Adobe Acrobat vs Smallpdf
Adobe Acrobat and Smallpdf are both PDF & document tools tools. Adobe Acrobat is aimed at enterprise and small businesses, while Smallpdf is aimed at small businesses and freelancers. Adobe Acrobat costs less, from $14.99/mo versus $15/mo for Smallpdf. Both have a free plan.
Adobe's PDF editor, converter and e-signature suite with AI tools
Compress, convert, edit and sign PDFs online
| Pricing | Freemium · $15 | Freemium · $15 |
| Starting price | $14.99/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
| Built for | Enterprise, Small businesses, Freelancers | Small businesses, Freelancers |
| Platforms | web, windows, macos, ios, android | web, macos, windows, ios, android |
| Country | US · 1993 | CH · 2013 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Adobe Acrobat if
Professionals and organizations that work with PDFs every day and need reliable editing, OCR, redaction and e-signatures.
- Reference implementation of the PDF format with the best fidelity
- Complete toolset from editing to OCR, redaction and e-sign
- Free Acrobat Reader covers viewing, commenting and signing
Look elsewhere if: Occasional users who only convert or compress files now and then (Smallpdf, iLovePDF, Foxit).
Choose Smallpdf if
Individuals and small teams needing occasional PDF tasks.
- Very easy to use
- Works in any browser
- Good security (Swiss)
Look elsewhere if: Heavy editing workflows (Acrobat, Foxit).
Adobe Acrobat vs Smallpdf pricing
Adobe Acrobat
- Acrobat Reader$0View, comment, fill and sign PDFs
- Acrobat Standard$14.99/moAnnual plan billed monthly; edit, convert, e-sign
- Acrobat Pro$19.99/moAnnual plan billed monthly; $29.99 month-to-month
- Acrobat Studio$24.99/moAnnual plan billed monthly; Pro plus AI Assistant, PDF Spaces
- Acrobat Pro for teams$23.99/license/moAnnual plan billed monthly; admin console
Smallpdf
- Free$0About 2 tasks/day, ~5 MB files
- Pro$15/moUnlimited tasks, all tools; yearly billing is 25% cheaper
- Pro for Teams$12/user/mo2+ users; team management, central billing
- BusinessCustomQuote-only; custom roles, priority support
Adobe Acrobat · Key features
- Edit text and images directly in PDFs
- Convert PDFs to and from Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- OCR to make scanned documents searchable and editable
- Redaction, file comparison and PDF/A and accessibility tools
- Request e-signatures with web forms and reusable templates
- AI Assistant for summaries and questions across documents
Cons
- Expensive compared with Foxit, Smallpdf or iLovePDF
- Annual plans billed monthly carry an early cancellation fee
- Desktop app is heavy and frequently promotes upsells
Smallpdf · Key features
- Compress, merge, split and rotate PDFs
- Convert PDF to/from Word, Excel, PPT, JPG
- Edit text and annotate
- OCR for scanned documents
- E-signatures and signature requests
- AI PDF summaries and chat
Cons
- Free tier limited to 2 tasks/day
- Editing less powerful than Acrobat
- Subscription for occasional use
Adobe Acrobat vs Smallpdf: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Adobe Acrobat or Smallpdf?
Adobe Acrobat starts at $14.99/mo and Smallpdf at $15/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Adobe Acrobat and Smallpdf have a free plan?
Yes, both Adobe Acrobat and Smallpdf have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.