Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion
Adobe Acrobat - is there an alternative?
cyberdiva:
I've used PDF XChange Editor for many years, but recently I got to also install Acrobat Pro, so I made it my default app, to try it out. I found I much prefer PDF XChange Editor.
-dr_andus (April 09, 2017, 04:38 PM)
--- End quote ---
Did you buy a pro version of PDF XChange Editor? I have a free version, and as far as I can tell, it can't do things like combine several pdf pages into one pdf file. Can yours do that? A friend keeps suggesting that I simply break down and buy Adobe Acrobat Pro. He claims it will do everything. I'm not a big Adobe fan, so I'd prefer to use alternatives, as long as I can do what I want. But for combining files, I wound up sending all the separate pdfs to him and he combined them with Adobe. :(
wraith808:
I've used PDF XChange Editor for many years, but recently I got to also install Acrobat Pro, so I made it my default app, to try it out. I found I much prefer PDF XChange Editor.
-dr_andus (April 09, 2017, 04:38 PM)
--- End quote ---
Did you buy a pro version of PDF XChange Editor? I have a free version, and as far as I can tell, it can't do things like combine several pdf pages into one pdf file. Can yours do that? A friend keeps suggesting that I simply break down and buy Adobe Acrobat Pro. He claims it will do everything. I'm not a big Adobe fan, so I'd prefer to use alternatives, as long as I can do what I want. But for combining files, I wound up sending all the separate pdfs to him and he combined them with Adobe. :(
-cyberdiva (April 10, 2017, 08:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
The Pro version can. List of features is here, including this bit.
Manipulate Documents
Create, print and email documents. Use Sharepoint, Dropbox, Google Drive and/or MS Office 365 integration to open documents directly from 'the cloud' and then use PDF-XChange Editor functionality to convert them to/from PDF. Combine PDFs into a new document. View and edit MS Word documents. Create PDF documents directly from scanned material.
--- End quote ---
Myself, I have fineprint and pdffactory, and use those two to edit most of the time, even having the pro version of PDF XChange Editor. It's just an easier workflow for me.
tomos:
Adobe Acrobat is outrageously expensive (although moot point for the OP due to educational pricing):
if you really need it fine -- but I wouldnt buy it unless I did really need it.
Saying that, I dont use PDF editors, so cant recommend any (it's good to read the different suggestions here).
Softmaker recently introduced a new editor that would be worth checking out I think:
http://www.softmaker.com/en/flexipdf
(They also do educational pricing AFAIK)
dr_andus:
Did you buy a pro version of PDF XChange Editor? I have a free version, and as far as I can tell, it can't do things like combine several pdf pages into one pdf file. Can yours do that? A friend keeps suggesting that I simply break down and buy Adobe Acrobat Pro. He claims it will do everything. I'm not a big Adobe fan, so I'd prefer to use alternatives, as long as I can do what I want. But for combining files, I wound up sending all the separate pdfs to him and he combined them with Adobe. :(
-cyberdiva (April 10, 2017, 08:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
Yes, I have the Pro version (where you can indeed combine PDFs and do a lot more). Actually I started with the free version of XChange Viewer and used it for years, until I realised that I loved it so much I should really buy the Pro version. And then along the line there was a promotion and I upgraded to XChange Editor Pro.
Well, I haven't done a line-by-line comparison, but my sense is that XChange Editor Pro can do more than Adobe Acrobat Pro, or at least in a more intuitive way and better. I'm still testing Adobe Pro, but I have already run into a few situations where I got frustrated and switched back to XChange.
Also, I find the XChange developers quite responsive. I sent them several ideas when Editor was being developed and they were very good at engaging with me, and some of them got implemented.
One thing I like about XChange is how highly customisable it is. I often need to convert PDFs into images, and you can automate a lot of the repetitive tasks, such as saving the folder location, generating custom file names according to templates (such as adding date and time etc.) and so on.
techidave:
https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor
-wraith808 (April 09, 2017, 08:51 AM)
--- End quote ---
+1.
I've used PDF XChange Editor for many years, but recently I got to also install Acrobat Pro, so I made it my default app, to try it out. I found I much prefer PDF XChange Editor.
The only advantage I could find of Acrobat is that it seems to open files faster (or at least the app launches faster when you open the first file). But otherwise XChange is so much more user-friendly and customisable.
-dr_andus (April 09, 2017, 04:38 PM)
--- End quote ---
You mean there is an Adobe product that opens fast? InDesign and Photoshop CS6 sure don't.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version