Foxit PDF Reader vs Adobe Acrobat Reader

Foxit PDF Reader9.4Visit Adobe Acrobat Reader8.5Visit

Higher score Foxit PDF Reader #1 in PDF Readers 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Foxit

vs

Adobe Acrobat Reader #8 in PDF Readers 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Adobe

• Foxit PDF Reader fits best

  Free cross-platform readers with collaboration

• Adobe Acrobat Reader fits best

  Mainstream PDF reading and accessibility

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Side by side

Feature	Foxit PDF Reader 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.5
Ranking	#1 in PDF Readers	#8 in PDF Readers
Best for	Free cross-platform readers with collaboration	Mainstream PDF reading and accessibility
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Desktop, Mobile, Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
Features Foxit PDF Reader 4/4 · Adobe Acrobat Reader 3/4
Annotation tools	✓	✓
Form filling	✓	✓
Offline access	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Text-to-speech	✓	✓
Specs
OCR support	None	Not checked yet
Platform support	Cross-platform	Cross-platform
Our review
Pros	Free access across web, desktop, iOS, and Android Annotations, forms, signatures, shared reviews, and text-to-speech Integrates with major storage and business services	Free reading, printing, search, forms, signatures, and annotations Available across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web Includes text-to-speech and screen-reader and magnifier support
Cons	OCR is documented for PDF Editor rather than PDF Reader Web use requires an internet connection AI document analysis excludes OCR documents	Advanced PDF editing is provided through paid Acrobat products PDF conversion is outside the core Reader application OCR is provided through paid Acrobat products rather than Reader
Our verdict	Foxit PDF Reader is a free application for personal and business users who need to open, read, print, annotate, comment on, fill, sign, and share PDF documents. Reader editions are available on the web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android,… Read the review →	Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free PDF application for individuals, students, office workers, and organizations that need to view, print, search, share, annotate, sign, and complete PDF documents. Its free Reader plan supports desktop and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Foxit PDF Reader — where it wins

  • Free access across web, desktop, iOS, and Android
  • Annotations, forms, signatures, shared reviews, and text-to-speech
  • Integrates with major storage and business services

  Where it doesn't

  • OCR is documented for PDF Editor rather than PDF Reader
  • Web use requires an internet connection
  • AI document analysis excludes OCR documents

• Adobe Acrobat Reader — where it wins

  • Free reading, printing, search, forms, signatures, and annotations
  • Available across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web
  • Includes text-to-speech and screen-reader and magnifier support

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced PDF editing is provided through paid Acrobat products
  • PDF conversion is outside the core Reader application
  • OCR is provided through paid Acrobat products rather than Reader

• Foxit PDF Reader9.4/10 · Free plan

  A free cross-platform reader with collaboration, forms, signatures, and cloud integrations.

  Visit FoxitFull verdict →
• Adobe Acrobat Reader8.5/10 · Free plan

  A broadly available free PDF reader with useful accessibility, form, signature, and review tools.

  Visit AdobeFull verdict →