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About PDFelement

#1 Adobe® Acrobat® alternative: PDFelement is your all-in-one PDF solution. Create, edit, convert, and esign PDF files in a better way.

Learn more about PDFelement

Pros:

This software is a great alternative for anyone that is looking to function with .pdf files. The Adobe suite keeps creaping up in price and this software works very well as a functional alternative.

Cons:

Conversion to MS Word does not work well. Even if you have run OCR on the document before converting, it sometimes inserts entire pages as images instead of editable text.

PDFelement ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.3
Customer Service
4.1
Features
4.3
Value for Money
4.3

Likelihood to recommend

8.1/10

PDFelement has an overall rating of 4.4 out 5 stars based on 428 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (428)

Jose
Jose
Business Change Manager. IPMA. PMP. in Panama
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

PDFelement, a cross-platform solution to comprehensively manage PDF documents.

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: PDFelement is a platform that has proven to be very reliable, with import, export, and character recognition mechanisms of exceptional quality. It has all the features that we could require for PDF document manipulation and many more, which makes it one of the best selections on the market.

Pros:

One of the biggest advantages of PDFelement is the possibility of converting multiple formats to PDF, in addition to being able to export them again without any complications and with excellent quality in that conversion process. On the other hand, after opening a document on this platform, we can practically do anything, such as incorporating images in different formats, professional quality text editing, electronic signature, and much more.

Cons:

In PDFelement, we can create, edit and collaborate on PDF files in one program without the need to invest a lot of time in the learning curve. Currently, the PDF format implies the use of a portable and universally used document format, in addition to the fact that the file size is considerably reduced, highlighting the security mechanisms associated with this format. On the other hand, the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) feature in PDFelement actually makes the scanned text editable and facilitates transcription between heterogeneous formats considerably.

Johanne
Owner in US
Insurance, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Review for Free Gift (prefer a Windows Version Please)

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: I like pdfElement. So far it's introduced no malware into my Mac like the Adobe and extensions were causing. With the exception of this survey request, I've received no replies to my questions via email to your customer support team. This is not acceptable.

Pros:

I like the "page" layout that allows moving of pages within the document and inserting new pages.

Cons:

1. The inability to "word search" within documents (or at least I haven't figured it out) . 2. The on screen "docusign" signature feature. I cannot figure it out and it is not user friendly to set up document signatures! Very complicated and cumbersome. 3. The inability to have one license (Mac or Windows) to serve me. I have to use 2 different operating systems (one for Mac and one for laptop WIN) in order to access each of the 34 carriers' platforms/systems. Having to purchase 2 separate licenses is costly and one license should permit at least 2 systems or 2 systems of differing platforms. 4. Customer support/communications: non-existinet

Wondershare Response

5 years ago

Thanks for your support and distinguished feedback. I will record and forward it to the relevant department and update this as a customized option. Any further problems or concerns, please don't hesitate to submit a ticket to http://support.wondershare.com/#/contact. The customer care team will email you a solution within 24 hours. If you didn't receive the email, you will find the email in your trash box. Could you please tell me your ticket number?

Harry
Owner in US
Management Consulting, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

PDFelement 6 has issues

2.0 5 years ago

Comments: I work with PDF documents every day. I don't use a lot of the advanced features, but when I do need them, I want them to work flawlessly, intuitively and efficiently. PDF Element 6 does NOT meet those requirements.

Pros:

The cost was reasonable since I purchased it on sale. It allows up to 15 tabs to be open at one time and allows multiple instances of the program to run simultaneously.

