European Alternatives to Foxit
Looking for a European alternative to Foxit? Foxit Software Incorporated is a Fremont, California company whose Terms of Service are governed by California law, with disputes heard exclusively in the courts of San Jose.
Eleven European tools cover editing, merging, converting and signing PDFs: web toolboxes, desktop editors, an open-source splitter and merger, an office suite with a PDF editor and an Austrian SDK, from companies in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Latvia, the United Kingdom, Austria and Cyprus.
How we rank these tools — 4-step process
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1
European ownership, verified
The company is headquartered and incorporated in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and processes customer data in Europe. A US parent company disqualifies a tool from this page regardless of where its servers are.
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2
Category fit and hands-on review
What the tool actually does, who it suits, and where it falls short — checked against the vendor’s own documentation, changelog and pricing page rather than its marketing copy.
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3
Compliance and pricing check
GDPR posture, hosting location and the prices quoted on this page are verified against the vendor’s public pricing before publication, and re-checked when we revisit the category.
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Position on this page
Placement on this page can be paid, and that can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. It never buys a good review: a tool that fails the checks above is not here at any price, and payment does not change the shortcomings we write about. A vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect which tools appear here and the order they appear in. Editorial policy
11 European Alternatives to Foxit
PDF24
Berlin PDF toolbox that is free on the web and as a Windows desktop app, with OCR included
Sejda
Amsterdam PDF editor on the web and desktop, from EUR 71 a year with a free plan and Dutch law
iLovePDF
Barcelona PDF toolbox with a free tier and Premium at EUR 5 a month on annual billing, plus Business with SSO
Smallpdf
Zurich web PDF toolbox with 30+ tools, a free tier and an e-signature product under Swiss law
PDFsam
Italian desktop PDF splitter and merger, free and open source (AGPL) in Basic, files never leave your machine
ONLYOFFICE
Latvian office suite with a free PDF editor for annotating, editing and filling forms on Windows, Linux and macOS
PDF-XChange Editor
English desktop PDF editor sold as a perpetual licence from EUR 57 plus VAT, with a free version
Nutrient
Vienna PDF SDK and document platform, with Austrian-law SDK terms and a US group address to check
PDF Candy
Web PDF tools from Icecream Apps in Limassol, with uploaded files deleted after two hours and Cypriot law
PDF2Go
Radolfzell web PDF tools on a credit system with a free plan, German law and no training of AI on your files
PDFCreator
Hamburg Windows PDF printer with a free edition and Professional, Terminal Server and Server editions
Key takeaways
- Foxit Software Incorporated is a California company; its terms apply California law and the courts of San Jose, and its German subsidiary is named only as EU representative.
- PDF24 (Berlin) is free on the web and as a Windows desktop app, with OCR included, so it is the easiest to try.
- Sejda (Amsterdam) is the closest editor on price and shape, at EUR 71 a year for web plus desktop, with Dutch law.
- iLovePDF (Barcelona) lists Premium at EUR 5 a month on annual billing and offers Business with SSO.
- PDFsam and ONLYOFFICE give a free, local option, one for splitting and merging and one for editing and forms.
- Nutrient is an SDK for developers, not a replacement for a Foxit seat, and its group has a US address to check against the Austrian-law terms.
Why people leave Foxit
Foxit is the PDF editor people buy when they want Acrobat-style editing without Acrobat pricing. On its own site it lists PDF Editor at $10.99 a month or $131.88 a year, PDF Editor+ at $159.99 a year (with AI credits and 150 eSign envelopes), and a perpetual licence at $209.99 for Windows or macOS without AI or cloud features, with a 14-day trial. Those are the figures shown to us, and prices can differ by country.
The contract is with Foxit Software Incorporated of Fremont, California. Its Terms of Service, effective 27 June 2025, are governed by the laws of California, and any action must be brought in the federal or state courts in San Jose. There is no arbitration clause.
Foxit does have a German subsidiary: Foxit Europe GmbH in Berlin is named in its privacy policy as the EU representative, not as the contracting party. The policy relies on the EU standard contractual clauses and the Data Privacy Framework for transfers, and says that account details of EU customers currently sit in the United States.
This page covers the people-facing side of PDF work: editing, merging, converting, OCR, forms and signing. Eleven European tools qualify, and they differ more in shape than in price: web toolboxes, desktop editors, an open-source merger, an office suite and an SDK for developers.
