Annotate PDF as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat: What You Can Do for Free

Introduction

Adobe Acrobat has long been the standard tool for working with PDFs.
But “standard” does not always mean “convenient.”

We ran our own small investigation and found that regular users (students, teachers) mostly need a tool for simple PDF tasks such as: reading a file, highlighting text, leaving comments, and signing documents.

When these basic actions require a heavy program and a paid subscription, the question of an alternative naturally arises.

Annotate PDF covers these basic use cases for free.

In this article, we’ll look at what the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader can actually do and why more and more users are searching for a replacement.

What the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader Can Do

Adobe Acrobat offers a free version with limited functionality and an overcomplicated interface.

What’s available without a subscription

• View PDF files
• Print documents
• Zoom pages
• Highlight text
• Add comments
• Sign documents

What’s not available for free

• Inserting images
• Full work with forms
• Hiding sensitive information
• Bulk deletion of objects

Why do people look for alternatives to Acrobat?

We collected the main reasons why people stop using Adobe Acrobat, which are frequently discussed on Reddit:

1. high subscription cost
2. overloaded and complex interface
3. slow performance with large PDF files
4. the need to install heavy software
5. features that are rarely used but must be paid for continuously

Conclusion: Acrobat is too complex for annotations and comments

Users need a simple tool that:

• Opens quickly on any device
• Works in any browser
• Allows writing and highlighting
• Does not require registration or payment

Annotate PDF as an Alternative to Adobe Acrobat

Annotate PDF solves the exact tasks for which most people open Adobe Acrobat.

It is an online PDF annotation tool.
It works directly in the browser and requires no installation.

What you can do in Annotate PDF for free:

• Add text anywhere in the document
• Highlight important sections
• Leave comments next to mistakes
• Draw arrows, frames, and notes
• Insert a signature
• Remove elements with an eraser
• Clear all edits in one click

The service does not replace a professional PDF editor.
It replaces everyday use of Acrobat Reader and some tasks of Acrobat Pro.

Here’s what users say about Annotate PDF

Over 177 reviews with an average rating of 4.2 on CWS

Chao

Google doesn’t have a function to draw on pdf like Microsoft Edge, but this app perfectly fills the gap. Smooth and easy to use. Exactly what I was looking for!

Goody

This almost feels too good to be true. The best PDF editor I’ve found so far. I hope the team builds a community for live feedback and feature requests soon. 😍

Aditya

No useless signup, straight to work. Great features. Loads huge PDFs fast. HELLA GOOD.

Amita Dave

A good and useful tool, but I wish it included an eraser like Microsoft Edge does. I also wish it worked seamlessly inside Chrome without opening a new page and uploading the file.

Leann A

This is already a great extension and does what I mostly expect. I only wish it had text recognition to make highlighting easier, especially for large documents. Still, the existing features are enough for me, and I’ll continue using it.

Rahul Rai

Overall, a very good online PDF annotation app.

Saksham Gupta

It made it easier for a student like me to understand and underline important lines in PDFs. It feels like reading a book, not a boring PDF.

Mirthul

I really like the tool, but I have a few suggestions. It would be better if there was no need to open PDFs in a new tab. Also, the quality sometimes drops. And most importantly — it needs an eraser. Overall, a great extension.

Nicole Moreno

This works well for a free annotation tool. I use it for graduate school where we read 3–7 articles a week. It works for me!

Conclusion

Adobe Acrobat remains a powerful tool, but it is too complex for everyday users who simply need to:

➤ Quickly comment on a PDF

➤ Check a student’s assignment

➤ Highlight important parts using different colors

➤ Sign a document with their own signature

➤ Do all of this without installation or payment

Annotate PDF covers these scenarios for free.