PDF Software?

We select top PDF software primarily based on provider reputation, features, customer feedback, and pricing transparency to match your specific needs. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

At Techjockey.com, we carefully evaluate and select high-quality PDF software solutions for you. Our assessment process considers crucial factors to provide tailored platforms that suit your specific needs. We typically analyze the reputation of software providers, the range of features offered, customer feedback, and pricing transparency. Through this comprehensive evaluation, we compile a detailed list of the top software options. This curated selection, presented in a user-friendly table format later in the article, enables you to make an informed decision aligned with your specific requirements.

PDF Software Statistics

PDFs have grown 650% in features since 1993, with 85% of businesses integrating them with cloud storage by 2023. They are now widely adopted in e-books (88%), and 98% of businesses use them for external sharing, while encryption in shared PDFs increased from 10% in 2005 to over 40% in 2023. Accessibility tools saw a 450% increase from 2010 to 2023 that emphasizes inclusivity, and interactive elements in PDFs rose to 45% for enhanced user experience. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• Actionable Features Growth: Over the span of 30 years, from 1993 to 2023, the functionalities of PDFs evolved dramatically, boasting a remarkable 650% increase in actionable features such as fillable forms, multimedia embeds, and digital signatures, enhancing their utility across various sectors.
• Cloud Integration: As of the end of 2023, a significant 85% of businesses seamlessly integrated their PDF workflows with cloud storage solutions, fostering effortless document sharing and collaborative editing, thereby streamlining organizational processes.
• Adoption Rate: By 2023, the PDF format witnessed widespread adoption among e-books and academic journals, with approximately 88% of these publications opting for PDFs due to their proven reliability, universality, and compatibility across different devices and platforms.
• Encryption Increase: Reflecting the escalating concerns surrounding data privacy, the percentage of encrypted shared PDFs surged from less than 10% in 2005 to over 40% by 2023, signifying a proactive approach by organizations to safeguard sensitive information.
• Business Usage: In 2023, a staggering 98% of businesses relied on PDFs for external document sharing, which underscores the widespread trust and reliance placed on this format to preserve document integrity and ensure seamless communication with external stakeholders.
• Accessibility Tools: Between 2010 and 2023, there was a remarkable 450% increase in the utilization of tools aimed at enhancing PDF accessibility for individuals with disabilities, marking a significant stride towards promoting inclusivity and accessibility in document management practices.
• Interactive Elements: By 2023, the prevalence of interactive elements in PDFs had surged to approximately 45%, showcasing a notable shift towards more engaging and dynamic content, with features such as buttons, videos, and hyperlinks enriching the overall user experience and interactivity.

How does PDF Software work?

PDF software creates electronic documents from various file formats, edits existing PDFs, converts them into other formats, and offers security features like encryption. Users can annotate and comment on PDFs, compress large files, and view or print documents for easy access and distribution. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• File Creation: PDF software typically allows users to create electronic documents from various file formats, such as Word documents, images, or web pages, by converting them into PDF format.
• Editing and Modification: Users can edit and modify existing PDF documents by adding or removing text, images, or annotations using the PDF editing tools available in the software.
• Conversion: PDF software enables the conversion of PDF documents into other file formats, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, for easier editing and sharing.
• Security Features: PDF software offers security features such as password protection, encryption, and digital signatures to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive documents.
• Annotation and Commenting: Users can annotate and add comments to PDF documents, facilitating collaboration and feedback among multiple users.
• Compression: PDF editor software allows users to compress large PDF files to reduce file size for easier storage and sharing while maintaining document quality.
• Viewing and Printing: PDF software provides tools for viewing and printing PDF documents, ensuring compatibility across different devices and platforms for seamless access and distribution.

Why Use PDF Software?

