--- title: "Best PDFCreator Alternatives 2026 | Capterra" description: "Looking for alternatives to PDFCreator? Find out how PDFCreator stacks up against its competitors with real user reviews, pricing information, and what features they offer." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/170829/PDFCreator/alternatives/" page_type: "alternatives" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-21" --- # PDFCreator alternatives Last updated on October 21st, 2026 The best PDFCreator alternatives are Publuu (best overall), Jotform (best free plan), Adobe Acrobat Reader (best budget option), and Adobe Acrobat (most reviewed). Together they hold 18,502 verified Capterra reviews, with overall ratings from 4.6 to 4.9 out of 5. PDFCreator itself holds 4.6 out of 5 across 421 reviews. ### PDFCreator - Rating: 4.6 out of 5 (421 reviews) - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 - Starting price: $29.00 /user/yr - Key features: 5 of 6 top category features --- ## Top alternatives PDFCreator alternatives compared | Product | Rating difference | Ease of use | Starting price | Key features | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Jotform](https://www.capterra.com/p/158456/JotForm-4-0/) — 4.7 out of 5 (2,930 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $39.00 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [ABBYY FineReader PDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/65868/ABBYY-FineReader/) — 4.7 out of 5 (451 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.5 out of 5 | $16.00 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) — 4.7 out of 5 (4,266 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $14.99 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) — 4.6 out of 5 (10,549 reviews) | Rated the same as this product | 4.5 out of 5 | $1.95 /mo | 5 of 6 top category features | | [iLovePDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/173963/iLovePDF/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,809 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.8 out of 5 | $9.00 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Foxit PDF Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/175376/Foxit-PDF-Reader/) — 4.5 out of 5 (946 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.6 out of 5 | $11.22 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Smallpdf](https://www.capterra.com/p/172606/Smallpdf/) — 4.7 out of 5 (1,019 reviews) | Rated 0.1 higher than this product | 4.7 out of 5 | $12.00 /user/mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Nitro PDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/167449/Nitro/) — 4.5 out of 5 (582 reviews) | Rated 0.1 lower than this product | 4.5 out of 5 | $15.00 /user/mo | 6 of 6 top category features | | [Publuu](https://www.capterra.com/p/214310/Publuu/) — 4.9 out of 5 (757 reviews) | Rated 0.3 higher than this product | 4.9 out of 5 | $7.00 /user/mo | 3 of 6 top category features | | [pdfFiller](https://www.capterra.com/p/162654/PDFfiller/) — 4.6 out of 5 (994 reviews) | Rated the same as this product | 4.5 out of 5 | $8.00 /mo | 6 of 6 top category features | --- ## Top Free alternatives to PDFCreator The best free alternatives to PDFCreator are Jotform, ABBYY FineReader PDF, and Adobe Acrobat — all three offer a free plan alongside paid tiers. ### [Jotform](https://www.capterra.com/p/158456/JotForm-4-0/) — 4.7 out of 5 (2,930 reviews) - Free options: Free version - Starting price: $39.00 /mo ### [ABBYY FineReader PDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/65868/ABBYY-FineReader/) — 4.7 out of 5 (451 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $16.00 /mo ### [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) — 4.7 out of 5 (4,266 reviews) - Free options: Free trial - Starting price: $14.99 /mo --- ## Top alternatives for SMBs Among reviewers from companies with 1-200 employees, the highest-rated PDFCreator alternatives are Publuu (4.9), Adobe Acrobat (4.7), and Adobe Acrobat Reader (4.7). ### [Publuu](https://www.capterra.com/p/214310/Publuu/) - 382 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5 across 382 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.9 out of 5 across 382 SMB reviews > "One downside is that some advanced customization features are limited unless you upgrade to a higher plan." — Eduard S., Maarketing (February 18, 2026) ### [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) - 2,075 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.7 out of 5 across 2,075 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.6 out of 5 across 2,072 SMB reviews > "It takes too long to open large PDF files, edit something, and convert documents to other formats." — Samiksha C., Security Operations (July 24, 2026) ### [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) - 5,042 SMB reviewers say - Overall rating: 4.7 out of 5 across 5,042 SMB reviews - Ease of use: 4.5 out of 5 across 5,042 SMB reviews > "I currently dislike the feature of opening photos as a PDF, which requires me to use my Adobe subscription to export the created PDF as a jpeg file when it started out as an image file." — Ann B., Public Information Supervisor (February 27, 2026) --- ## Why do teams switch from PDFCreator? Of the 30 Capterra reviewers who reported switching away from PDFCreator, the most common destinations were Adobe Acrobat, iLovePDF, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and Foxit PDF Reader. ### What users preferred ### [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) - 4.7 out of 5 (4,266 reviews) — 13 reviewers switched here > "Partially because we were also installing Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign: but mostly because of the powerful tools and editing. As well as installing the suite of apps on key users; we bought additional Acrobat Pro licences for all users." — Jon J., HR Coordinator (January 13, 2026) ### [iLovePDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/173963/iLovePDF/) - 4.7 out of 5 (1,809 reviews) — 8 reviewers switched here > "iLovePDF is Way easier to use in everyday tasks. It's a no brainer" — Francesco P., CEO (February 5, 2026) ### [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) - 4.6 out of 5 (10,549 reviews) — 5 reviewers switched here > "Adobe Acrobat Reader es mejor software cuando se trata de edición de PDF" — Sebastian V., Estudiante (November 30, 2022) ### [Foxit PDF Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/175376/Foxit-PDF-Reader/) - 4.5 out of 5 (946 reviews) — 4 reviewers switched here > "I like that have more functions and option to edit or read pdfs" — Reynaldo V., Network Specialist (September 26, 2024) --- ## Find software for your specific use case ### PDF - [Xodo PDF Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/10027913/Xodo-PDF-Studio/) - [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) — 4.6 out of 5 (10,549 reviews) - [Adobe Acrobat](https://www.capterra.com/p/251329/Adobe-Acrobat-DC/) — 4.7 out of 5 (4,266 reviews) ### PDF Editor - [ABBYY FineReader PDF](https://www.capterra.com/p/65868/ABBYY-FineReader/) — 4.7 out of 5 (451 reviews) - [Xodo PDF Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/10027913/Xodo-PDF-Studio/) - [Adobe Acrobat Reader](https://www.capterra.com/p/170833/Acrobat-Reader-DC/) — 4.6 out of 5 (10,549 reviews) ### Digital Signature - [HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/) — 4.7 out of 5 (693 reviews) - [Docusign](https://www.capterra.com/p/121506/Docusign/) — 4.7 out of 5 (9,517 reviews) - [Box](https://www.capterra.com/p/148766/Box/) — 4.4 out of 5 (5,655 reviews) ---