Cons:

1. It doesn't retain pinned documents. After a while, they become unpinned. Tech support is of no help. They say they can't duplicate the issue and just STOPPED helping me. Now, they ignore my service tickets for help. 2. It doesn't show all the open "tabbed" documents. They tend to disappear and then reappear. 3. Conversion from PDF to a document if very poor, especially to Word. The documents are unusable. A client used their program (Nitro Pro) for me and it was perfect. It's embarrassing when my client has to do a task that they are paying me to do. 4. Creating and using a "stamp" for a signature if very difficult and doesn't work well. 5. Converting a PDF to a form doesn't work well. It takes a lot of work (an hour or longer) to get it usable. 6. Every time the program is upgraded/updated it wipes out the setting for the default PDF program in Windows 10 (latest build) 7. The vertical scroll bar is very small and difficult to "grab" with my cursor. It would be easier to use if it was wider, or at least expanded when the cursor was close to it. 8. The program can run multiple instances, but still limits the total number of documents to 15. 9. I have a lot of issues trying to edit a PDF. It creates blocks of information instead of allowing free-form data entry/manipulation. 10. In PAGE mode, the images of the pages are so small that it's difficult to find the page I'm looking for. There isn't a zoom function so I spend too much time switching back and forth.

Jeremiah
Owner in US
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Wonder no more

4.0 2 months ago

Comments: I've used this for school quite extensively and it always works very well.

Pros:

I really like the OCR function of this program. It's accurate about 95% of the time on things like scanned documents where you can clearly see the words. It even works with handwriting if you don't write like a doctor that is.

Cons:

The reason I gave this 4 stars, even though I like the program. I dislike very much the invasiveness of Wondershare products. Any program you download of theirs is almost impossible to completely uninstall from your hard drive. You'll see the main program gone, but if you look in the bowels of your file folders you'll always find remnants.

Oluwadamilola
Operations Manager in Benin
Financial Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

My Review of PDFelement: A Comprehensive PDF Editor

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Overall, PDFelement is a great PDF editor with a lot of features and an easy-to-use interface. It's slightly expensive but worth it for users who need a comprehensive PDF editor.

Pros:

PDFelement is an excellent PDF editor with a wide range of features and an easy-to-use interface. It's intuitive and straightforward, allowing users to quickly and easily edit PDFs, add text, images, and signatures, and convert documents to different formats. The built-in OCR feature is also incredibly useful, allowing users to extract text and images from scanned documents.

Cons:

One major downside of PDFelement is the cost. It's quite expensive compared to other PDF editors, and the lack of a free version means that users must pay for the full version. Additionally, some of the features are not as robust as more expensive competitors.

Makeni
Makeni
Aerodrome Fire Officer I in Nigeria
Verified LinkedIn User
Aviation & Aerospace, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Best PDF Viewer, Editor, and Converter for Office and Professional Use

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: It is an all-in-one PDF Software for users who need a Professional PDF Software for viewing, editing, converting, signing, and so many other mind-blowing features for in Office Administration, Accounting, Graphic Design, Tech Professionals, Digital Marketers, etc.

Pros:

1. The PDF editor is the most impactful PDF Software I have used as it makes viewing, conversion, and file editing smooth. 2. The product is easy to use for new users, and navigation through its panels are pretty easy as well.3. It can be used to Read PDF, Annotate PDF, Create PDF, Combine PDF, Convert PDF, Edit PDF, Compress PDF, Organize PDF, Create PDF Forms, Sign PDF, Protect PDF, Batch Editing of PDF, PDF OCR, and Extract PDF Data.

Cons:

The drawback about the product was slow loading time when launching the product from my laptop.

Shannon
Shannon
CEO in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Farming, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

I love this program

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: It has helped me be able to make brochures for the shops that carry my products. I can help them with advertising and make it work for their settings.

Pros:

I love the ease with which I can take apart PDFs, redesign, and put them back together. It is intuitive to use, and I've enjoyed playing with the features! I so appreciate the helpful tips that the company sends through email as well.

Cons:

I'm not that techy or design-savvy- it does exactly what I need it to do, and I don't need a lot of experience to figure it out. No cons as far as I am concerned.

Wondershare Response

5 years ago

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! :) We do try our best to offer the best support we can, then try improve on it more. Let us know if you need any help! We are here for you.

Brandon
Brandon
Creative Director in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Religious Institutions, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Better That the Others

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I tried several others but non compete with PDFelement. It's simple to navigate and easy to find exactly what you need to customize your documents.

Pros:

Editing PDFs is super easy, fully customizable, and works much better than other PDF editing software.

Cons:

So far, I haven't experienced anything negative with this software.