PDF software is essential and should be used for consistent formatting across platforms, secured documents, easy editing, redaction, comparison, reduced file sizes, custom branding, and electronic signatures, all of which make document management effortless and efficient. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• Compatible Formatting: PDF software ensures that documents maintain consistent formatting across different devices and platforms to make them easily accessible and readable for all users.
• Enhanced Security: PDF tools allow users to password-protect their documents, ensuring confidentiality and preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information.
• Editable Documents: PDF editor software enables users to edit text and images within PDF documents with the aim of facilitating easy updates and modifications without compromising the original formatting.
• Redaction and Comparison: Users can compare PDF documents and redact sensitive information, ensuring privacy and compliance with data protection regulations.
• Reduced File Size: PDF editor software offers compression features to reduce the size of large PDF files, which aids in optimizing storage space and improving file sharing efficiency.
• Custom Branding: PDF software allows users to add custom branding elements to their documents, enhancing brand identity and professionalism in agreements and other materials.
• Electronic Signatures: PDF programs, including some PDF tools online, enable the collection of electronic signatures, streamlining the document signing process and eliminating the need for physical paperwork.

Best PDF Software Comparison

PDF Software Cost
Software	Features	Prices
Adobe Acrobat Pro	Convert to PDF, Edit, Create, Sign, Split PDF, Add comments, Combine files, Edit PDF, Export	Starts at $29.99 per month
EaseUS PDF Editor	OCR, Watermark PDF documents with ease, Convert PDFs to other formats, Lock PDF documents, Make scanned PDF files editable, Sign, Combine PDF, Add watermark, Compress	Starts at $19.95 per month
Foxit PDF Editor	Create PDF, Protect, Scan and OCR paper documents, Collaboration tools, Create and edit PDFs online, Edit, Export to popular file formats, Create PDF documents and forms, Digital signature	Starts at $59.99 / One User Per Year
PDF Candy	Compress PDF, Edit PDF, Merge PDF, PDF to Word, Word to PDF, Excel to PDF, JPG to PDF, PDF to JPG	Starts at $6.00 per month
PDF Expert	Edit PDFs, Merge and split PDFs, Sign Documents, Annotate PDFs, PDF Protection, Convert to PDF, Full Text Search, OCR text in PDF	Starts at $79.99 per year

Who Uses PDF Software?

Various professionals, students, businesses, government agencies, and freelancers use PDF software frequently for secure document creation, editing, sharing, and management across various industries and tasks. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• Professionals: Professionals across various industries, such as legal, healthcare, education, and finance, tend to use PDF software to create, edit, and share documents securely.
• Students: Students make use of PDF software to access e-books, academic journals, and study materials, annotate PDFs, and submit assignments electronically.
• Businesses: Businesses of all sizes rely on PDF software for document management, including creating invoices, contracts, reports, and marketing materials.
• Government Agencies: Government agencies take advantage of PDF software for official document management, including forms, policies, regulations, and reports.
• Freelancers: Freelancers, including writers, designers, and consultants, often use PDF editor software for creating portfolios, proposals, invoices, and contracts for their clients.

What are the features of PDF Software?

PDF software offers useful features such as conversion from various formats, editing, printing, annotation, file merging, compression, text recognition, and splitting for convenient document management and customization. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• PDF Conversion: The software effortlessly converts various file formats, such as Word, Excel, and images, into PDF documents for seamless sharing and viewing.
• PDF Editing: The software (including some PDF tools online) enables users to edit text, images, and other content within PDF files to make necessary changes or corrections.
• PDF Printing: Users can conveniently print documents directly in PDF format from any application to preserve formatting and layout.
• Annotation Tools: The best PDF software provides intuitive tools to add comments, annotations, and markups to PDF files for effective collaboration and feedback.
• File Combination: Users can merge multiple PDF files into a single document using the software for enhanced organization and streamlined sharing.
• PDF Compression: Advanced PDF tools allow users to reduce the file size of PDF documents without compromising quality, enabling faster sharing and storage.
• Text Recognition: The software automatically recognizes and converts scanned text into editable and searchable content within PDF files.
• PDF Splitting: Users can effortlessly split large PDF files into smaller documents or separate pages for easier management and distribution.

What are the benefits of PDF Software?