- A California contract with San Jose courts Foxit's terms put the agreement under California law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in San Jose, with no arbitration. Governing law is stated in the terms we opened for Germany (PDF2Go), the Netherlands (Sejda), Spain (iLovePDF), Switzerland (Smallpdf), Austria (Nutrient) and Cyprus (PDF Candy). For PDF24, PDFCreator, PDFsam, ONLYOFFICE and PDF-XChange the company is verified but no governing law was stated in the pages we could open.
- EU representation is not an EU contract Foxit Europe GmbH in Berlin handles privacy matters for EU residents, but the terms name Foxit Software Incorporated and its affiliates as the party. Foxit also lists servers in the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan. A tool that processes locally (PDFsam, the PDF24 desktop app, Sejda Desktop) or deletes uploads quickly (PDF Candy states two hours) reduces what has to be justified.
- You can pay a lot less, or nothing PDF24 is free, PDFsam Basic is free and open source, ONLYOFFICE's PDF editor is free, and PDF-XChange sells a perpetual licence from EUR 57 plus VAT. Among the paid web tools, Sejda lists EUR 71 a year and iLovePDF Premium EUR 5 a month on annual billing, against $131.88 a year for Foxit's entry subscription. Foxit's perpetual option at $209.99 is cheaper than a long subscription, which is a real point in its favour.
- Different jobs, different tools PDF24, Smallpdf, iLovePDF, PDF Candy and PDF2Go are toolboxes that cover the everyday operations. Sejda and PDF-XChange are the editors. PDFsam handles splitting and merging offline. ONLYOFFICE puts a PDF editor inside an office suite, PDFCreator makes PDFs from any Windows program, and Nutrient is for developers building PDF features into their own software.
What you have to replace, not just match
List what your Foxit seats do: editing text in existing PDFs, filling and building forms, OCR, redaction, signing, or batch processing. Everyday merging, splitting and converting is covered by almost anything here. Heavier editing narrows the choice to Sejda, PDF-XChange or ONLYOFFICE, and any AI features or eSign envelopes you use in Foxit PDF Editor+ need a separate answer.
Decide whether files may leave the machine. If they may not, use the desktop options (PDFsam, PDF-XChange, the PDF24 Windows app, ONLYOFFICE) and keep the web tools for non-sensitive files. Keep the old licence running until your team has done a normal month of work in the new one, because perpetual Foxit licences do not depend on a subscription.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | PDF24 | Berlin, Germany | Completely free, web and desktop | EU (Germany) |
| #2 | Sejda | Netherlands | Free with daily limits / web from about $7.50 per month / desktop licence available | EU (Netherlands) |
| #3 | iLovePDF | Barcelona, Spain | Free with limits / Premium from about €4 per month / API priced separately | EU (Spain) |
| #4 | Smallpdf | Zurich, Switzerland | Free with daily limits / Pro from about €9 per month | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #5 | PDFsam | Bibbiano, Italy | PDFsam Basic free and open source; PDFsam Visual and Enhanced sold as an annual subscription or a one-time perpetual licence, price shown at checkout | EU (Italy) |
| #6 | ONLYOFFICE | Riga, Latvia | Free desktop and self-hosted Community / DocSpace Business $20 per admin per month | EU (Latvia) |
| #7 | PDF-XChange Editor | Bolney, West Sussex, United Kingdom | PDF-XChange Editor from about €56 per user, PDF-XChange Editor Plus from about €71 per user — one-time perpetual licences including a year of maintenance | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #8 | Nutrient | Vienna, Austria | Custom licensing by platform and deployment | EU (Austria) |
| #11 | PDFCreator | Hamburg, Germany | Free edition free; Professional from about $22-29 per workstation per year (volume discounts from 10 units), excl. VAT; Server and Terminal Server editions quoted separately | EU (Germany) |
How each alternative compares to Foxit
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Germany (online) or entirely local (desktop).
- Source code. Closed source, as Foxit is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: Anyone whose use is merging, converting, compressing and OCR on a small budget
PDF24 is run by geek software GmbH in Berlin (HRB 100865 B, Amtsgericht Charlottenburg). Its homepage describes the service as 100% free, with a PDF OCR tool that creates searchable PDFs, and there is a downloadable Windows app, PDF24 Creator.
We did not find a paid tier or an account requirement on the pages we opened. Its imprint and homepage did not state a governing law, and the privacy policy was not opened, so server location and legal terms are not verified here.
It is a toolbox for operations, not a full editor that rewrites text in an existing PDF.
