If, like me, you regularly need to edit PDFs, you may recall that I’ve written about Adobe Acrobat alternatives in the past, so I thought I’d share another favorite today: UPDF. You see, until now, I’ve tried out PDF Elements, ToolRocket, and PDF Escape. It lets you convert, edit, insert, review, and secure documents. You can also create and use forms.

UPDF does all that but also has a lightning-fast reader. That’s because it’s designed to be lightweight and efficient, using up to 90% less RAM than Adobe Acrobat and processing PDFs up to three times faster. It’s also faster than PDF Escape, which takes a while to load, so I always find myself hesitating whenever I need to edit a PDF. UPDF, on the other hand, opens a file almost as fast as I can double-click it. For me, that probably justifies the higher annual subscription cost of $49. However, I opted instead for the discounted lifetime license of $79 that should take care of all my PDF needs forever. Compared to Adobe Acrobat, which requires an annual subscription of up to $299.76, a lifetime subscription to UPDF was a no-brainer. It even makes sense compared to PDF Escape, which comes at $35/year.

The AI Option

The lifetime license is for UPDF Pro, which covers pretty much all of my needs. I can edit text, images, and links within PDFs, as well as reorder, split, or merge pages with ease. The annotation tools are equally cool, offering highlights, shapes, stickers, and eSignatures. Additionally, UPDF supports batch processing for tasks like OCR, compression, watermarking, and form handling.

However, UPDF also offers an additional annual subscription for its AI add-on, which integrates several AI tools that include:

• Instant Summaries: UPDF can summarize lengthy documents with a single click.
• Chat with PDFs: Users can interact with their documents in a conversational manner to search for key information or to clarify content.
• Real-Time Translations: UPDF supports translations in nearly all languages.
• Unique Tools: Features like PDF-to-MindMap conversion and image-based AI chat offer functionality that Acrobat lacks.

Other Info

One thing that stands out to me is its user-friendly interface. Unlike Acrobat, which can feel cluttered and overwhelming due to its complexity, UPDF is pretty intuitive and easy to navigate, even for beginners.

As for updates, the company behind it is always adding new features and improvements. And it supports a wide range of languages, which is important to me since I work in two languages.

If you wish to try it out, there’s a free version as well that places a watermark on saved documents. UPDF is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web. You can use a single account on up to four devices, so I can share it with the missus and the kiddo.