Wondershare Response

2 years ago

Thanks for your high recognition of the editing feature and we are glad to hear that you have a good experience with our PDFs. It really encourages us a lot! We'll do our best to add more powerful features in the updates and bring more benefits to our users. Thanks again!

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Marketing & Advertising, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Very easy to use and navigate

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: I am now able to generate sales collateral and incorporate advantages for as many different industries as I need without having to spend days on the process

Pros:

Without being inundated with useless features, PDFelement provides exactly what I need; a quick download with every feature and function I need to customize sales collateral, on the fly, for various industries.

Cons:

I have yet to encounter something I don’t like

Dana
Dana
Owner, Educator in US
Music, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Easy to use pdf converter/editor

4.0 5 years ago

Pros:

The ease of converting pdf to Word or Excel files, and vice versa.

Cons:

Every time I open the software, it seems to take a long time to load.

Wondershare Response

5 years ago

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! :) We do try our best to offer the best support we can, then try improve on it more. Let us know if you need any help! We are here for you.

Margaret
Owner in US
Marketing & Advertising, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Much Needed

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: Overall I am very happy with the product. I no longer am reliant on Adobe and was able to cancel my subscription. Saving me a few dollars every month.

Pros:

The two functions I use the most: 1) Converting PDF to different extensions... Word and JPG 2) Combining PDF's and moving the pages around In publishing these 2 tools are invaluable.

Cons:

So far I have not had any problems with the software. It meets all of my needs. I was disappointed when I switched to a new computer and was not able to download my PDF Element onto my new desktop. Having an online cloud version so I do not have to worry about licenses per computer would be nice. I operate off of 2 computers. One is a Mac and the other is a windows laptop.

Wondershare Response

5 years ago

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! :) We do try our best to offer the best support we can, then try improve on it more. Let us know if you need any help! We are here for you.

Daniel
Principal in US
Renewables & Environment, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

It works well for me

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: I have been able to use the product for filling in forms where alternatives, such as Word, do not function as well.

Pros:

PDFelement provides the best ability to create fillable forms that I have found. I use it all the time to facilitate data entry and collection.

Cons:

I feel the learning curve could be a bit less steep.

Wondershare Response

5 years ago

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! :) We do try our best to offer the best support we can, then try improve on it more. Let us know if you need any help! We are here for you.

YURY
No in Russia
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Wondershare PDFelement 6 Pro meets all the needs for working with PDF documents.

5.0 7 years ago

Comments: PDFelement Pro is definitely a powerful program to work with PDF documents, has an intuitive interface and a beautiful modern design and, despite the large number of features, it looks very neat. If you're looking for a powerful pDF editor, this is what you need. PDFelement Pro is suitable for work, both for professionals and ordinary users, both for commercial organizations and for private users.

Pros:

Wondershare PDFelement 6 Pro program is mostly devoid of shortcomings and is highly appreciated in the work. The program is lightweight, has great functionality and high speed. Wondershare PDFelement 6 Pro is an editor that can do anything or almost anything with PDF. Wondershare PDFelement is a General PDF document editing program, an office tool from the all-in-one series. Editing features include support for text and font changes. The program supports OCR technology (optical character recognition), there is a mode of converting a document into various popular file formats from simple and secure PDF.(Supports the following formats: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, HTML, RTF, EPUB, HWP, HWPX, Image and text documents), there is support for adding pictures in a document, you can number the pages to move quickly in the future. PDFelement is able to convert more than 300 different document and image formats including Word, Excel and PowerPoint to PDF. The resulting documents are fully compatible with Adobe Reader, Acrobat, and other current viewers. In addition to the above functions, PDFelement 6 Pro is implemented: - Convert PDF documents. - Edit the content. - Merge multiple files of different formats into a single PDF. - Removal of pages. - Protect PDF with a password. - Patterns and shapes. - Electronic digital signature. Plug - in OCR. With PDFelement PRO 6 convert PDF documents to formats has become easy and manageable.

