Choose Foxit PDF Editor if you edit, convert and run OCR on PDFs every week and want a desktop editor like Acrobat: 16.99 EUR a month with no commitment, or 10.96 EUR on an annual plan billed monthly, before local taxes. Choose iLovePDF if your work is merging, compressing, converting and signing: 9 EUR per user a month with no commitment, or 5 EUR billed yearly, and a free plan. Choose Smallpdf for the same kind of work with signatures through Sign.com included: 10 EUR a month, free plan available. Stay on Acrobat if your clients send you Adobe e-signature requests and you want the same tool on their side.
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Adobe's French plans page shows Acrobat Standard at 30.24 EUR a month incl. VAT if you want to cancel at any time, or 18.14 EUR a month on an annual plan billed monthly, where cancelling after 14 days costs half of what remains. Most small businesses looking for an alternative want the same jobs for less: edit, convert, sign and compress PDFs.
The three tools below split into two kinds. Foxit PDF Editor is a desktop editor in the same category as Acrobat. Smallpdf and iLovePDF are online toolkits with a permanent free plan, cheaper month to month, lighter on heavy editing.
The picks that stand out
Foxit PDF Editor
Text and image editing inside the PDF, conversion to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, OCR on scans, forms, signatures and passwords, on Windows and Mac. PDF Editor is 16.99 EUR a month with no commitment, 10.96 EUR a month on an annual subscription billed monthly, or 129.67 EUR for the year paid upfront, all before local taxes. Mobile apps and legally binding e-signature need PDF Editor+ (19.99 EUR month to month, 13.96 EUR on the annual plan). A free trial is offered.
iLovePDF
Merging, splitting, compressing, converting and signing on web, desktop and mobile. Premium is 9 EUR per user a month on monthly billing, 1 to 25 users, or 5 EUR a month billed 60 EUR a year. The free plan covers the main tools with limited processing. It is a toolkit, not a full editor for long documents.
Smallpdf
Over 30 tools in the browser and on mobile, with text editing and OCR on Pro. Pro is 10 EUR a month on monthly billing, or 7.50 EUR a month billed 90 EUR a year, and includes Sign.com Premium. The free plan limits downloads.
At a glance
| Criterion |  Adobe Acrobat | Foxit PDF Editor | Smallpdf | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used mainly for | Editing and converting PDFs, collecting e-signatures | Editing text and images inside a PDF, converting PDFs to Word, Excel and PowerPoint | Compressing and merging PDFs, converting PDFs | Merging and splitting PDFs, compressing and converting PDFs |
| Entry price | €30.24/mo · Standard | €16.99/mo · PDF Editor | €10.00/mo · Pro | €9.00/mo · Premium |
| Free plan | ✕No | ✕No | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free trial | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✕No |
| Works on | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Desktop, iOS, Android |
| Documented integrations | – | Microsoft 365, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box | – | – |
| Setup | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes |
| Main limitation | Month to month costs about two thirds more than the annual plan billed monthly | Month to month costs about 55 % more than the annual plan billed monthly | The free plan limits downloads | The free plan limits document processing |
| Our evidence level | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented |
| Try it | Try Adobe Acrobat ↗ | Try Foxit PDF Editor ↗Partner link | Try Smallpdf ↗ | Try iLovePDF ↗ |
Every cell comes from the tool's record, built from its official documentation and pricing page. The integrations listed are the ones the vendor documents, not tested by us.
Month to month or a year: the real choice
All four can now be paid month to month. For the two desktop editors that costs Acrobat Standard 30.24 EUR incl. VAT and Foxit PDF Editor 16.99 EUR before local taxes. Committing to a year lowers both: Acrobat to 18.14 EUR a month, with half the remaining commitment due if you cancel after 14 days, and Foxit to 10.96 EUR a month or 129.67 EUR upfront. Smallpdf and iLovePDF drop to 7.50 EUR and 5 EUR on their annual plans.
Check the tax line before comparing
Adobe shows prices including VAT. Foxit's French shop shows them before local taxes. Smallpdf and iLovePDF do not say on the cards we read. Put each in your basket and compare the totals at checkout, not the headline figures.
Editor or toolkit
If you change the wording of contracts, fix scans with OCR or compare two versions of a document, you need an editor: Acrobat or Foxit. If you mostly merge, compress, convert and send for signature, an online toolkit does the job for less, and both Smallpdf and iLovePDF let you start free.
Edit, convert or just sign
All four are priced in euros; the yearly figures are for one person.
- You merge or compress a file now and then: iLovePDF's and Smallpdf's free plans are enough.
- You convert and sign every week: iLovePDF Premium is 60 € a year on yearly billing, Smallpdf Pro 90 €.
- You edit text and run OCR on scans: Foxit PDF Editor is 129.67 € a year paid upfront, taxes included; Acrobat Standard is 214.78 € paid upfront, VAT included.
- You send documents for signature with tracking: that is Acrobat Standard's job, and the reason to pay its price.
Free options before paying
Acrobat Reader and Foxit PDF Reader are free for reading, filling and signing. Smallpdf and iLovePDF have permanent free plans with limits on downloads or processing. If you only sign and fill a few forms a month, start there.
Pricing side by side
Foxit PDF Editor PDF Editor · in euros
iLovePDF Premium · in euros
Each tool's paid entry plan multiplied by the number of seats, free plan and tax excluded. One currency for all: the bars share a scale and compare directly. Prices read on the official pages (25.10.2026).
| Tool | Verified price | Billing condition | Free | Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat | €30.24/mo · Standard | 30.24 EUR/month incl. VAT month to month, cancel any time; 18.14 EUR/month on an annual plan billed monthly; 214.78 EUR/year paid upfront | No | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Foxit PDF Editor | €16.99/mo · PDF Editor | €16.99/month month to month, before local taxes; €10.96/month on an annual subscription billed monthly, or €129.67 for the year paid upfront | No | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗Partner link |
| Smallpdf | €10.00/mo · Pro | 10 EUR/month billed monthly; 7.50 EUR/month billed 90 EUR a year | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| iLovePDF | €9.00/mo · Premium | 9 EUR per user/month billed monthly; 5 EUR per user/month billed 60 EUR a year | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Adobe Acrobat?
Among the tools we list, iLovePDF Premium has the lowest monthly figure: 9 EUR per user a month with no commitment, or 5 EUR billed 60 EUR a year, and a free plan. It is a toolkit for merging, compressing, converting and signing rather than a full desktop editor.
Is Foxit cheaper than Adobe Acrobat?
Month to month, Foxit PDF Editor is 16.99 EUR before local taxes and Acrobat Standard 30.24 EUR incl. VAT. On a yearly commitment billed monthly, 10.96 EUR before taxes against 18.14 EUR incl. VAT. The tax basis differs between the two pages, so compare the totals at checkout.
Is there a free alternative to Acrobat?
For reading, filling and signing, Acrobat Reader and Foxit PDF Reader are free. For editing tools, Smallpdf and iLovePDF have permanent free plans, with limited downloads or processing.
Can I cancel Adobe Acrobat at any time?
On the month-to-month plan, yes: Adobe's page says you can cancel at any time without a fee, at 30.24 EUR a month for Standard. On the annual plan billed monthly, cancelling after 14 days costs half of the remaining commitment.
Recently at these tools
PDF Editor 2026.2.1 fixes security and stability issues. Source ↗
PDF Editor 2026.2.0 adds Foxit Workspace, projects built around documents where the AI assistant helps review sources and draft outputs (documents, presentations, mind maps), and turns the assistant chat into an agent that can use the editor's tools. Source ↗
Read on each vendor's official changelog, not tested by us.