Foxit PDF Editor: The Complete Review for Business Users

Looking for a PDF editor that doesn't cost Adobe money? Foxit is one of the most popular Adobe Acrobat alternatives, used by businesses that need serious PDF editing without the premium price tag. But is it actually good enough for your workflow?

I've dug into Foxit's features, pricing, and real user feedback to give you the straight answer. Here's what you need to know before buying.

What is Foxit?

Foxit PDF Editor is an all-in-one PDF solution built for business users. It handles everything from basic viewing and annotation to advanced editing, OCR, e-signatures, and document collaboration. The software works on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web browsers, so you can work from pretty much any device.

The company has been around since the early 2000s and has built a solid reputation as the go-to Adobe alternative. Their interface mimics Microsoft Office's ribbon design, which makes the learning curve much easier if you're coming from Word or Excel.

Foxit Pricing Breakdown

Foxit offers two main subscription plans, plus perpetual license options for those who hate recurring fees:

PDF Editor (Standard)

PDF Editor+

Perpetual License

If you prefer owning software outright, Foxit does offer perpetual licenses—though they don't advertise them prominently. You'll need to scroll to the bottom of their shopping page to find them. The one-time purchase option runs around $159 for the basic editor.

Here's the catch with perpetual licenses: you only get minor updates (like v14.0 to v14.1). Major version upgrades require paying an upgrade fee. Foxit uses an N/N-1 support model, meaning they only actively support the current version and one version back with security patches. So while your software won't stop working, it will eventually become outdated and unsupported.

Education Pricing

Students and educators get significant discounts—as low as $4.99/year for cloud access or $39.99/year for the full-featured version. No free trial available for education plans, though.

For detailed pricing information and to see current discounts, check out our Foxit pricing guide.

Key Features That Actually Matter

Text Editing

Foxit uses a drag-and-drop system for editing text in PDFs. You can move text blocks around, change fonts, adjust sizing, and modify paragraph alignment. The "Link & Join Text" feature is particularly useful—it connects separate text boxes so your edits flow naturally between them. This solves the annoying problem of text being stuck in individual containers.

Annotation Tools

The Comment tab gives you everything you need for document review: highlighting, callouts, sticky notes, text markups, drawing tools, and stamps. You can customize each annotation's appearance using the right-side panel. This is especially handy for teams that collaborate on contracts, legal docs, or design reviews.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

Foxit's OCR lets you scan documents and extract text from them. Multiple reviewers praise this feature as reliable and accurate. One user noted that "with just a single click, all the text is recognized and can be easily copied and transferred into a digital format."

Document Organization

The Organize tab handles page management—drag and drop thumbnails, delete pages, insert new ones, swap order, crop, extract, and split documents. There's also a document comparison feature that highlights differences between two PDF versions, which is invaluable for contract reviews.

AI Assistant

The latest version includes an AI assistant that can summarize documents, translate text into 30+ languages, rewrite content, and answer questions about how to use features. The AI add-on costs extra ($49.99/year) and comes with 2,000 credits per month if you're on a subscription plan.

eSign (PDF Editor+ Only)

The Editor+ plan includes legally binding electronic signatures with signature tracking and bulk automation. You get 150 envelopes per year, which should cover most small business needs. If you need unlimited signing, you'll want to look at dedicated e-signature solutions.

Foxit vs Adobe Acrobat: The Real Comparison

Let's cut to the chase—here's how Foxit actually stacks up against Adobe Acrobat:

Price

Foxit starts at $10.99/month compared to Adobe Acrobat's $22.19/month entry-level price. That's roughly 50% cheaper for comparable features. For teams, switching from Adobe Acrobat Pro for Teams to Foxit PDF Editor+ can save over 40% in annual subscription costs.

Ease of Use

Foxit scores higher than Adobe for ease of setup and use according to G2 user reviews. The Microsoft Office-style ribbon interface means less learning curve for most business users. Adobe Acrobat, while powerful, is known for its steeper learning curve.

Performance

Multiple users report that Foxit runs faster than Adobe Acrobat, especially with large files. Adobe can be sluggish on older computers or when handling complex documents.

Where Adobe Wins

Adobe Acrobat still has slight edges in document protection features (9.0 vs 8.9 on G2), document signing workflows (9.3 vs 9.1), and overall document management (9.1 vs 8.9). If you're handling highly sensitive documents in regulated industries, Adobe's long-standing reputation gives it a trust advantage.

The Verdict

For most business users, Foxit delivers 90% of Adobe's functionality at roughly half the price. The main reasons to stick with Adobe are if you're already invested in the Adobe ecosystem, need the most advanced security features, or work in an industry where Adobe is the expected standard.

What Users Actually Say

The Good

The Bad

Who Should Use Foxit?

Best for:

Skip it if:

Free Alternatives Worth Considering

Before committing to Foxit, know that there are free options for basic PDF tasks. Foxit Reader is completely free for viewing, annotating, and form filling. For more comprehensive free tools, check out our guide to free PDF editor software or our roundup of best PDF editor software.

The Bottom Line

Foxit PDF Editor is a legitimate Adobe Acrobat alternative that delivers solid value for business users. The standard plan at $10.99/month handles most PDF editing needs, while Editor+ at $13.99/month adds mobile access and e-signing that many businesses require.

The Microsoft Office-style interface makes it approachable, the feature set is comprehensive, and the price is significantly lower than Adobe. Is it perfect? No—you'll notice limitations with very large files and complex documents. But for the majority of business PDF workflows, Foxit gets the job done without breaking the budget.

Ready to try it? Foxit offers a 7-day free trial of Editor+ with full access to all tools and features.

Try Foxit PDF Editor Free →

For more details on Foxit's user experience, read our complete Foxit review or compare Foxit reviews from actual users.