Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free Adobe tool for reading, merging, or converting PDF documents. It's different from Adobe Acrobat, which is a paid tool with more in-depth editing and creation features. The free PDFgear tool is similar to Acrobat Reader, and if you're trying to avoid Adobe products, it's the perfect tool to swap to for a variety of reasons. PDFgear is one of the best PDF editors you can find, so it easily compares against Acrobat Reader and is a great choice if looking for an alternative tool.
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6 Accessible from desktop or phone
A multitude of platforms
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For desktop use, you can install PDFgear on Windows and Mac operating systems. For more portable use, It's also available for iPhone and Android devices. It's downloadable from all official app stores for those devices but also available via the browser if you don't wish to install anything.
You can use PDFgear without the need for the internet, ramping up accessible and portable options for the tool.
Using the phone app, you can easily scan documents, fill out documents, and edit your PDF documents straight from your phone without needing a computer. The features are the same across both the desktop and mobile apps, so you're not forfeiting functionality when using the portable version.
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5 Totally free for use
No paywalls to be seen
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PDFgear is made as a competitive tool to Adobe Acrobat, with one of its major marketable features being cost-free access.
At the time of writing, PDFgear is 100% free and sustained with on-page ads on the browser version. The developers have stated they plan to add a premium tier to PDFgear, which will likely include AI-powered features, but currently, this isn't the case, and there's no paid plan.
The apps and software are free to install, and there are no subscriptions or one-off payments to use any PDFgear tool. You get a lot for a free tool. Even if or when PDFgear adds a paid tier, I believe they'll do it modestly so that it doesn't deprive loyal users of the current free features.
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4 Integrated AI features
Intelligent document handling
The integrated AI tools in PDFgear help you make your documents the best they can be; they're only available from the phone version of PDFgear and work similarly to Adobe Acrobat's AI Assistant which is a paid add-on for AI intelligence that helps read and summarize your documents. The PDFgear AI tools can help you write, summarize, and edit your documents -- and they're currently included for free.
Chat PDF lets you interact directly with your PDF documents, allowing the tool to copilot your files. It can read and summarize your documents, translate them into multiple languages, and rewrite them if needed.
You can use the generative AI feature like an intelligent proofreader, as it suggests corrections and fixes typos.
The PDF copilot works like an AI assistant in PDFgear. Send instant messages to your PDF copilot, and watch the work be done in seconds. Ask it to do a task, and it will comply.
The AI features are not overbearing, so if you'd prefer to use PDFgear without AI use, it's easily achievable.
3 Helpful online community
You'll easily find help and support
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Although PDFgear isn't an open-source tool, its developers are active on Reddit, answering queries, advising on best-use scenarios, and noting reported issues and feature requests to improve the tool.
PDFgear is a popular PDF reader, so you'll find many users online, too. The online community for Acrobat alternatives is more active than that for Acrobat users, and you'll find a sense of community help easier.
The blog page on the PDFgear website has helpful tutorials and advice on best use cases for a variety of PDFgear tools and features. If you don't find what you're looking for, the Subreddit for PDFgear will respond with an answer quickly. It feels like working with a live help team.
2 Fillable forms
Fill and sign from multiple devices
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There aren't many free tools that allow for fillable PDF editing, but PDFgear lets you fill in forms in multiple ways. While it doesn't currently have features to create fillable forms from scratch, it's a potential future feature -- and to compare it to Acrobat Reader, you also can't create fillable forms in the free version.
You can use the fill-and-sign feature to add text to forms, such as signing legal contracts or answering questionnaires. You can do this from both desktop or phone apps, with similar UI across the board.
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1 Newly added features often
It's still a new tool
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PDFgear has only been released since 2022. When you compare this to Acrobat Reader, which has been around since 1993, it's impressive to see how many tools and features PDFgear has mastered in a short time.
The PDFgear team of developers is always adding new features, continuing support, and fixing issues that arise. In such a short space of time, there's no telling how incredible PDFgear will become in five or ten more years. It's great to invest your time in this tool now and learn new features as they're released.
PDFgear
See at Official Site
Free and easy PDF editing
Even if PDFgear adds a paid tier, it still measures up against Adobe Acrobat's paid tool and will likely be much cheaper. If that isn't reason enough to make the switch to PDFgear, then avoiding larger corporations like Adobe might be a better selling point for you. The PDFgear team is small but mighty in terms of the development and implementation of new features. It's always good to have a PDF reader or editing tool available. Although Adobe Acrobat typically takes a monopoly in this realm, PDFgear is the perfect alternative you should install instead.