What PDF24 does better than Foxit
- Free, where Foxit PDF Editor starts at $10.99 a month
- German company with a full imprint and a Berlin register entry
- OCR included without a fee
- A downloadable Windows app alongside the web tools
Where PDF24 is a step down from Foxit
- Not a text editor like Foxit PDF Editor
- No enterprise support contract that we could find
- The desktop app is for Windows
- Governing law and server location not verified here
Standout against Foxit. It is the only tool here that is free at every volume on both web and desktop.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Netherlands). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU; desktop version processes locally.
- Source code. Closed source, as Foxit is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: People who need to edit text and forms in PDFs on web or desktop
Sejda BV is a Dutch company at Keurenplein 41, Amsterdam (KvK 68286945). Its terms, effective 28 March 2026, are governed by the laws of the Netherlands, with disputes submitted to the competent court in Amsterdam. Billing runs through FastSpring as seller on the invoice.
Pricing is on the page: a week pass at EUR 5.50, EUR 8.50 a month or EUR 71 a year for web, and EUR 71 a year for web plus desktop. A free plan has page and hourly limits, and volume discounts start at 2 users.
It is a focused editor and toolbox. It has no equivalent of Foxit's AI credits and eSign bundle on the pages we saw.
What Sejda does better than Foxit
- EUR 71 a year, against $131.88 a year for Foxit's entry subscription
- Dutch company with Dutch law and an Amsterdam court
- Desktop and web plans from one vendor
- Volume discounts that start at 2 users
Where Sejda is a step down from Foxit
- Free plan limits arrive quickly
- No perpetual licence
- No AI credits or eSign bundle visible
- Billing goes through a third-party merchant of record
Standout against Foxit. It combines a public per-user price, a desktop edition and Dutch law in one plan.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Spain). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU.
- Source code. Closed source, as Foxit is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: Teams that process many files and want SSO on a business plan
iLovePDF is operated by ILOVEPDF, S.L. in Barcelona (NIF B-66921552, registered in the Mercantile Registry of Barcelona). Its terms apply Spanish law and the exclusive courts of Barcelona, with the usual consumer exceptions, after 15 business days of attempted settlement.
Premium is listed at EUR 5 a month on annual billing (EUR 60 a year) or EUR 9 monthly, for 1 to 25 users, with unlimited processing across web, mobile and desktop and 2,000 AI credits. Business is custom-priced for 25+ users with a dedicated account manager and SSO. The free tier limits file size to 100 MB on most tools, against 4 GB on Premium.
It is a toolbox, not a text editor.
What iLovePDF does better than Foxit
- Premium at EUR 5 a month on annual billing, below Foxit's entry price
- Spanish company with Spanish law and Barcelona courts
- Business plan with SSO and a named account manager
- AI credits included in Premium
Where iLovePDF is a step down from Foxit
- Not a text editor in the Foxit sense
- Free tier limits are tight for bulk work
- Uploads files to the service
- Business pricing is not published
Standout against Foxit. It is the only toolbox here with a published business tier that includes SSO.
- Which law reaches it. Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Switzerland.
- Source code. Closed source, as Foxit is.
- Independently checked. ISO 27001, GDPR.
Best for: People who want the web workflow and an e-signature product from one company
Smallpdf AG is a Swiss company at Steinstrasse 21, Zurich. Its terms, dated Zurich, January 2026, say the relationship is with Smallpdf AG and that the services are governed by the laws of Switzerland.
The pricing page lists Free and Pro and says Free includes 30+ document management tools with limited downloads and a free Sign.com account limited to 2 documents a month. The amounts on the page are rendered in the browser, so no figure is quoted here.
It is a hosted service, so files are uploaded, and the page names payment providers in the UK, Luxembourg and Ireland in its privacy notice.
What Smallpdf does better than Foxit
- Swiss company and Swiss law, where Foxit is Californian
- A signing product from the same company, with a free account
- A free tier for occasional use
- No installation needed
Where Smallpdf is a step down from Foxit
- Prices could not be verified from the page
- Free tier has download limits
- Files are uploaded to the service
- Switzerland is outside the EU
Standout against Foxit. It pairs a PDF toolbox with a signing product, Sign.com, under the same Swiss company.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Italy). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Source code. Open source, where Foxit is not: you can read what it does rather than take the description on trust.
