Office programs are now equipped with plugins that convert documents to PDF by default. Many of them offer a similarly large range of functions.įor private users who only want to read PDFs or create them from other formats, a free PDF reader is often sufficient. Alternatives to Adobe Acrobat are often less expensive – whether as a subscription or as a purchase version. But if you want to avoid ongoing costs or constant updates, other providers also offer this one-time payment model. For large business customers, this is a practical solution since updates and support are included. In the meantime, a subscription system was introduced that lowered the price. For a long time, anyone who wanted to use the tools to their full extent had to buy the rather expensive complete version of the product. Adobe Acrobat is a product family for PDF solutions.