Cons:

Would not be an objective review if you do not specify some of the shortcomings and mistakes. There are not many of them, but to mention them. Some symbols after OCR are displayed incorrectly and have to be corrected manually. However, this is not critical. There may be some errors in conversion with optical character recognition when converting tables. Sometimes there are some disadvantages of the style, where the fonts are replaced by non-similar signs. There are also conversion errors that contain more than one table. The navigation bar (scroll) on the pages of a PDF document can be made a little wider for convenience.

Halimatun
Halimatun
IT Manager in Malaysia
Verified LinkedIn User
Accounting, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Wonderful PDF editor

4.0 3 years ago

Pros:

I love PDFelement because almost every tools and editor that i need for editing PDF document can be found in here. The OCR tools is quite accurate in text scanning and can separate between text, box and picture on the document accurately. It is very hard to find an OCR tools that can do it efficiently.

Cons:

The first experience operating this software is not too smooth, as many of the tools is quite strange for me, and the manual guide is not detailed enough to explain each of the tools functionality. It might need slight learning curves, but after you passed it, this software is very helpful in editing PDF document.

Mike
Advisor in US
Higher Education, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Excellent alternative PDF editor

5.0 last year

Comments: It served my needs exactly, when I didn't want to use that *other* PDF editor

Pros:

Love the ability to edit PDFs, adding text, images, or design features. Super simple interface, easy to learn and navigate.

Cons:

The free version adds a watermark, but that's to be expected. There's nothing about the full version that isn't good - it works great, and doesn't have any issues at all.

Christian
Medical Copy Editor in Rwanda
Publishing, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Affordable and best alternative to an expensive Adobe Acrobat

4.0 2 years ago

Pros:

Intuitive user interface and no learning curve if your familiar with Adobe Acrobat. PDF editing feature is easier that that of Adobe Acrobat. The mobile application is not as heavy as Abobe's, loading faster.

Cons:

The signature feature is not as sophisticated and advanced as the competition. PDFElement is still highly priced and their free applications that can provide most of the features even if they are not all features.

Wondershare Response

2 years ago

Hi Christian. Thanks for your comprehensive review regarding PDFelement. If it is possible, would you please provide us with some similar examples showing the signature feature you want to achieve or customize? You may drop an email with more details at [email protected], then our product team can improve it in a more targeted manner. Thanks a lot for your time and patience!

crystal
VP of Professional Development in US
Real Estate, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Highly Recommend Just as good as Adobe but half the price!

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I love this product, it has saved me hundreds of hours of editing, its easy to use and has a great price.

Pros:

editing of existing documents, the ability to add watermarks and form fields. Ability to encrypt is huge for us when sending sensitive data.

Cons:

No cons that i can think of, there was a small learning curve but absolutely worth it!

Mina
It in Egypt
Human Resources, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Best PDF editor equal to Value

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: Very Useful PDF editor and highly recommended for end user specialy small business.

Pros:

very useful product, fast on edit and response time. Save time while editing large size pdf. Easy to use and verry friendly GUI

Cons:

Suddenly get warnings message from firewall there is exploit in software.

Wondershare Response

2 years ago

Hi Mina. Thanks for sharing your experience and we appreciate your HIGH recognition of its function and interface. Regarding the warnings message, could we confirm if you are still encountering this issue? If yes, you may drop an email with more details at [email protected]. We'll put your case in the 1st priority and do the needful assistance for you ASAP. Your time and patience are highly appreciated!

Wale
Wale
Editor in Nigeria
Verified LinkedIn User
Internet, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

A great alternative to Adobe Acrobat

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: PDFelement has greatly helped me in managing my business and staying productive. Filling out PDF forms, editing documents, and creating invoices are what I mostly use the program for.

Pros:

Compared to available alternatives, PDFelement is affordable. Batch processing, OCR text recognition, PDF conversion, and other tools available in this program make it the only PDF software one will ever need. The mobile version also works better than expected. It's also easy to use.

Cons:

I've been using this program for a while and honestly, I haven't been able to pinpoint something I don't particularly like about it.

Rajkumar A
Rajkumar A
Technical Process Executive (Data - Search Analyst) in India
Verified LinkedIn User
Information Technology & Services, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

PDFelement by Wondershare provides you with Beautiful, simple, and lighter experience.