Best for: People who split, merge and rotate PDFs and want nothing uploaded
PDFsam is made by Sober Lemur S.r.l. (IT02771170350) in Bibbiano, Reggio Emilia, Italy. Basic is free and open source under AGPL-3.0 with no sign-up, watermarks or file limits. Visual is sold as a one-time purchase or a yearly subscription with a 14-day trial, and Enhanced as a yearly subscription.
Its privacy policy says that all applications process PDF files locally and that no content is uploaded from the desktop applications.
One catch: the same policy says PDFsam Enhanced falls under LULU Software's privacy terms, so the contract for that edition may not be Italian. We list Basic and Visual.
What PDFsam does better than Foxit
- A free open-source edition with no limits
- Files stay on your machine
- Italian company with a published registration number
- A one-time purchase option on Visual
Where PDFsam is a step down from Foxit
- Splitting and merging, not a full text editor
- Enhanced edition is tied to a different company
- Prices for Visual and Enhanced were not shown in plain text
- Desktop only
Standout against Foxit. The Basic edition is open source, so the code can be read and run without any contract.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Latvia). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. EU, or self-hosted.
- Source code. Open source, where Foxit is not: you can read what it does rather than take the description on trust.
Best for: Teams that want PDF editing and forms next to documents and spreadsheets
ONLYOFFICE is made by Ascensio System SIA in Riga, Latvia, which its legal terms name as the contracting party. Its PDF editor page says you can view, edit, annotate and create PDFs, convert PDF to DOCX, and create and fill in PDF forms, in a free online version and in desktop apps for Windows, Linux and macOS.
We did not find a governing law or a registration number in the pages we opened, and prices for its paid cloud and enterprise products were not shown on the PDF page.
It is a bigger install than a single-purpose PDF tool.
What ONLYOFFICE does better than Foxit
- Free PDF editing and form filling
- Desktop apps on Windows, Linux and macOS
- PDFs and the source documents in one product
- Latvian company that names itself as the contracting party
Where ONLYOFFICE is a step down from Foxit
- Governing law and registration number not verified here
- More software than someone who only needs a PDF tool
- No AI credit or eSign bundle comparable to Foxit PDF Editor+ on the page
- Paid prices not shown on the PDF page
Standout against Foxit. PDF editing and form building are part of a free office suite.
- Which law reaches it. United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Source code. Closed source, as Foxit is.
Best for: Windows users who want to buy once, as with Foxit's perpetual licence
PDF-XChange Co Ltd is registered in England (no. 11091579) and is described on its site as a subsidiary of Tracker Software Products. Its terms of use give a Bolney, West Sussex address and name no governing law or court, so the legal frame for a licence is in its licence agreement, which we did not open.
Its pricing page lists EUR prices excluding VAT, such as EUR 57 for a single-user standard Editor, with perpetual licences and optional maintenance for new releases, and a free version. It says it does not refund after a licence key is issued.
What PDF-XChange Editor does better than Foxit
- Perpetual licence from EUR 57 plus VAT, below Foxit's $209.99
- A free version to test with
- Volume pricing up to 1000+ users
- English-registered company
Where PDF-XChange Editor is a step down from Foxit
- Terms name no governing law or court
- No refunds after the key is issued
- Parent group not researched, so jurisdiction is less clear
- UK is outside the EU
Standout against Foxit. It is the only European editor here sold on perpetual licences with optional maintenance.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Austria). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Where the data sits. Runs in your application; on-premise processing available.
- Source code. Closed source, as Foxit is.
- Independently checked. GDPR.
Best for: Developers who use or are considering the Foxit SDK
Nutrient, formerly PSPDFKit, sells PDF viewing, editing and document components for developers. Its website and SDK terms name PSPDFKit GmbH as Nutrient and apply Austrian law, with Vienna as the forum.
Its legal notice lists six entities, with a Raleigh, North Carolina address first, then PSPDFKit GmbH in Vienna, Orpalis Imaging SAS in Paris and two UK companies. The data controller named for the website is the US entity. So the contract entity on your order matters.
Prices were not checked, and it is not an end-user tool.
What Nutrient does better than Foxit
- Austrian-law terms for the website and SDK agreements
- Aimed at embedding PDF capability in your own product
- Entities in Austria, France and the UK
- Licensed to developers, so the PDF features sit inside your own product
Where Nutrient is a step down from Foxit
- US address listed first, and a US data controller for the website
- Not an application for staff
- Prices not checked
- Requires engineering time
Standout against Foxit. It is the only entry here aimed at developers embedding PDF features.