PDF software offers efficient document handling, cross-platform compatibility, document security, reduced file size, interactive elements, accessible documents, and preservation of document formatting for enhanced document management and customization. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• Efficient Document Handling: PDF software enables efficient handling of documents by providing useful features such as conversion, editing, merging, and splitting.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: PDFs are universally compatible across different devices and operating systems, which ensures seamless sharing and viewing of documents without any bothersome formatting issues.
• Document Security: PDF software offers various security features such as password protection, encryption, and digital signatures, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information.
• Reduced File Size: PDF editor software allows for compressing PDF files, reducing their size without compromising on quality, making it more convenient to share and store large documents.
• Interactive Elements: PDF software enables the creation of interactive PDFs with elements such as hyperlinks, buttons, multimedia, and forms, enhancing user engagement and interactivity.
• Accessible Documents: PDF editor software supports accessibility features such as text-to-speech, screen readers, and alternative text, which ensures documents are accessible to users with disabilities in compliance with accessibility standards.
• Preservation of Document Formatting: PDF software preserves the formatting of documents across different devices and platforms, ensuring consistency and maintaining the original layout and design of the content.

How to choose the best PDF Software?

To choose the best PDF software, you must consider your needs, evaluate features, check user reviews, try a trial or demo, ensure compatibility, assess your budget, and review customer support before finalizing a decision. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• Consider Your Needs: Assess your specific requirements, such as editing, conversion, or annotation capabilities, to ensure you ultimately choose the best PDF software that fits perfectly with your needs.
• Evaluate Features: Compare the features offered by different PDF software options, including editing tools, security features, and compatibility with various file formats.
• Check User Reviews: Read user reviews and testimonials to be able to gauge the software's reliability, user-friendliness, and customer support quality.
• Trial or Demo: Take advantage of free trials or demos offered by PDF software providers to test the usability and functionality prior to making a commitment.
• Compatibility: Make sure that the chosen PDF software is compatible with your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and other software applications you use.
• Budget Consideration: Evaluate the pricing plans with careful consideration and choose a PDF software that fits within your budget while offering the necessary features and support.
• Customer Support: Consider the level of customer support provided by the software vendor, including availability, responsiveness, and support channels, to address any issues or queries promptly and effectively.

How much does PDF Software cost?

PDF software typically starts at around $6.00 per month in the US but can vary depending on features and needs. It's essential to compare options to find the best fit for your budget and requirements. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

PDF software, a useful tool for various professional and personal document needs, typically commences at an approximate monthly rate of $6.00 in the United States (US). However, this price point can significantly fluctuate based on specific requirements and the range of features offered by the service provider. Engaging in thorough exploration and comparison among diverse PDF editing platforms is crucial to discerning the most suitable option that seamlessly integrates with your budgetary considerations and specific usage requirements.

PDF Software Trends

Professionals prefer pdfFiller for document needs. PDF Candy offers user-friendly features, while alternatives like DocuSign may face usability issues. The top uses include PDF editing and form completion, with varying adoption rates across industries. You can find further elaboration on this topic below:

• Professional Usage Dominance: Around 73.1% of respondents primarily rely on PDF editing solutions, such as pdfFiller, for their professional needs, including completing legal, banking, and financial documents, filing tax returns, and handling real estate documents.
• Ease of Use Matters: User-friendliness is a crucial factor influencing the choice of PDF editing software, with a significant percentage of consumers favoring tools like PDF Candy owing to their simplicity and comprehensive features, including unlimited document storage, value for money, security, and reliability.
• Limited Awareness of Alternatives: More than half of users (56.5%) find it challenging to select a PDF editing software alternative, with popular options such as DocuSign, Microsoft Office, and Google Docs facing usability issues, high pricing, or a lack of specific features.
• Popular Professional Use Cases: PDF editing and form completion emerge as the top two professional use cases, with 73% of respondents relying on PDF editor software for editing PDFs, followed by 60% for form completion, highlighting the software's versatility and practicality.
• Industry Adoption Trends: Industries like insurance exhibit higher organizational-level adoption of PDF editing software, while the education, legal, and real estate sectors see more individual employees implementing such tools for their work tasks, indicating varying levels of organizational reluctance towards adoption.