5.0 5 years ago

Pros:

The first thing that attracts you about PDFelement is the GUI. It is very beautiful to the eyes and clean and well-organized. But more than that, it is so simple to use, coming with almost all the PDF solutions and features you would need. Definitely a 5/5 since I have been using it from quite long, and it has never disappointed. And yes, by lighter I mean the system memory it uses, and the setup file being clean and not bundled with bloatwares, etc..

Cons:

I just wish it was portable too, and had a lifetime with free upgrades subscription also.

Dale
Dale
Application Programmer II in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Utilities, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great Alternative to Adobe PDF

4.0 3 years ago

Comments: We use it every day to edit and modify PDF files. It's fast and it adheres to most drag and drop movements. However, if multiple PDF files needs to be combined, it needs to be done one by one.

Pros:

This is a great piece of software that is an awesome substitution for Adobe Acrobat. It works well and the compression is nice, but it is not that lossless. It works, but it does downscale some graphics.

Cons:

The licensing model really needs to be improved. There is a charge for every upgrade, although at the time of purchase, nothing like this was mentioned. Being that there are lots of licenses that were involved, this upgrade fee would be quite expensive.

Jihye
Video producer in South Korea
Verified LinkedIn User
Media Production, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Excellent platform-integrated PDF editor, way to go

5.0 2 years ago

Pros:

Worked with Acrobat PRO on a MAC platform for years; the company's migration to PDFelement was not only economical but also incredibly practical. With MAC, the connection is significantly more seamless. The application is a "luxury" piece of software for free since it offers so many tools. Among many other features, we may annotate PDF documents by removing text, merging documents, compressing, taking a picture of the page, adding photos, and safeguarding it. Highlight for the OCR reader, which does a great job at converting closed PDF files into editable documents. The application, which is compatible with both Windows and Mac, is quite small and performs admirably on any computer. The following are a few of the many beneficial aspects that stick out.

Cons:

Setting up your own previewer for Microsoft Outlook and Explorer is required. There is a solution, but they won't recognise it, so they removed it from their blog (marking it as spam) since it made reference to a rival's product. When the question was forwarded to their email support, they didn't offer a recommendation or anything more than a simple "it's not supported" response. It was up to me to locate it.

Michael
Michael
Managing Director Cloud Transformation in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Banking, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Document management and modification.

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: We use it to manage our documents securely and to speed up the approval process for signatures and quotations.Overall it allows us to edit and generate documents, have pre-determined leads and keep better control of expenses and contract compliance.It helps to generate documents and update them as conditions change.

Pros:

I like that it allows us to speed up the approval of budgets for software and hardware purchases and upgrades, which is important because the IT sector is a sensitive area of investment for our company.Our work teams exchange documents with specifications and modifications very regularly so this tool is of intensive use for us.

Cons:

There is nothing I dislike about this software.

Henk
Head of Content in South Africa
E-Learning, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Great product

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: We can easily convert PDF documents to picture formats for social media posts and the main advantage of this tool is that we can edit and combine any type of PDF and export to all the most popular formats.

Pros:

Great alternative to products such as Adobe Acrobat. More flexibility in terms of licensing in that you can buy a perpetual license and month to month licensing is also way more cost effective for a medium size enterprise. User interface is easy to navigate and I can perform all the functions required to manage PDF documents.

Cons:

The teams management portal can do with a revamp. It is not that easy to assign and move team members

Wondershare Response

5 years ago

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! :) We do try our best to offer the best support we can, then try improve on it more. Let us know if you need any help! We are here for you.

Richard
Physician CEO in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Great everyday pdf reader/editor

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I use it for all things PDF usually. I use it for the digital signature feature, to edit faxed PDF documents so I don’t have to print it out. It’s also helpful to combine pdf documents, to extract, or delete specific pages.

Pros:

That it was an all in one product. It is able to read pdf, able to edit pdf, convert to pdf, has OCR, has digital signature, and able to control permissions.

Cons:

I thought being a lifetime subscription meant my lifetime. I later realized that the product’s subscription life was covered and that newer product version update which were released several months afterwards was not included in the one time purchase price.