PDF Candy
quick web tools with a short retention window
Best for: Occasional conversions where a two-hour deletion window is enough
PDF Candy belongs to Icecream Apps Limited, registered at Amathountos 120, Limassol, Cyprus, and its privacy policy applies the law of the Republic of Cyprus. It states that uploaded files and the output files are kept on its servers for up to 2 hours.
It is a web toolbox for common PDF operations. We did not open its pricing page, its terms or its tool list, so no price is quoted and the features are described only generally.
Cyprus is an EU member state, which makes it one of the few non-German EU entities here.
What PDF Candy does better than Foxit
- EU company with Cypriot law
- Files deleted after up to 2 hours, by its own policy
- Web-based, nothing to install
- A clear statement of the retention period
Where PDF Candy is a step down from Foxit
- Pricing and feature depth not verified
- Not an editor comparable to Foxit PDF Editor
- Files are uploaded to the service
- Small company against Foxit
Standout against Foxit. It states a concrete retention limit of two hours for uploads.
PDF2Go
a web toolbox on credits, with German law
Best for: Light users who want a free plan and pay only when they need more
PDF2Go is operated by QaamGo Web GmbH in Radolfzell, Germany. Its terms of use are governed by German law, with the provider's registered office as forum for merchants and legal entities, and EU consumer protections otherwise. It states that files are not used for AI training.
Its plans are Free, Starter, Pro and Business, built on credits (for example 480 credits a month on Starter and 2,800 on Pro), with 2, 5 and 20 users included. The Pro plan includes desktop app access. The pricing page showed no amounts, so none is quoted, and extra users cost EUR 5 a month.
Automated editing and conversion by script is prohibited under its terms.
What PDF2Go does better than Foxit
- German company and German law
- Free plan and a 14-day money-back guarantee
- States that files are not used to train AI
- Desktop app access on the Pro plan
Where PDF2Go is a step down from Foxit
- Credit system makes cost harder to predict
- Prices not shown on the page we opened
- Not a text editor like Foxit PDF Editor
- Scripted use is prohibited
Standout against Foxit. It combines a credit-based plan structure with an explicit no-AI-training statement.
- Which law reaches it. EU (Germany). Foxit is run from the United States, so the CLOUD Act obliges the provider to hand over data on a valid order regardless of which country the servers are in.
- Source code. Open source, where Foxit is not: you can read what it does rather than take the description on trust.
Best for: Offices that need to produce PDFs from any Windows program, including on terminal servers
PDFCreator comes from Avanquest pdfforge GmbH in Hamburg (HRB 185235). Editions are Free, Professional, Terminal Server and Server, the last two aimed at virtual desktops and high-volume automation.
It installs as a printer, so any program that can print can create a PDF, with merging and conversion on the free edition and encryption, tokens and scripts on Professional. The pricing page showed no amounts, so none is quoted. The owner of Avanquest pdfforge GmbH was not researched.
It does not edit existing PDFs the way Foxit PDF Editor does.
What PDFCreator does better than Foxit
- Free edition for Windows
- Terminal Server and Server editions for corporate use
- German company with a full imprint
- Works from any program that can print
Where PDFCreator is a step down from Foxit
- Creates PDFs; does not edit existing ones
- Windows only
- Prices not shown on the page we opened
- Owner of the German company not checked
Standout against Foxit. It turns any Windows application into a PDF source, and it is the only tool here with a Terminal Server edition.
What actually breaks when you switch
Count who actually needs an editor. Many Foxit seats are used for signing and merging, which free tools cover. Keep paid seats for the people who rewrite text, build forms or redact, and put everyone else on PDF24 or a similar free tool.
Check what lives in the Foxit account: eSign envelopes, cloud documents, AI credits. These do not move as files, and signature records may have to be kept for legal reasons. Export them before you cancel, and keep the perpetual licence, if you have one, until the new setup has run for a month.
Read the entity on each order. Nutrient lists several group companies, PDFsam Enhanced sits under a different company from PDFsam Basic, and several terms here (PDF24, ONLYOFFICE, PDF-XChange, PDFCreator) did not state a governing law in the pages we opened.
Which of these edits text inside a PDF like Foxit does?
Sejda describes editing existing PDFs on web and desktop, PDF-XChange is a desktop editor, and ONLYOFFICE has a PDF editor that can edit, annotate and fill forms. The toolbox sites (PDF24, Smallpdf, iLovePDF, PDF Candy, PDF2Go) focus on operations such as merging, splitting, compressing and converting.
