DocHub vs Foxit PDF Editor

DocHub is a browser-based PDF editor and e-signature app. Chris Devor, who earlier built the iPhone utility maker Macroplant, launched it in October 2014, and it grew mainly through its Google Workspace Marketplace add-on, which has passed 57 million installs. In July 2022 airSlate acquired DocHub. Its core job is to open a PDF from Drive, Gmail or your computer, edit or fill it, sign it and send it out without installing desktop software.

The editor handles text edits, highlights, drawings, comments, page reordering, merging and splitting. Documents can go to several signers in a set order, with templates and an audit trail. Files can be opened from Google Drive, Gmail and Google Classroom as well as Dropbox, Box and OneDrive. The free plan shares three uses per month across core features; Basic and Pro are low-cost per-user subscriptions, and a Site License covers whole schools or companies.

DocHub fits teachers, freelancers and small teams living in Google Workspace who sign and annotate documents occasionally. It is not a full replacement for Adobe Acrobat when you need advanced PDF production or desktop editing, and its signing workflows are lighter than dedicated e-sign suites. pdfFiller has a bigger form library and signNow focuses on high-volume e-sign workflows and APIs, both from the same parent company.

Buying tip: prices are localised, so European visitors see euros instead of dollars, and annual billing cuts about 25%. Because airSlate owns three overlapping products, compare limits across DocHub, pdfFiller and signNow before you commit.

Foxit PDF Editor is a full-featured PDF editor from Foxit Software, a company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Fremont, California. It runs on Windows and macOS, with mobile apps and a web version, and is one of the most widely used alternatives to Adobe Acrobat in businesses, schools and public institutions.

The editor covers the full document lifecycle: editing text and images directly in a PDF, converting to and from Office formats, OCR for scanned documents, redaction, creating and filling forms, comparing two versions, adding comments, protecting files with passwords and certificates, and collecting signatures through Foxit eSign. An AI assistant summarizes, translates and answers questions about documents. Licensing is mainly by annual subscription, and a one-time perpetual license is still offered; the PDF Editor+ tier adds eSign and cloud features, and Business licensing supports volume deployment and admin control. The free Foxit PDF Reader remains available for viewing and basic annotation.

Foxit fits organizations that need Acrobat-level capability at lower cost and want a fast editor that deploys easily across many desktops. The interface is dense, some advanced features sit in higher tiers, and brand recognition is lower than Adobe's. Adobe Acrobat remains the reference standard, Nitro PDF targets similar business buyers, and occasional users are better served by online tools such as Smallpdf or iLovePDF.