None of these lists the same AI and eSign bundle as Foxit PDF Editor+, so check whether you use those before you switch.
Which of these can work offline?
PDFsam says that its desktop applications process files locally and do not upload PDF content. PDF24 offers a Windows desktop app, Sejda sells a desktop version, ONLYOFFICE has desktop editors for Windows, Linux and macOS, PDF-XChange is a desktop editor, and PDFCreator installs as a Windows printer.
PDF24's page did not say whether its desktop app works fully offline, so confirm that if it matters.
Is there a European tool with a perpetual licence like Foxit's?
PDF-XChange sells perpetual licences, from EUR 57 plus VAT for a single user on the standard Editor, with optional maintenance for new releases and no refunds once a licence key is issued. PDFsam Visual is described as a one-time purchase or a yearly subscription. The others are free or on subscription.
Does a UK or Swiss contract count as European?
The UK and Switzerland are outside the EU, and both have EU adequacy decisions for personal data. PDF-XChange is registered in England, and Smallpdf is a Swiss company. If your rule is EU or EEA only, the entities on this page are in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Austria and Cyprus.
Which one to pick
If you want the closest editor to Foxit at a lower price, Sejda is the most direct move, and PDF-XChange if you prefer to buy once. If your work is merging, splitting and converting, PDF24 is free and PDFsam Basic is free and open source and works offline. iLovePDF suits teams that want a small subscription and SSO.
ONLYOFFICE is the pick if PDFs sit alongside documents and spreadsheets, Smallpdf if you want the web workflow with a signing product, and Nutrient only if you are a developer. PDF Candy, PDF2Go and PDFCreator each fit a narrower case.
Be realistic about the gap. None of the eleven lists the same bundle of AI credits and eSign envelopes as Foxit PDF Editor+, and several of the free tools offer no commercial support. Switch if you want a contracting party and a court outside California, and keep Foxit if its editing and signing features have no equivalent for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single answer. Sejda is the closest editor on price and shape, PDF24 is the best free option, and iLovePDF suits batch work on a small subscription. For a perpetual desktop licence, PDF-XChange is the nearest.
No. The Terms of Service name Foxit Software Incorporated and its authorized affiliates, the controller in its privacy policy is Foxit Software Inc. in Fremont, California, and the terms apply California law. Foxit Europe GmbH in Berlin is named as the EU representative for privacy matters.
On its own site it lists PDF Editor at $10.99 a month or $131.88 a year, PDF Editor+ at $159.99 a year, and a perpetual licence at $209.99 for Windows or macOS, with a 14-day trial. Prices may differ by country.
Sejda lists a week pass at EUR 5.50, EUR 8.50 a month and EUR 71 a year for web, and EUR 71 a year for web plus desktop, with a limited free plan. iLovePDF lists Premium at EUR 5 a month billed annually (EUR 60) or EUR 9 monthly, with Business on request.
Its pricing page lists the standard Editor at EUR 57 plus VAT for one user as a perpetual licence, with volume discounts, optional maintenance and a free version. It states that it does not offer refunds after a licence key is issued.
Its site says it is free, and it offers a Windows desktop app (PDF24 Creator) and an OCR tool. We did not find a paid plan. The company is geek software GmbH in Berlin.
PDFsam is made by Sober Lemur S.r.l. in Bibbiano, Italy, with a free open-source Basic edition. PDFCreator is made by Avanquest pdfforge GmbH in Hamburg (HRB 185235). One caution on PDFsam: its privacy policy says the Enhanced edition falls under LULU Software's privacy terms, so the Enhanced contract may not be Italian.
Stirling PDF is a popular open-source PDF tool, but its Terms of Service of 8 August 2026 name Stirling PDF, Inc. in San Francisco, with Delaware law and AAA arbitration, so we did not list it. The open-source code can still be self-hosted, which is a separate question from the company contract.
Partly. Its website and SDK terms name PSPDFKit GmbH as Nutrient and apply Austrian law with Vienna as forum, but its legal notice lists a Raleigh, North Carolina address first among six entities, and the website data controller is the US entity. Ask which entity your order names.
PDF2Go states that it does not train AI models on customer files. PDFsam says its desktop applications do not upload your content. We did not check this for the other tools, so read each privacy policy for your case.
Plain PDFs move as files. Forms with scripts, saved eSign envelopes and anything stored in Foxit's cloud have to be exported first, and eSign records may need to be kept as they are. Take copies of anything you must retain before you cancel.
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